Socio-emotional Skills Research Articles

Vital Skills Needed for Vocational Training of Adults with Special Needs

The main purpose of the study was to explore the skills description, skills needed and the problems encountered of parents, SPED educators and store managers towards vital skills needed for vocational training of adults with special needs specifically in housekeeping, massage & spa and food & beverage services to obtain recommendations for the improvement of Individualized Education Plan for transition program to vocational training to achieve the required skills for employment. The study was anchored on the theory of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) by Lev Vygotsky. A descriptive phenomenological method was used to analyze and interpret the data from the purposely selected 20 participants through online interviews that were transcribed, coded, clustered and formed themes. The emerged themes for housekeeping services are: household chores skills, work ethics and safety measure skills, prerequisite skills and consistent monitoring of skills. For massage and spa service: fine motor skills, knowledge of equipment, dos and don’ts at work and socio-emotional and communication skills. For food and beverage service: food preparation, functional academics, safety measures and sanitation and behavioral and socio-emotional skills. Practicing household chores, process of food preparation and work attitude skills such as time awareness, money literacy and academic functioning are vital skills needed for vocational training of Adults with Special Needs (ASN). Developing prerequisite skills through their developmental domains such as cognitive skills, socio-emotional skills, behavoral skills, communication skills and fine motor skills are necessary to be trained earlier in catering their needs in special education. Safety measures and sanitation skills are to be trainied for ASN’s vocational training since it is important to have knowledge of equipment, safety in the work procedure and sanitation in workplace. It is highlighted to establish strong support system and collaboration of home-school-community to bridge the skills from a workplace to be trained at school and home. Teachers should also be trained with vocational skills first so they can teach the skills appropriately. Finally, future researchers to conduct research linked in the field of special education to broaden the idea in the vocational training of skills to ASN for the full access to employment and equal opportunities.

Socio-emotional, health and technological skills acquired by higher education students during confinement

Socio-emotional, health and technological skills acquired by higher education students during confinement

Cornerball: a new alternative sport proposal for school physical education.

Physical Education has had to evolve and change throughout history to adapt to the demands of society. As a result, teachers have had to seek pedagogical alternatives to ensure that students are active, motivated, and engaged in the classroom. This approach allows for the development of motor, cognitive, and socio-emotional skills in students, ultimately contributing to the holistic development of the individual, which is the primary goal of education. Out of this intrinsic need for Physical Education, Alternative Sports have emerged, providing opportunities for different types of learning compared to more traditional sports. Cornerball, a hybrid between split-court and wall-based sports, played in a somewhat unique playing area-a 90° corner, is introduced with the aim of offering a new Alternative Sport. The objective of this descriptive study is to present a new pedagogical proposal designed for the educational context, highlighting its characteristics and fundamental aspects to consider, such as rules, the playing field, participants, and methodological strategies for its implementation within a Physical Education classroom. Therefore, the aims and purposes of this work are to describe a new sports game so that in the future, more detailed and specific empirical studies can be proposed.

CONECTANDO RESISTÊNCIA E AFETOS COM A CONSTRUÇÃO DE UM GRAFITE NA EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL

This article sought to narrate the daily development of a pedagogical activity using digital graffiti with Early Childhood Education students from a public school in Aparecida de Goiânia, during the transition from the Covid-19 pandemic to the post-pandemic period. The aim is to demonstrate how the practice of digital graffiti can be employed in Early Childhood Education to promote children’s creative expression and socio-emotional education. The methodology adopted was an exploratory, descriptive investigation based on the authors’ experiences and the adaptation of the Physical Education curriculum to incorporate digital graffiti activities. The sessions were structured in four stages, each inspired by songs and relevant artists from the Hip Hop movement, guiding reflections on the pandemic and the collective creation of digital graffiti. The main results include enhancing creative expression through digital graffiti and integrating digital technology into children’s educational processes. Additionally, the activity allowed participants to share experiences related to overcoming the pandemic period, strengthening their socio-emotional skills. It is concluded that digital graffiti can be used as an important curricular tool in Early Childhood Education, expanding interaction through play and paving the way for hybrid teaching models that combine innovative pedagogical practices in cyberculture.

