EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF AUTONOMY SUPPORT AND TEAMWORK ON SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE AMONG BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

This research explores how autonomy support and interdependence relate to social-emotional competence (SEC) among university students. Data were gathered from 100 participants using validated measures to assess autonomy support, interdependence, and SEC. The findings revealed that autonomy support significantly enhances students' SEC, highlighting the value of allowing students to have control over their learning to improve emotional regulation, empathy, and interpersonal skills. Conversely, interdependence, which involves teamwork and collaboration, did not have a significant direct impact on SEC. However, when both autonomy support and interdependence were examined together, they contributed a modest but meaningful effect, accounting for 9.3% of the variance in SEC. These results indicate that while both factors are important, autonomy support has a more pronounced influence on SEC. This study suggests that educators and policymakers should focus on fostering autonomy-supportive environments to promote social-emotional growth in students, while also calling for further exploration of other factors affecting SEC.