Abstract

Korean students continue their academic journey amid intense competition and rapid physical and mental changes during their growth. As a result, some students experience difficulties in socio-emotional development, such as a lack of empathy, communication skills, and emotional instability, which can lead to challenges in social adaptation. This study investigates elementary teacher librarians’ perceptions of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and explores ways to effectively implement SEL in school libraries. To conduct this research, an online survey was first administered. Following this, in-depth interviews were conducted with a subset of respondents who agreed to participate, to explore practical ways of applying SEL in school libraries. The results revealed that elementary teacher librarians recognize the importance of SEL and strongly agree on its necessity. Moreover, specific strategies for practicing SEL in school libraries, available teaching and learning resources, challenges faced, and potential improvements were identified. Based on these findings, the study carefully examines the educational implications of SEL in elementary school libraries and provides foundational data for implementing SEL practices in these settings. This research highlights the educational significance of SEL in school library education and contributes to outlining specific directions for its practical application.