Social-emotional education programs for primary education: Bibliometric and thematic analysis (2010–2020)

Social-emotional learning programs have demonstrated effectiveness in the academic, personal and social success of students, as well as in the prevention of future difficulties. Therefore, the aim of the study was to analyze the scientific literature on the implementation of social-emotional education programs in primary education, disseminated in databases (Web of Sciences and Scopus) between 2010 and 2020. A total of 168 articles were reviewed and analyzed in terms of bibliometric indicators, such as: temporal production, by journals and by author, methodological approach, sources of information and thematic analysis. The main findings show a substantial increase in productivity during the year 2020, that the journals with the most publications on this topic are mostly from the United States, and that there is also an inclination towards quantitative research. Programs such as Positive Action (PA) and the Social Emotional Learning Program (SEL) stand out as the most widely disseminated.