Revolutionizing Mathematics Education: The Role of Games in 21st Century Education.

The teaching of mathematics has undergone significant transformations, especially with the inclusion of games as an educational tool. Faced with contemporary challenges, education has had to reinvent itself, and games have proved to be powerful allies in this process. Through the playfulness and interactivity provided by games, students engage more actively and participatively in the learning process. In addition, games allow teaching to be personalized, meeting the individual needs of each student and promoting more meaningful learning. At the same time, games provide for the development of essential socio-emotional skills such as collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving. Technology also plays a key role in this context, offering access to a wide variety of educational resources. Thus, teaching math through games not only makes learning more interesting and motivating, but also prepares students for the challenges of the 21st century, empowering them to think critically, solve complex problems and collaborate effectively in an ever-changing world.

Relevance of socio-emotional skills in current educational leadership

Relevance of socio-emotional skills in current educational leadership

Does Social Intelligence Training Improve Daily Well-Being and Responsiveness to Daily Negative and Positive Events in Custodial Grandmothers?

Custodial grandparents are grandparents who raise grandchildren on a full-time basis in absence of the grandchild's birth parents. Compared to noncaregiving grandparents, custodial grandparents report poorer mental and physical health and stronger changes in daily well-being when experiencing negative and positive events. We examine whether an online social intelligence training (SIT) program improves custodial grandmothers' (CGM) daily well-being, socioemotional skills, and changes in well-being when confronted with daily negative and positive events. Multilevel models were applied to 200 CGM who were recruited from across the United States and completed a daily survey for 14 consecutive days prior to and following participation in a randomized clinical trial. Participants were randomized into the SIT program or an attention control condition focusing on healthy living habits. The outcomes of interest were daily well-being, social connectedness, emotional awareness, and perspective-taking. Multilevel analyses revealed that participants who participated in the SIT program, compared to the attention control condition, exhibited stronger emotional responsiveness (i.e., improvements) to daily positive events in the outcomes of positive affect, social engagement, and perspective-taking. Our findings illustrate that SIT improves key components of daily functioning in CGM, which may serve as a pathway linking the demands of custodial grandparenting to poorer mental and physical health. Our discussion focuses on the utility and accessibility of the SIT program for helping improve outcomes for this disadvantaged population.Clinical Trials Registration Number: NCT03239977.

Learning to observe art to better understand the patients: A pilot study

ObjectivesWe describe an artwork observation training program proposed to the first-year psychiatry residents in the school of medicine of Montpellier-Nîmes (Université de Montpellier). This course aimed at improving the ability to observe, tolerate ambiguity in healthcare, work as a team, communicate, and develop empathy. We also evaluated the impact of this program on the enhancement of emotional and communication skills in a pilot study. Materials and methodsThe artwork observation program based on Visual Thinking Strategies consisted of three sessions of ninety minutes involving two groups of eight medical students. First-year volunteer psychiatry residents were recruited. Before the sessions participants completed the Groningen Reflection ability Scale to evaluate reflection skills. Then, all the participants examined paintings and drawings of the Atger collection, were encouraged to observe carefully, and to engage in active group discussion by means of a structured questioning. Following the session, participants responded to a short survey to assess potential improvement of socio-emotional and communication skills. ResultsFifteen psychiatry residents participated in the pilot study, eight were males. The median age was twenty-five years. The artwork observation program was well accepted by the participants. All the respondents reported improvement of emotional and communication skills, except regarding three empathy items, including the ability to feel the suffering of others which was increased only for 62% of respondents. DiscussionOur program relying on Visual Thinking Strategies may improve the ability to observe carefully, to perceive the mental states of others, and to tolerate uncertainty. Training of such skills may encourage the adoption of self-reflective attitudes. ConclusionsSuch an artistic innovative program should be extended to undergraduate students in medical curriculum.

