Socioemotional Competence Research Articles

Children at risk of social exclusion in the early and preschool education and care system

Children at risk of social exclusion (RSI) are more than average exposed to the risk of violation of their socio-emotional and psycho-physical integrity. The term includes children with challenging developmental and/or psychophysical status, exposed to inappropriate conditions in which they grew up, children in families of minority cultural identity. Exposure to RSI is associated with below-average educational outcomes, lower socio-emotional competencies, psychological difficulties, and antisocial/or addictive behaviours.Earlier studies found that 7 to 10% of preschool children are in RSI. Research in Croatia shows that 21.1% of preschool children are in one RSI, while 13.2% of children are in two or more RSI (http://morenec.ufzg.hr/). Children’s involvement in early childhood education and care (ECEC) stands out as an instrument for the prevention of educational poverty and one of the predictors of children’s well-being. Involvement alone is not enough, and the quality of the ECEC system and the process are more important indicators of well-being. Unfortunately, only 30% of ECEC institutions have a standardised child risk assessment procedure and organised support for children and families. Only 20% of ECEC teachers estimate that they are educated for (some) forms of support for children in RSI.

Early childhood education attendance and school readiness in low- and middle-income countries: The moderating role of family socioeconomic status

This study examined associations between attendance at early childhood education (ECE) programs and school readiness, and the extent to which the ECE–school readiness association is moderated by family socioeconomic status (SES). Data were from 58 low- and middle-income countries (N = 165,875, Mage = 47.52 months). Multilevel analysis showed that ECE attendance was positively associated with total and domain-specific school readiness, in addition to the role of family SES. The association was of medium effect size for literacy–numeracy readiness and small effect size for learning and socioemotional readiness. The ECE–school readiness association was moderated by family SES, although this varied by school readiness domains. While the ECE–literacy–numeracy association was stronger for high SES children (i.e., leveraging effect), the ECE–learning readiness association was stronger for lower SES peers (i.e., compensatory effect). No SES differences were observed for socioemotional competency (i.e., additive effect). Our findings suggest that although ECE attendance plays a significant role in developing school readiness competencies in LMIC contexts, it is strongly geared towards cognitive outcomes and therefore requiring a focus on other developmental domains. Additionally, for ECE to help close the SES gap in children’s school readiness and subsequent learning outcomes, policy makers must pay attention to increasing both the quantity and quality ECE of provision for children from low SES backgrounds.

Social and Emotional Aspect of the Secondary Language Personality Development in Teaching a Professional Foreign Language

Problem and Aim. The article discusses the features of the manifestation of the relationship between the development of various aspects of a linguistic personality and its socio-emotional competencies. The main attention is paid to the socialization of a linguistic personality and its enrichment through the formation of a secondary linguistic personality in the process of learning a foreign language. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that influence the successful development of a secondary linguistic personality in the process of its socialization in the conditions of professionally oriented foreign language communication. Methodology. The methodological basis of the study is a complex of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, deduction, induction) and methods of cognition, which made it possible to analyze and synthesize theoretical and practical material. The authors come to the conclusion that students’ social-emotional skills influence students’ interpretation of their experience of foreign language communication, determine positive socialization, effective development of a secondary language personality and create a synergistic effect of students’ stable self-identity.

Behavioral Outcomes of Children With In-Utero Opioid Exposure Age 2-7 and Parenting Self-Efficacy.

The relationship between behavior difficulties and parenting self-efficacy in children with in-utero opioid exposure (IOE) remains a significant gap that needs to be addressed for providers to better understand the mental health trajectories of children with IOE and help these families. In this study, caregivers' perception of their child's behavior and potential relationships between parenting self-efficacy, child temperament, and behavior difficulties were investigated. A descriptive survey design with a convenience sample of 143 caregivers of 2- to 7-year-old children with IOE who had follow-up visits in a Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) clinic was used for this study. Data were collected using a survey of demographics, the Children's Behavior Questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale. The overall sample scored in the average range of behavior difficulties, but a subgroup of children with very high difficulties was identified who exhibited a negative temperament, and caregivers reported a lower sense of parenting competence. There were no differences between groups on demographic variables. High negative affect and low effortful control are predictive of later internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as broader problems in self-regulation, school readiness, and socioemotional competence. Thus, although a large percentage of children treated for NAS appear to be functioning at the same level as their peers, a subset of children appears to be at higher risk. Child behavior as well as caregiver self-efficacy should be assessed during all provider encounters.

