Peer-reviewed article
Social-Emotional Skills, Behavioural Problems and Learning Outcomes of Elementary School Children
Evita Ozerova, Baiba Martinsone, Carmel Cefai, Elisabetta Conte ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This study looked at how social-emotional skills, behaviour problems and learning outcomes are related in 590 elementary school students aged 7 to 11. Teachers rated each child using standard questionnaires on social-emotional skills and behaviour, plus a three-item questionnaire on learning outcomes. Children with higher social-emotional skills were reported to have fewer behaviour problems and better learning outcomes. Teachers rated girls higher than boys on social-emotional skills and learning outcomes, and reported fewer behaviour problems among girls. The authors conclude that social-emotional skills should be developed to support learning and behaviour, and that teachers have an important role in this.
Key points
- Sample of 590 elementary school students aged 7–11 (mean age 9.14); 314 boys and 276 girls.
- Teachers completed the SSIS Social-Emotional Learning brief scales, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and a three-item learning outcomes questionnaire.
- Higher social-emotional skills were significantly associated with lower behavioural problems.
- Higher social-emotional skills were significantly associated with higher learning outcomes.
- Teachers reported higher social-emotional skills and learning outcomes and fewer behavioural problems for girls than for boys.
Limitations
The abstract does not name the country where the study took place. All measures are teacher reports, and the associations do not show that social-emotional skills cause better learning or behaviour.
Abstract
A topical question for teachers and parents is how to improve students’ well-being and success at school, starting from the early stages of their education. Research shows that social-emotional competence is one of the key variables significantly impacting children’s learning outcomes and that social-emotional learning contributes to higher learning outcomes and fewer behavioural problems, even in preschool. It is of great importance to obtain more evidence on the role of social-emotional skills in school adjustment, addressing this issue as early as possible to develop a deeper understanding of how to support children after their transition to elementary school. The current research aims to analyze relationships between social-emotional skills, behaviour problems and learning outcomes in a sample of elementary school students while also addressing gender differences in these relationships. The sample consisted of 590 elementary school students aged 7–11 years (mean age 9.14, SD 1.38), 53.2% (314) of whom were boys and 46.8% (276) were girls. The teachers completed the Social Skills Improvement System Social-Emotional Learning brief scales, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and a three-item questionnaire on their students’ learning outcomes. Higher social-emotional skills in elementary school students had significant associations with lower levels of behavioural problems and higher levels of learning outcomes. Moreover, the results indicated that teachers reported significantly higher levels of social-emotional skills and learning outcomes and fewer behavioural problems amongst girls in contrast to boys. These findings highlight the necessity to develop social-emotional skills in facilitating learning outcomes and behaviour adjustment in elementary school children. Teachers’ role as facilitators of social-emotional development must also be emphasized.