Social-Emotional Development Research Group, led by Dr. Chiaki Konishi, announce website
McGill University’s Social-Emotional Development Research Group (SED-RG), directed by Dr. Chiaki Konishi of our Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, has launched a website.
The SED-RG looks at social-emotional development among children, youth, and young adults. The group tries to focus on contemporary, critical issues happening in schools, families, and society, and are interested in delving into different relationships among peers and adults such as bullying, attachment, or school climate. Connectedness is key to their research. Their work identifies efficient ways and strategies to promote people's social and emotional well-being as well as to optimize healthy learning environments -especially for those of marginalized populations.
Chiaki Konishi completed her doctorate degree in the program of Human Development, Learning and Culture within the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, at the University of British Columbia. She specializes in the area of social-emotional learning (SEL) and development, and applied statistics in educational and developmental psychology. Her research has concentrated on understanding the roles of connectedness on children’s and adolescents’ growth and well-being, with particular emphasis on the stigmatized experiences of bullying and discrimination. She has conducted various studies in the field of SEL and development, including longitudinal and cross-national studies of bullying and victimization, large-scale studies on school climate, school safety and social responsibility. Her current focus has been the application of social and ecological perspectives to understand developmental processes, with emphasis on multilevel and growth modeling techniques. Most of Chiaki's work has been conducted through collaborative partnerships with local schools and community agencies with the aim of optimizing social-emotional development of children and youth as well as their learning environments. She has taught a unique graduate-level practicum course in SEL, the first of its kind in Canada which was initiated by Drs. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl and Shelley Hymel. This course has provided opportunities for students to develop a deep understanding needed to embed SEL in educational settings. She is also a registered clinical counsellor and has been a school teacher in the past.