What are the most essential social-emotional skills?: Relationships between adolescents’ social-emotional skills and psychosocial health variables: an explorative cross-sectional study of a sample of students in preparatory vocational secondary education

​​​​​​​IntroductionUniversal school-based social-emotional learning (SEL) programs target several social-emotional skills assuming a relationship between the skills and psychosocial health outcomes. However, greater insight into the relationship is required to clarify the skills that are most crucial to address. It will support the development and refinement of SEL programs. This study investigated 1) the relationship among the social-emotional skills, 2) the association between the skills and psychosocial health variables, and 3) the mediating effect of the skills on psychosocial variables.MethodsUsing self-report questionnaires (N = 796) completed by adolescent students (aged 14-18) in preparatory vocational tracks in Dutch secondary education, associations were identified between five SEL skills and two psychosocial health variables, emotional-behavioral difficulties, and prosocial behavior.ResultsThere was a high degree of overlap between the five skills (self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making). The skills were univariately associated with emotional-behavioral difficulties and prosocial behavior. In the multivariate model, self-management most strongly correlated with emotional-behavioral difficulties and mediated the relationship between self-awareness and emotional-behavioral difficulties. Social awareness showed the highest correlation with prosocial behavior and mediated the relationship between prosocial behavior and three other skills: self-awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.DiscussionSelf-management and social awareness seem to be the central skills to promote the psychosocial health outcomes of students in preparatory vocational secondary education tracks. These two skills mediate the relationship between other social-emotional skills, emotional-behavioral difficulties, and prosocial behavior.NWOPRO-4-43Prevention, Population and Disease management (PrePoD)Public Health and primary car

Effects of an SEL program in a diverse population of low achieving secondary education students

Adolescents’ social-emotional skills are associated with positive outcomes in psychosocialhealth and success in education and work. In this study, we examined the effectiveness ofSkills4Life, a Social Emotional Learning program for preparatory vocational secondaryeducation aimed at enhancing self-awareness, social awareness, self-management,relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Low-achieving students withadditional educational needs participated in a quasi-experimental study, with anintervention (N 465) and a control group (N 274). We assessed the outcomes onsocial-emotional skills and psychosocial health using self-report questionnaires at pre-test(T0), after finishing the basic module (T1), and after finishing the internship module (T2).Multi-level regression analyses indicated no overall effects on the outcomes at T1 and T2.After completing the entire program at T2, students from non-western backgrounds hadsignificantly unfavorable lower scores on social awareness and relationship skills. Positiveeffects were found on self-management and preparation for internships in students taughtby experienced professional trainers compared to students taught by regular classroomteachers at T2. Alterations in the socio-cultural approach of the Skills4Life program andteacher training are needed to support all students in developing the social-emotional skillsthat they need for success at school and the workplace.NWOPRO-4-43Public Health and primary carePrevention, Population and Disease management (PrePoD

Effects of an SEL Program in a Diverse Population of Low Achieving Secondary Education Students

Adolescents’ social-emotional skills are associated with positive outcomes in psychosocial health and success in education and work. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of Skills4Life, a Social Emotional Learning program for preparatory vocational secondary education aimed at enhancing self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Low-achieving students with additional educational needs participated in a quasi-experimental study, with an intervention (N = 465) and a control group (N = 274). We assessed the outcomes on social-emotional skills and psychosocial health using self-report questionnaires at pre-test (T0), after finishing the basic module (T1), and after finishing the internship module (T2). Multi-level regression analyses indicated no overall effects on the outcomes at T1 and T2. After completing the entire program at T2, students from non-western backgrounds had significantly unfavorable lower scores on social awareness and relationship skills. Positive effects were found on self-management and preparation for internships in students taught by experienced professional trainers compared to students taught by regular classroom teachers at T2. Alterations in the socio-cultural approach of the Skills4Life program and teacher training are needed to support all students in developing the social-emotional skills that they need for success at school and the workplace