A cultural perspective on the structure and function of social-emotional competencies: A study of the transition years into adolescence in Western China

Thesis

Social-emotional competencies have been increasingly recognized as crucial for child development. Extensive evidence in Western countries suggests that social-emotional competencies have positive impacts on students' outcomes. The evidence has influenced the research and educational practices in Eastern countries such as China. However, few studies have examined the universals and particulars of social-emotional development in different cultures. Responding to the need, this study takes a cross-cultural perspective to examine the structure and function of social-emotional competencies during the transition to early adolescence in Western China.

More specially, the study tries to answer: (1) Does the structure of social-emotional competencies as defined by a widely used framework in Western countries replicate in a collectivistic culture? More specifically, is responsible decision-making, as defined in the framework, a valid factor in the construct of social-emotional competencies before adolescence? (2) Is the structure of social-emotional competencies stable during the transition to early adolescence? (3) Did participation in a SEL programme improve students’ academic performance on standardised tests in reading, math, and science? (4) Does teacher-student relationship mediate the association between social-emotional competencies and academic performance?

It was found that responsible decision marking did not stand as a separate domain as described in the Western framework. Instead, social harmony that represents the effort and willingness to achieve collective benefits emerged as a separate factor. The structure of social-emotional competencies was stable during the transition to early adolescence. Participation in the investigated SEL programme improved students’ academic performance on standardised tests in reading and math, but not in science. Teacher-student relationship mediated the association between social-emotional competencies and reading performance but not math performance. The findings were interpreted based on the existing literature. The implications to future research and educational practices were discussed.

Authors: Wang, C

• Type of award: MSc taught course
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: CDE2022; Western China; Secondary data analysis; Quantitative methodology; Measurement invariance analysis; Academic performance; Longitudinal mediation model; CDE; Cross-cultural perspective; Confirmatory factor analysis; Transition to adolescence; Social-emotional competencies; Exploratory factor analysis; Social-emotional learning
• Subjects: Education; Quantitative research; Confirmatory factor analysis; Exploratory factor analysis