Investigating the Links of Social-Emotional Competencies: Emotional Well-being and Academic Engagement among Adolescents

This cross-sectional study examined the links of social-emotional competencies (SECs: emotional regulation, relationship skills, and planning of schoolwork) with emotional well-being (EWB) and academic engagement (behavioral and emotional) among 1085 lower secondary school students. A latent structural model was tested using Mplus. The model specified the SECs as the independent variables, EWB as the intermediate variable, and behavioral and emotional engagement as the dependent variables. In line with hypotheses, the SECs showed statistically significant links with EWB; the strongest for emotional regulation. In addition, EWB was significantly associated with both dimensions of academic engagement and planning of schoolwork was directly associated with the engagement variables. The findings support the notion that EWB is linked to academic engagement and that SECs, especially emotional regulation can promote academic engagement via EWB. Yet, skills in planning schoolwork emerged as the SECs with the greatest likely potential for promoting academic engagement among adolescent students.publishedVersio

Social competencies, classroom relationships, and academic engagement: A latent change score modeling approach among lower secondary school student

This longitudinal study applied latent change score (LCS) modeling to examine individual changes in students’ (N = 1205) academic engagement (behavioral and emotional), social competencies (relationship skills and social awareness), and classroom relationships (emotional support from teachers and collaborative peer relations). Average changes during the first year of lower secondary school were investigated, and an LCS model specifying that individual changes in social competencies are related to individual changes in academic engagement partially via individual changes in classroom relationships was tested. The results indicated an average decline for all variables, particularly emotional engagement. Changes in social competencies were associated with changes in classroom relationships and indirectly with changes in academic engagement via changes in emotional support from teachers. A direct association was found between changes in social awareness and behavioral engagement. The findings reflect that the promotion of social competencies in lower secondary school may foster positive classroom relationships and academic engagement, mainly via perceived social awareness for behavioral engagement or via emotional support from teachers for both dimensions of academic engagement.publishedVersio

Investigating the Links of Social-Emotional Competencies: Emotional Well-being and Academic Engagement among Adolescents

This cross-sectional study examined the links of social-emotional competencies (SECs: emotional regulation, relationship skills, and planning of schoolwork) with emotional well-being (EWB) and academic engagement (behavioral and emotional) among 1085 lower secondary school students. A latent structural model was tested using Mplus. The model specified the SECs as the independent variables, EWB as the intermediate variable, and behavioral and emotional engagement as the dependent variables. In line with hypotheses, the SECs showed statistically significant links with EWB; the strongest for emotional regulation. In addition, EWB was significantly associated with both dimensions of academic engagement and planning of schoolwork was directly associated with the engagement variables. The findings support the notion that EWB is linked to academic engagement and that SECs, especially emotional regulation can promote academic engagement via EWB. Yet, skills in planning schoolwork emerged as the SECs with the greatest likely potential for promoting academic engagement among adolescent students