Improving Conditions for Learning for Youth Who Are Neglected or Delinquent

Learning is not just a cognitive process. Research shows that powerful social and emotional factors affect learning. Some of these factors involve social relationships. These social factors include the teacher's relationship with the student, the student's relationship with other students, the teacher's and student's relationships with the student's family and with staff, the overall climate of the student's learning environment, and the support provided to teachers and other staff to provide a caring and supportive environment. Other factors are individual and often involve emotional matters. These emotional factors include the student's motivation; sense of self and of ability to succeed, both in life and academically; mental and physical wellness; and ability to manage his or her own emotions and relationships with teachers and other students.