Bibliometric Analysis of Trends in Social and Emotional Learning Research in School Curricula, 2015 to 2025

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has become a prominent component of school programs and curricula worldwide, yet the structure of the research field has rarely been mapped. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of 203 Scopus-indexed journal articles published between 2015 and 2025 that address SEL in school and curriculum contexts. Performance analysis and science mapping were conducted with Bibliometrix (Biblioshiny) and supplemented with descriptive statistics computed from the Scopus export. Annual output grew from 1 article in 2015 to 48 in 2025, and 67.5% of the corpus appeared after 2021. The field is geographically concentrated: the United States and the United Kingdom account for 52.2% of corresponding-author records. Authorship is also concentrated, with Humphrey N. (10 articles) leading and 86.5% of authors appearing only once. Frontiers in Psychology, Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy, and Frontiers in Education are the most productive sources, while highly cited work centers on teacher well-being, program effectiveness, and core program components. Co-word and thematic analyses reveal three clusters and a shift from trial-based evaluation toward mental health, implementation, and self-related constructs. Six research gaps are identified: geographic and cultural breadth, curriculum as an object of inquiry, implementation, teacher agency, methodological breadth and long-term outcomes, and terminological consolidation.