Intergenerational learning as a pedagogical strategy in early childhood education services: perspectives from an Irish study

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the concept, role and potential of intergenerational learning (IGL) as a pedagogical strategy in five Irish early childhood education (ECE) services, through exploring the perspectives on IGL of educators (5), children (70) and their parents (43). Informed by socio-cultural theories of learning and aligned to key principles of IGL, a qualitative methodological approach was adopted. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews with educators, ‘draw and talk’ strategies with children and informal written feedback with parents. Key findings demonstrated that children’s happiness, socio-emotional competences and executive functions, all key elements of successful learning and living, were strongly supported through IGL, reinforcing its potential as a relational pedagogy (Papatheodorou, T., and J. Moyles. 2009. Learning Together in the Early Years: Exploring Relational Pedagogy. London: Routledge.). Additionally, IGL created rich opportunities for children’s participation and contribution as citizens in communities, underscoring the potential of IGL as a strong and transformative pedagogical strategy (Sánchez, M., J. Sáez, P. Díaz, and M. Campillo. 2018. “Intergenerational Education in Spanish Primary Schools: Making the Policy Case.” Journal of Intergenerational Relationships 16 (1-2): 166–183.) for Irish ECE services.

The Relationship between Interoceptive Awareness and Socio-Emotional Competence

Interoception is how an individual feel about their internal body, including the sensation of one’s organs and emotional perception. The ability to be aware of one's internal body signals and activities is emphasized by interoceptive awareness. Socio-emotional competence is a multifaceted notion that incorporates a person's ability to accept information, to interpret it, and to respond to others during a social process. The relationship between interoceptive awareness and socioemotional competence is examined in this paper, along with the effects of interoception on socioemotional skills, including its benefits for social interaction skills, connections to socioemotional challenges, and effective interoception interventions. It also indicates that social-emotional skills may be bettered by linking interoceptive awareness to socio-emotional competence. It makes suggestions about how to take effective action to enhance interoception. Future research should work on quantifying interoceptive awareness and pay more attention to its effects on explicit sociability. It should also investigate whether social-emotional skills influence interoceptive awareness. This paper integrated the influence of internal awareness on the multifaceted aspects of socio-emotional competence. It can provide some guidance for the design of socio-emotional curriculum at schools and relevant intervention studies.

Consensus on the Best Practice Guidelines for Psychomotor Intervention in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Psychomotor intervention has been used to promote development by the enhancement of psychomotor and socio-emotional competence. However, studies with high-quality evidence, describing psychomotor-intervention processes and outcomes are scarce. Therefore, we aimed to generate expert consensus regarding psychomotor-intervention guidelines to support psychomotor therapists through the design and implementation of interventions for preschool (3−6 years old) children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A formal consensus process was carried out, using modified nominal group (phase I) and Delphi survey (phase II) techniques. We recruited 39 Portuguese experts in psychomotor intervention with preschool children with ASD in phase I. Experts participated in at least one of the five online meetings, discussing themes (e.g., objectives, methods, strategies) concerning psychomotor intervention with preschool children with ASD. A deductive thematic analysis from phase I resulted in 111 statements composing round 1 of the Delphi survey. Thirty-five experts completed round 1, and 23 round 2. The experts reached a consensus (agreement > 75%) on 88 statements, grouped under 16 sections, (e.g., intervention source, general setting, intended facilitation-style), reflecting generic psychomotor-intervention guidelines. Consensus guidelines may be used to support transparent and standard psychomotor interventions, although further studies should be undertaken to determine their efficacy.

An opportunity to develop respect and responsibility through a socio-musical program in a primary school: A case study

Group music making has the potential to develop socio-emotional competences. This study describes how responsibility and respect—both of which are socio-emotional competences—were developed through a socio-musical program, called Musiquem, in a Spanish primary school. The research consisted of a case study with students from Grades 3 to 5 (aged from 9 to 11) carried out over 1 school year (2018–2019). The program was developed as a specific music project to create a string orchestra and was implemented by two specialists in the violin and cello working in collaboration with the teachers in the primary school. The study describes the characteristics of the activities carried out to develop respect and responsibility and the results suggest they have a positive impact on students’ development of these socio-emotional competences.

