All children have the best start in life to create a better future for themselves and for the nation

Abstract

THIS PAPER REPORTS ON a social emotional learning (SEL) program entitled COPE-R and the role of the teacher in supporting young children’s developing social and emotional understandings, particularly around caring and empathy. Thirty-eight four- and five-yearold children and their teacher from an inner-Melbourne city long day preschool program participated in the research. The teacher was also a member of the research team hence the study falls within the realm of practitioner-research, which aims to shed further light on the role of the teacher in designing, implementing and evaluating challenging programs for young children. A qualitative case study methodology was employed to ensure that ..