Integrating Social-Emotional Education (SEL) into Steam Education to Develop Empathy in 5-6 Years Old Preschool Children

Abstract : The rapid development of artificial intelligence and digital transformation is placing new demands on early childhood education; the goal of early childhood education is not only to develop cognitive abilities but also to comprehensively develop humanistic qualities and competencies in children, in which empathy is considered a core component of socio-emotional competence. However, in reality, the development of these competencies in early childhood education still faces many limitations and lacks systematic and effective integrated approaches. This article aims to analyze the theoretical basis and clarify the mechanism for developing empathy in 5-6 years old preschool children through the integration of socio-emotional education (SEL) in STEAM education. The study uses a method of analyzing and synthesizing literature from the fields of developmental psychology, socio-emotional education, and STEAM education to build an integrated theoretical framework. The research results show that empathy can be effectively formed and developed through three main mechanisms: experiential learning, social interaction, and human-centered problem-solving in STEAM activities. Simultaneously, the research also points to the strong link between SEL and STEAM in the holistic development of children’s abilities. This paper contributes to supplementing the theoretical basis for integrating SEL into STEAM education and proposes directions for organizing activities to enhance the effectiveness of empathy development in preschool children in the current educational context.