Socio-Emotional Competencies and School Performance in Adolescence: What Role for School Adjustment?

authors

• Mella Nathalie
• Pansu Pascal
• Batruch Anatolia
• Bressan Marco
• Bressoux Pascal
• Brown Genavee
• Butera Fabrizio
• Cherbonnier Anthony
• Darnon Céline
• Demolliens Marie
• de Place Anne-Laure
• Huguet Pascal
• Jamet Eric
• Martinez Ruben
• Mazenod Vincent
• Michinov Estelle
• Michinov Nicolas
• Poletti Celine
• Régner Isabelle
• Riant Mathilde
• Robert Anais
• Rudmann Ocyna
• Sanrey Camille
• Stanczak Arnaud
• Visintin Emilio Paolo
• Vives Eva
• Desrichard Olivier

keywords

• Socio-emotional competence
• School adjustment
• School performance
• Network analysis
• Self-regulation

document type

abstract

There is growing evidence in the literature of positive relationships between socio-emotional competencies and school performance. Several hypotheses have been used to explain how these variables may be related to school performance. In this paper, we explored the role of various school adjustment variables in the relationship between interpersonal socio-emotional competencies and school grades, using a weighted network approach. This network approach allowed us to analyze the structure of interrelations between each variable, pointing to both central and mediatory school and socio-emotional variables within the network. Self-reported data from around 3,400 French vocational high school students were examined. This data included a set of interpersonal socio-emotional competencies (cognitive and affective empathy, socio-emotional behaviors and collective orientation), school adjustment measures (adaptation to the institution, school anxiety, self-regulation at school, and self-perceived competence at school) as well as grades in mathematics and French language. The results showed that self-regulation at school weighted the most strongly on the whole network, and was the most important mediatory pathway. More specifically, self-regulation mediated the relationships between interpersonal socio-emotional competencies and school grades.

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