THE ROLE OF THE YOUTH CENTER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS: PRACTICAL CASES

The youth center in a general education institution play an important role in the development of students’ socio-emotional skills. Socio-emotional learning (SEL) are considered to be an asset necessary for academic and personal success. They include a variety of characteristics, such as communication, empathy, self-regulation, conflict resolution, and many others, which are defined as «21st century skills». A youth center in a school acts as a platform for developing these skills by providing students with opportunities to interact, collaborate, and develop as individuals. The creation of a youth center is based on student participation in the process of its formation, which contributes to the implementation of the key levels of understanding of SEL: knowledge acquisition, critical thinking and embodied understanding. Studies show that the vast majority of students support the initiative to create a youth center, which indicates the need for a safe place for self-realization and socialization. The Youth Center offers a variety of areas for student development, including a coworking space, a lounge area, and a media area. Each of these areas creates a favorable environment for free expression and development of students’ abilities. The youth center creates a safe environment for socialization and development of these skills. The youth center involves the active participation of students in the creation of the center, which contributes to their personal development. The main areas of influence of the youth center that contribute to the comprehensive development of students are: education, leisure, volunteering, social adaptation,cultural life, sports and health, psychological safety, civic position and career development. A great advantage of opening youth centers in educational institutions is the openness of their space, namely, regardless of social status, any student can attend such a center; students themselves choose what will be held in the youth center; all conditions of the center provide for barrier-free access and provide comfortable conditions for everyone. The creation of a youth center will promote social interaction, self-expression, emotional literacy and conflict resolution, which are important components of personal development and adaptation in the modern world.

Nurturing Tomorrow's Minds: The Impact of Family Education on Holistic Child Development

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of family education on child development, focusing on parenting styles, educational activities at home, the role of technology, and the emotional climate within the family. Through an exploration of authoritative, permissive, and authoritarian parenting styles, this paper examines their distinct effects on cognitive development, emotional growth, and social adaptation. Additionally, this paper delves into the significance of literacy development activities, mathematical reasoning games, and nature exploration in fostering children's cognitive and socio-emotional skills. Furthermore, this paper discusses the implications of digital technology and social media on children's cognitive and emotional development, emphasizing the importance of digital literacy and safe internet use. Moreover, this paper investigates how family harmony, stress management, and parental support contribute to children's emotional security and self-esteem. This paper concludes with insights into the critical role of family education in shaping children's holistic development and underscores the need for informed, intentional parenting practices to nurture resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy individuals.

Infant Hearing Loss: Are Mothers Aware?

If hearing impairment goes unnoticed, negative effects on the infant’s communication, academic, learning, socio-emotional, and language skills occur. Mothers have an essential and significant role in screening and early intervention. Hence, the level of their knowledge and attitude needs to be addressed. Objective: To determine the maternal awareness towards infant hearing loss. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Isra University, Islamabad from February to July 2020. The study recruited a sample of n=377 pregnant women aged 18-45 years, utilizing convenience sampling. A basic demographic sheet and a Maternal Awareness about Hearing Loss questionnaire were used for data collection. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS Version 26.0. ANOVA and independent sample t-test statistics were utilized to determine any significant difference in knowledge and attitude scores for demographic variables and p< 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Overall mothers responded positively to knowledge and attitude items with good scores for knowledge (25.71 ± 6.27) and attitude (8.01 ± 1.88). There was a significant (p<0.05) difference in knowledge and attitude scores for educational level, financial status, and employment status and age revealed significant difference for level of knowledge. Conclusions: This study concluded that maternal awareness about hearing loss is variably distributed for different risk factors and has a positive attitude about hearing loss and a highly positive attitude and willingness to accept the management options in case hearing loss is detected.

Incidencia de la motivación hacia el aprendizaje y las expectativas educativas de los estudiantes uruguayos de 3° de Educación Media

Just by the end of the last century, the Social Sciences have begun to take an interest in socioemotional skills; especially, in motivation for learning by reporting the incidence that this has on educational performance (Santos and Primi, 2014, Farrington et al., 2012).In this study, our objective is to know the incidence of learning motivation on the educational expectations of high school students. To do so, we start from a quantitative methodology by analyzing the Aristas Media 2018 survey (Instituto Nacional de Evaluación Educativa [INEEd], 2018] to a representative sample of students in 3rd year of high school that evaluates performance in Mathematics and Reading in Spanish. The main findings are that only intrinsic motivation has an impact on short-term educational expectations, while intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to Mathematics have an impact on long-term expectations, taking into account variation effect of other factors.

