New Faculty Spotlight: Chan explores ways to screen for social-emotional well-being

It was an experience that Chan, who joined the Berkeley School of Education faculty in July, points to as a pivotal moment in her educational trajectory. Rather than feeling dejected, Chan asked questions.

“I asked myself, `How should I change?’ And, ‘What should I do to improve my academic learning?’” she said, adding that she worked hard and graduated from that school and went on to college in Hong Kong and the United States, including earning a PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Chan counts herself as lucky for succeeding in a Hong Kong schooling system that focused on academic success and wasn’t designed for students like her. It did little to disrupt inequity and instead reinforced existing social stratification.

In college, as Chan began to study education and schooling, she realized that much of her success in high school was because of the strong social-emotional support she received at her primary school, which she described as small and not academically rigorous. What the school did offer her were strong connections with classmates, and teachers who cultivated in her a sense of self, belonging, and curiosity.

“I always asked questions in class. And then my teachers were always very patient, answering all the questions,” she said. “I also had a good support system, like peers. So combining all these factors, this helped me to succeed at school and continue to do what I want to do.”

What has helped shape her research is attending and teaching college in California and Hawai‘i, where she saw similar systemic issues as Hong Kong that were further compounded by greater structural complexity and cultural diversity of the U.S. education system.

These experiences have led Chan to examine the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL) along two strands: developing an effective and equitable SEL screening system, and leveraging the school ecology to foster the development of these interpersonal and intrapersonal strengths. She remains cognizant of the local school context of diverse students, recognizing that both the development of social-emotional skills and the ways in which students perceive, express, and acquire these skills can vary across cultural backgrounds and identities.

“In human beings, there’s an innate desire to connect to a place, to connect to people, to feel accepted, to feel respected,” Chan said. “If I'm sitting in a classroom and I’m constantly worrying about being discriminated against by others or not being accepted, or worry about my own abilities, I won't be able to really learn."

In much the same way that schools assess grade-level reading and math, Chan is researching effective SEL screening for key factors that are impacting students’ wellbeing and development such as whether they feel connected to school, or are experiencing anxiety, stress or depression.

A critical aspect of the screening is taking into consideration that students come from a variety of cultures, religions, ethnicities, family income levels, and other identities.

“If we use one tool, it may correctly capture the SEL of students from certain backgrounds, but it may not be functioning the same for students from another background. Students may interpret the same question differently,” she said.

With accurate SEL assessments and effective support, student success, Chan argues, doesn’t have to be viewed only in terms of test scores and other academic measures.

“I’m more thinking about whether students develop their sense of fulfillment, they find their purpose or they build the skills they need to succeed in whatever the area they want to be in,” she said.

At Berkeley, Chan is looking forward to developing relationships and collaborations across campus and in the San Francisco Bay area.

“I think Berkeley is the place that values the impact of research and putting research into practice. I hope to build up connections with the local community and contribute to the community based on what we learned together.”