Postpandemiczne refleksje na temat przygotowania studentów pedagogiki do pracy z dziećmi w wieku szkolnym i wczesnoszkolnym

The article presents the results of preliminary research connected with the students’ experience of high education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this paper is to introduce the meaning of this experience for the students’ future professional activities with early years education pupils. The quantitative online survey was conducted with 110 participants: pedagogy master degree students. The original online questionnaire was sent individually to each participant. The survey was based on a sample of university students who were fairly homogeneous in socio-demographic determinants, e.g. sex and age, thus, the advanced statistical analyzes could not be done. According to the data collected from closed questions, the results were presented in a form of tables. The data from the open-ended questions were subjected to a comprehensive qualitative analysis, as a result, the specific categories of answers were identified. The conclusions show clearly that the participants divide their study experience during the COVID-19 pandemic into positive and negative. There is a slight predominance of the negative experience. What is crucial, the participants consider these experiences as significant for their future profession and the process of working with a child and its family. The conducted research shows that further analysis of this experience, both by students and academic staff is essential for the study of the teachers’ socio-emotional competences. There can be no doubt about the value of such competences in supporting a child in its development.

Is early formal childcare an equalizer? How attending childcare and education centres affects children’s cognitive and socio-emotional skills in Germany

Abstract This study examines the role of formal childcare under the age of three in tackling the early social inequality in children’s cognitive and socio-emotional competencies in Germany, by drawing on the new-born sample of the National Educational Panel Study. To this end, we study first whether the access to formal early childhood education and care (ECEC) differs by parents’ socio-economic status (SES), by means of logistic regressions. Second, we analyse the main effect of attending ECEC institutions. Third, we ask whether the effect of attending ECEC on children’s competencies differs by SES. We perform OLS regression with inverse probability weighting to address confounding bias possibly arising from selection into care arrangements. Moreover, we developed a counterfactual analysis to compare the observed SES gradient in children’s competencies with two alternative extreme scenarios, one characterized by the absence of ECEC, and the other by universalistic access to ECEC. Our findings show that ECEC attendance is socially stratified and suggest an equalizing impact of ECEC institutions. We conclude that ECEC can play a compensatory function on social stratification, by making the expansion of formal early childcare expenditures a fruitful investment for more equal opportunities.

English

The emergence of the Industry 4.0 has been driven by technological advances that brought the need for evolution in the educational sector. Education 4.0 proposes a restructuring of teaching methods to include the socio-emotional skills highly demanded within the current job market. Engineers traditionally have a technical-scientific-based training; they focus on the development of core competencies such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and logic, while the socio-emotional competencies are taken for granted. Among these skills, teamwork stands out, as it includes leadership, networking and multiculturalism, essential for the work performance of the 21st century engineer. The purpose of this research is to propose a training to expand and develop the teamwork soft skills. The research was developed through a systematic bibliographic review (SBR), resulting in 33 base articles. The application method used the studies of Chiavenato and Kirckpatrick as a reference. The study data were collected through a questionnaire that compared the level of this competence before and after the application of the training. The data collected were treated with Bardin's Content Analysis. The results suggest there has been an improvement in skills, and additional fourteen competencies were identified. The improvement in the development of these skills meets the desire of the engineers' job market, which needs professionals trained in soft skills to deal with the demands inherent to teamwork. Key words: Emotional intelligence, team, engineer; Education 4.0.

The Impact of Preschool Outdoor Environment on Children’s Socio-Emotional Development

Children are involved in various forms of social interactions, experiences, and the setting of environments in outdoor play areas that support children’s socio-emotional growth. It is necessary because the environment leaves a memorable experience for children. Other than that, it is crucial for their training and physical coordination. In addition, children’s emotional and social skills were indirectly assessed. This paper intends to incorporate an outdoor environment in preschools to meet the socio-emotional developmental needs of preschool children. Preschools located in Peninsular Malaysia were considered to be discussed in this paper. Conducting interviews with four teachers from various types of preschools can provide an initial picture of the external environment development in preschools. Early experiences of external environment interactions and the presence of social interactions with teachers and peers in preschool often impact the children’s learning experience. Two conclusions from the research findings guide the discussion on how the relationships of the preschools’ outdoor environment can foster the preschoolers’ socio-emotional growth. First, they acquire social and emotional competence with a combination of different experiences through shared or solitary experiences. Second, it was found that a variety of outdoor games with engaging spaces that offer attractions imminently stimulates game-based learning in contributing to the socio-emotional competence of preschoolers.

