Socio-Emotional Skills in The Academic Performance of Portuguese Basic Education Students (Emotional Intelligence Program)

Abstract

Socio-emotional skills are a central element to face the problems of daily life and relate to others, becoming an essential capacity of the human being, developed educationally. We carried out a hybrid/mixed research (pre-pandemic period academic year 2019-20), modality of action research, having applied an intervention program to develop education for emotions, social skills and emotional intelligence in Portuguese children from 2 classes of the 4th grade elementary school, in order to improve their school performance and relationships between peers (educational environment). The conceptual framework was based on the analysis of the content of a range of studies on emotions, in the psych pedagogical scope, with emphasis on Salovey, Caruso and Mayer and Fernández Berrocal. The data collection techniques were as follows: sociometrist test friendship to the class (pre and post intervention); semi-structured interview with 2 teachers; participant observation; Intervention Program (7 sessions); focus-group; field notes. All ethical and legal rules were complied with in the procedures. The triangulations of the data obtained confirmed the improvement of (self) knowledge of emotions by the students, their social/emotional skills in the school performance of class and the relationships of friendship between them. We proposed socio-educational intervention guidelines to improve coexistence, with the involvement of the family and partners of the school and the emotional intelligence.