Integrating social-emotional learning into community nursing curriculum: a quasi-experimental study on enhancing emotional competence and professional readiness in nursing students.

Objective: To evaluate the potential impact of a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)-integrated pedagogical intervention in an undergraduate Methods: A quasi-experimental design was employed. Two intact classes of nursing students were assigned to an experimental group ( Results: Compared to the control group, students in the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher levels of positive affect, greater use of cognitive reappraisal, enhanced empathy across all dimensions, more positive attitudes toward learning communication skills, and stronger ethical decision-making abilities. They also reported significantly lower levels of negative affect and less reliance on expressive suppression (all Conclusion: The results indicate that the efficacy of SEL-integrated instruction lies in its mechanisms, such as contextualized simulation, structured reflection, and supportive feedback, which foster the transition of socio-emotional competencies from explicit learning to internalized application. This approach may address a training gap and potentially enhance preparedness for the relational demands of community practice.