Project SELfit: training socio-emotional skills in a school environment in Porto

Abstract Issue/Problem Mental disorders are the main cause of years lived with disability (YLD) in 5-14-year-old people around the world, in Western Europe, and particularly in Portugal. Young people who experience anxiety during childhood have a 3,5-fold likelihood of suffering from depression or anxiety during adulthood. COVID-19 has aggravated this situation, namely regarding socio-emotional competencies. Description of the problem SELfit, a project based on the Socio-emotional learning (SEL) methodology, aims promoting mental health, by training teachers and community nurses to develop socio-emotional skills in students from primary schools. The project includes a theoretical and a practical/training session, and monthly supervision sessions by a team that includes a psychologist, a public health doctor and public health nurses. The period of implementation is between February to July 2022. Results A total of 8 community nurses and 13 teachers from 3 primary schools in Porto enrolled in this project, which corresponds to a total around 272 students from 5 to 8-year-old. Knowledge of nurses and teachers regarding mental health literacy, and social emotional learning was assessed, before and after the theoretical session. The mean percentage of correct answers before was 49% (54% regarding nurses and 45% teachers) compared to 84% (92% regarding nurses and 78% teachers) after. Concerning socio-emotional skills of the primary school students, possible improvement will be evaluated at the end of the project (July 2022). Lessons Mental health literacy and social emotional learning knowledge increased 35%, which highlights the importance of these theoretical sessions promoting mental health literacy. By the end of this project, it is expected to exist an improvement on socio-emotional skills of the primary school students. This is a very important project, expected to be implement and replicated in other schools in Porto and in Portugal. Key messages • Mental disorders are the main cause of years lost due to disability (YLD) in primary school students in Portugal; hence, it was chosen for this mental health promotion project. • This is a pioneer project in Porto, involving both community nurses and primary teachers, in which all are involved in training and promoting social-emotional learning in a school context.

Exploring the Associations between Social Media Addiction and Depression: Attentional Bias as a Mediator and Socio-Emotional Competence as a Moderator.

Social media is used daily by a significant number of young people and can have an important influence on the well-being of its users. The aim of this study was to determine the motives for social media use among Chinese youth and whether social media addiction associates with depression. Another objective was to analyze possible mediating and moderating effects in explaining the association between social media addiction and depression. Participants were 1652 secondary school students (51.5% boys and 48.5% girls) aged 12–18 years in China. The results showed that attention bias mediated the association between social media addiction and depression when adolescents’ socio-emotional competencies were low, but not as strong when their socio-emotional competencies were high. The findings not only provided theoretical support for preventing the negative effects of mobile social media addiction, but could also directly contribute to improving adolescents’ quality of life.

초등학교 특수학생의 사회정서역량 신장을 위한 그림책 상담프로그램 개발 및 효과

Objectives The purpose of this study is to develop a counseling program using picturebooks to enhance the socio-emotional competency of students who needs special education and who are enrolled in special education classes in elementary schools and to verify the effect through the experience of special education teachers. Methods First, past studies related to picturebook, socio-emotional competency, and counseling program development were analyzed. Second, based on the results of prior research and analysis, the procedures of the program development were determined to enhance the socio-emotional competency of students who needs special education and who are enrolled in special education classes in elementary schools. Third, a picturebook counseling program activity plan(lesson plan) was created. Fourth, peer teachers gave feedback on the lesson plans of this program activity plan(guideline). Then, the researcher revised and complemented them. Fifth, 30 special education students(8 classes) were participated in this picturebook counseling program. It is difficult to collect the self-report questionnaire from the special students. So experience from 8 special education teachers were collected. Finally, the collected experiences of special teachers were analyzed through a qualitative approach of repetitive comparative analysis. Results First, the researcher developed a counseling program to improve socio-emotional competency, using picturebooks in special classes in elementary schools for 5 sessions. Second, the findings revealed the effect of the picturebook counseling program to increase the emotional competency of special education students in elementary school by analyzing the experiences of special education teachers who performed it. Conclusions This study shed lights on the development of the counseling program to strenghten socio-emotional competency using picturebooks, which is applicable to special education students in elementary schools. Finally, the significance and limitations of this study and suggestions for future research were discussed.

Developmental Delays in Socio-Emotional Brain Functions in Persons with an Intellectual Disability: Impact on Treatment and Support.

Intellectual disability is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a related co-occurrence of mental health issues and challenging behaviors. In addition to purely cognitive functions, socio-emotional competencies may also be affected. In this paper, the lens of developmental social neuroscience is used to better understand the origins of mental disorders and challenging behaviors in people with an intellectual disability. The current concept of intelligence is broadened by socio-emotional brain functions. The emergence of these socio-emotional brain functions is linked to the formation of the respective neuronal networks located within the different parts of the limbic system. Thus, high order networks build on circuits that process more basic information. The socio-emotional skills can be assessed and complement the results of a standardized IQ-test. Disturbances of the brain cytoarchitecture and function that occur at a certain developmental period may increase the susceptibility to certain mental disorders. Insights into the current mental and socio-emotional functioning of a person may support clinicians in the calibration of treatment and support. Acknowledging the trajectories of the socio-emotional brain development may result in a more comprehensive understanding of behaviors and mental health in people with developmental delays and thus underpin supports for promotion of good mental health in this highly vulnerable population.