Meta-thematic synthesis of research on early childhood coding education: A comprehensive review

AbstractThe growing significance of coding in 21st-century early childhood education extends beyond technical proficiency, encompassing cognitive development, problem-solving, and creativity. Coding is being integrated globally into educational curricula to prepare students for the digital era. This research examines coding’s potential impact on cognitive and socio-emotional development and emphasizes the need for evidence-based analysis. A meta-thematic analysis synthesizes qualitative data from various studies in a study on coding’s effects on preschool children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development. It focuses on two themes: cognitive contributions and socio-emotional contributions. Thirteen suitable studies were identified from 942 visualized using the PRISMA flow diagram. Coding education enhances cognitive and socio-emotional skills in preschoolers, with implications for curriculum integration. In summary, coding’s holistic benefits in early childhood education are explored, and a meta-thematic analysis investigates its influence on cognitive and socio-emotional domains in preschoolers, emphasizing the need for rigorous evidence-based research.

A comparative analysis of adolescents' emotions and emotion regulation strategies when witnessing different cyberbullying scenarios

The search for greater popularity and acceptance by peers increases the use of social networks that may cause cyberbullying. The high number of adolescents who observe this phenomenon may help reduce the negative impact on the victims. Emotion regulation is an important predictor of adolescents' psychological adjustment and social competence to adopt a prosocial behavior. Bystanders of these incidents may misinterpret what they see, due to specific cyberbullying characteristics which may influence emotion regulation negatively. Studies about emotions and emotion regulations in bystanders are scarce. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the emotional reactions and emotional regulation strategies of bystanders while witnessing various cyberbullying scenarios (posting photographs, direct threats, offences to integrity, threats to share personal information), as well as to focus on different behavior, victim characteristics, aggressor traits, and spectator reactions. A convenience sample of 143 adolescents (from 12 to 17 years old) was used. Results showed that worry and sadness were the most expressed emotions in all scenarios (mainly for girls) and posting a photograph was considered more concerning for girls and boys both. To regulate emotions, participants used distraction (especially seven graders) and rumination strategies. Nonetheless, when posting a photo without permission, they all adopted prosocial behavior (boys and girls) because they considered it more serious. Seventh graders adopted less prosocial behavior than eighth graders. In short, girls were more prosocial than boys. Boys may have more difficulty in regulating emotions properly and it may contribute to not intervening. Also, younger adolescents may have experienced less emotional maturity. Therefore, developing programs based on socio-emotional skills, which increase awareness of the seriousness of cyberbullying, can teach youth how to deal with emotions in order to regulate them effectively, thus increasing emotional maturity.

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

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

Relationships Among Parental Self‐Efficacy, Home Learning Activities, and Child Skills

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate relationships among parental self‐efficacy, home learning activities, and children's socioemotional and language skills for preschool children.BackgroundHigher parental self‐efficacy is often related to better child skills and with more home learning activities. However, the relationships between parental self‐efficacy, home learning activities, and children's skills have not yet been investigated.MethodThe path models draw on data from 727 parents of preschool children (full sample: 85.1% female, 50.9% employed, 24.8% non‐German family language) and a subsample of 108 parents of preschool children who soon transition to elementary school in Germany. The self‐report data come from the German evaluation study “Language Daycare Centers.”ResultsWe found significant positive links among (a) general parental self‐efficacy with home learning activities and children's language skills, (b) language supporting parental self‐efficacy with home learning activities and children's socioemotional skills, and (c) a negative link between language supporting parental self‐efficacy and children's socioemotional problems.ConclusionThe more self‐efficacious parents felt, the more often they offered home learning activities and the higher they rated their children's language skills at age 5 years.ImplicationThe findings highlight the importance of parental self‐efficacy for engaging with children and the positive parental assessment of children's skills. Promoting parental self‐efficacy might stimulate home learning activities and improve the home learning environment.

