Theory of Mind, Emotion Knowledge, and School Engagement in Emerging Adolescents

Sandra Bosacki,Victoria Talwar,Kathleen Andrews,Valentina Sitnik,Flavia Moreira

doi:10.26822/iejee.2019553349

Sandra Bosacki, Victoria Talwar + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.26822/iejee.2019553349

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Abstract

Theory of Mind (ToM), or the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others to predict behavior is an important skill that helps adolescents to navigate through school. Building on emerging research on the cognitive and affective aspects of ToM and school engagement, this cross-sectional study explored ToM, emotion knowledge, and school engagement in 32 adolescents (22 females; Mage = 187.2 mos – 15.16 years, SD = 3.29) from central Canada. Positive correlations were found between ToM and school engagement, controlling for language. Higher levels of experiences of guilt and shame were associated with higher levels of ToM and school engagment. Verbal ability significantly contributed to total perceptions of school engagement. Implications for adolescents’ social cognition, mental health, and school experiences are discussed.

Highlights

Theory of Mind (ToM), or the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others to predict behavior is an important social-emotional skill to develop during the transition to secondary school (Hughes, 2011; Lacey et al, 2017)
The present study investigated the connections among Theory of Mind, emotion knowledge, and perceived school engagement in adolescence
The results of the current study suggest that Theory of Mind and school engagement are positively related, controlling for language

Summary

Introduction

Theory of Mind (ToM), or the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others to predict behavior is an important social-emotional skill to develop during the transition to secondary school (Hughes, 2011; Lacey et al, 2017). Social-emotional skills such as perspective taking and empathy are especially important for the development of school engagement, memory and academic achievement, and prosocial relations (Ahmed et al, 2018; Estevez et al, 2018; Ross & Tolan, 2017; Zorza et al, 2018). The present study takes a new approach and studies the connections between individual differences in ToM, emotion knowledge, and multiple dimensions of perceived school engagement in adolescence. It focuses on an understudied and often neglected developmental period in the ToM research area, namely, adolescence. Given the lack of studies on the role of gender in social cognition and school engagement, we examined gender-related differences (Devine & Hughes, 2013; Bosacki, 2014)

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