Development and Psychometric Analysis of a Questionnaire of Social-Emotional Competence of the Personality (QSECP)

Competence is a popular research subject of foreign and domestic psychology, pedagogy, and sociology. Social, emotional, and socio-emotional competences are often considered as key ones. Although they usually associate with success in various spheres of human life, no tool for diagnosing socio-emotional competence has been developed yet. This article describes the problem of diagnosing social and emotional competence. It introduces new psychometric and psychodiagnostic tool that can be used to test socio-emotional competence and its structure. The questionnaire was based on the QSECP Item Response Theory (IRT) methodology that evaluates tests and their efficiency. The psychometric analysis made it possible to determine the validity and reliability of the new questionnaire, as well as to establish the main list of questions that reflect the structure of socio-emotional competence. The questionnaire can be used to study mental, pedagogical, and sociological phenomena of socio-emotional competence, as well as the structure of social and emotional reliability, their formation, professional performance, etc. Further research will feature of socio-emotional competence in various activities and personalities.

Effects of a Dog-Assisted Social- and Emotional-Competence Training for Prisoners: A Controlled Study.

Background: Previous research has called for improving psychological interventions and developing new treatments for prisoners. Animal-assisted prison-based programmes have increasingly been used as an approach, but there is a lack of studies investigating the effectiveness of such programmes. Objective: To investigate the effects of a dog-assisted social- and emotional-competence training on the socioemotional competences of prisoners compared to treatment as usual. Methods: In a controlled trial, we investigated 62 prisoners that participated in either a 6-month dog-assisted psychotherapeutic programme or the standard treatment. We assessed social and emotional competences before and after the training and at a 4-month follow-up. Data were analysed with linear models. Results: The prisoners’ self-assessed social and emotional competences did not differ. The psychotherapists rated the prisoners’ emotional competences in the intervention group higher at the follow-up but not after the training. The psychotherapists did not rate the prisoners’ social competences in the intervention group differently but did find them to have higher self-regulation at follow-up and lower aggressiveness after the training than the control group. Conclusions: This study indicates that dog-assisted programmes with a therapeutic aim might be beneficial for prisoners. However, the inconsistent results indicate that more research is needed to determine the potential and limits of animal-assisted programmes in forensic settings.

Maternal-fetal attachment, parenting stress during infancy, and child outcomes at age 3years.

Maternal-fetal attachment (MFA), a woman's relationship with and affiliative behaviors toward her unborn child, has been linked to near-term infant physical and developmental outcomes. However, further longitudinal research is needed to understand whether the impact of MFA extends past the earliest years of life. The current study explored relationships between MFA and child socioemotional competence and behavior problems at age 3 and whether parenting stress mediated the association between MFA and child outcomes. Data were collected from 221 primarily Black/African-American mothers who completed a scale of MFA during pregnancy. Mothers reported on parenting stress at infant age 7 months and reported on child socioemotional competence and problem behaviors at child age 3 years. In path analyses, MFA was directly associated with child socioemotional competence at age 3 years, but an indirect association between MFA and socioemotional competence via parenting stress was not significant. We also observed a significant indirect association between lower MFA and child internalizing behavior problems via parenting stress that was related to maternal dissatisfaction regarding interactions with her child. Findings suggest that assessing MFA may serve as a means to identify dyads who would benefit from support to promote individual health outcomes.

The impact of Confucianism on social and emotional health of Vietnamese adolescents: A phenomenological study

Confucianism has become an educational ideology in Vietnam and blended its philosophy with other religious and spiritual doctrines. The current study explores the impact of Confucianism on social and emotional health (SEH), which focuses on the skill-based aspect of Confucian Vietnamese adolescents. A hermeneutic phenomenological study was chosen as an appropriate approach for collecting and interpreting descriptions of 15 Confucian Vietnamese adolescents to explore how these lived experiences have shaped their current perceptions of SEH. We have labeled the two shared common characteristics in the participants' various SEH experiences, including (1) Authentic perception of Confucian philosophy strengthens the self-esteem; (2) Positive practice of the 5-essential human virtues helps establish and maintain healthy, supportive relationships. The two essences reflected the positive impact of Confucianism on SEH of Vietnamese adolescents. The adolescents' SEH experiences are consistent with Confucian philosophy while at the same time not conflicting with other religious doctrines. The findings of this study have broadened our understanding of the applicability of socio-emotional competence models to promote positive psychological development in adolescents, and the feasible goal-setting in counseling and psychotherapy from different psychological theories about the combination of religious and spiritual practices.