Investing in socio-emotional skills during early childhood to achieve capabilities and fight poverty: overcoming socioeconomic vulnerabilities in Brazil through Criança Feliz

This paper aims to discuss early childhood social-emotional development as a means to achieve capabilities and reduce poverty and inequality. Social-emotional skills provide the necessary cognitive tools to support individuals during choices and decisions that will affect socioeconomic status. Therefore, the connection between the socio-emotional skills approach and the capabilities must be established. When developed and mastered, the social-emotional skills improve opportunities and promote new capabilities to achieve desirable results (capabilities to function). If this development starts during early childhood, it ensures the right to exercise agency power, improving future economic results. For that reason, developing these skills in disadvantaged populations is a necessary condition to promote freedom and equality of opportunity, ensuring inclusive socio-economic development. The goals of "Programa Criança Feliz" (PCF), an early childhood social-emotional development program for disadvantaged children launched in October 2016 in Brazil, are analyzed in this paper through the connection between socio-emotional skills and the capabilities approach. This program integrates public policies that reduce the weakness of will and provide skills to overcome socioeconomic vulnerabilities in Brazil. Therefore, this paper contributes through the analysis of PCF, and the connection of the development of socio-emotional skills during early childhood to achieve capabilities and fight poverty.

Friendship and Socio-Emotional Skills in 3rd / 4th Year Students in Portuguese Basic Education

We carried out quantitative research (descriptive, exploratory, transversal, explanatory) analyzing interpersonal/social friendship relationships (acceptance/refusal) and the mastery of socio-emotional skills in four classes with 3rd and 4th year students of basic education (sample N=91 students), in a School Group in Castelo Branco in Portugal, in the Pre-COVID period (November 2019), not being able to carry out the intervention of an Emotional Intelligence Development Program in these study subjects. We investigated the significant differences between the social friendship relationships (sociometric friendship test) of students in the 3rd/4th year of basic education and the analysis of the results obtained by the Emotional Skills Questionnaire. The study was guided by the following objectives: analyzing the acceptance/rejection of the relationship of 3rd/4th year students from the four basic education classes; verify the significant differences in friendship relationships between 3rd/4th year students by gender; know the differences between 3rd/4th year students by class in emotional skills; Determine the socio-emotional skills by gender of 3rd/4th year students by class. The results obtained confirmed that certain student behaviors in the group/class constitute an indicator of effective and valued social skills in this socialization context.

Neglecting students’ socio-emotional skills magnified learning losses during the pandemic

Did the dramatic learning losses from remote learning in the context of COVID-19 stem at least partly from schools having overlooked students’ socio-emotional skills—such as their ability to self-regulate emotions, their mental models, motivation, and grit—during the emergency transition to remote learning? We study this question using a cluster-randomized control trial with 18,256 high-school students across 87 schools in the State of Goiás, Brazil. The intervention sent behavioral nudges through text messages to students or their caregivers, targeting their socio-emotional skills during remote learning. Here we show that these messages significantly increased standardized test scores relative to the control group, preventing 7.5% of learning losses in math and 24% in Portuguese, consistent with the hypothesis that neglecting students’ socio-emotional skills magnified learning losses during the pandemic.

THE USE OF PLAY AS A FACILITATING TOOL TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIOEMOTIONAL SKILLS AT SCHOOL

This article aims to highlight the contributions of play to the development of Socio-Emotional Skills at school, given the relevance of this topic. To this end, a bibliographical review will be conducted that emphasizes the theoretical approaches of renowned researchers in the field of education, such as Jean Piaget, Lev Semenovich Vygotsky and Kishimoto, exploring their analyzes of the impact of play on child development. Furthermore, research will be analyzed that highlights the importance of Socio-Emotional Skills at school, establishing a relationship with the role of play in this process. Finally, some initiatives carried out in the Brazilian context will be presented, highlighting the positive results obtained.