Fostering presence in education: A pilot study of a social-emotional learning intervention for public school educators in Argentina

Public education in Argentina faces significant challenges, with 55.5% poverty rates and educators dealing with high levels of stress and burnout while serving challenging classrooms. Educator social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions are effective in increasing occupational health and personal well-being and in developing professional skills. This pilot study evaluates Fostering Presence in Education, an online SEL intervention locally designed to foster teachers' social and emotional competencies and personal well-being. It was implemented in 2023 with public school educators in Argentina (n = 164). The study consists of a pre-post design and no control group. Program acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary effects on proximal outcomes were assessed. Results demonstrated high levels of program acceptability, with 98% of participants recommending it to colleagues, and indicators of adequate feasibility despite a 38% attrition rate. Pre-post comparisons showed large effect sizes for well-being and medium-sized effects on mindfulness, self-compassion, and metacognitive awareness about teaching. Changes in stress, anxiety, and teacher self-efficacy were marginally significant. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that improvements in well-being were associated with reduced perceived stress and increased mindfulness and prosociality, with elementary educators showing greater benefits. This study provides preliminary evidence that this SEL intervention could effectively support educators who serve Argentina's challenging contexts. The findings offer valuable insights for optimizing program design and implementation strategies, informing the development of future pilot studies and randomized controlled trials in Argentina and other Latin American educational settings.