Multimethod Support for Using the Big Five Framework to Organize Social and Emotional Skills

• In Event: Framework and Assessment Considerations for Social and Emotional Learning

Abstract

A challenge in the field of social and emotional learning (SEL) is the lack of consensus regarding a framework to delineate key social and emotional (SE) skills. The plethora of SE skill frameworks in use creates confusion among users and hampers progress towards reliable and valid measurement of SE skills and SE skill curriculum development. The field of SEL could benefit from gaining consensus for an organizing framework. Taking a conceptual approach, some have argued that the Big Five model from personality psychology offers a comprehensive framework to organize SE skills; however, little research has been done to empirically support this. Therefore, our goal with the present studies was to empirically examine whether the Big Five can be used to organize SE skills.

In Study 1, we administered the Big Five Inventory (BFI) and a measure of CASEL’s five SE competencies (Washoe Country School District Social and Emotional Competency Long-Form Assessment; WCSD-SECA) to a random sample of high school students who had taken the ACT and were later invited to participate in a survey (N = 642). The BFI and WCSD-SECA items were jointly factor analyzed, and across various models, items from the two measures covaried. For example, the BFI conscientiousness item, “I persevere until the task is finished” covaried with the WCSD-SECA self-management item, “I finish tasks even if they are hard for me”. A five-factor model fit the data well (RMSEA = .04; CFI = .92), and the factors conceptually aligned to the Big Five (rather than CASEL’s five competencies).

In a second study, we employed a different methodology, an expert consensus approach, to evaluate the extent to which the Big Five personality traits overlap with common SE skills. We invited listserves affiliated with personality psychology and SEL to complete a survey. Data were obtained from 90 participants, most of whom were college professors, graduate students, or researchers. They were given definitions of unlabeled Big Five traits and 20 SE skill terms that we pulled from some of the more influential SE skill frameworks, such as CASEL’s, and were asked to indicate the extent to which each term was related to the definitions provided. Each SE term was judged to be related to at least one Big Five. The ratings evidenced convergent and discriminant patterns based on the content of the terms and definitions (e.g., more than 96% of the experts rated the SE skill “self-control” as moderately-extremely related to the Big Five trait conscientiousness). With a very high degree of agreement (ICC = .99), there is clear consensus among experts from different theoretical orientations and fields – personality psychology and SEL – that the Big Five personality traits and popular SE skills overlap to a significant degree.

We conclude with discussing advantages of using the Big Five framework to organize SE skills and also consider potential drawbacks to this approach.

Authors

• Kate Walton, ACT, Inc.
  Presenting Author

• Jeremy Burrus, ACT, Inc.
  Non-Presenting Author

• Dana Murano, ACT, Inc.
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alex Casillas, ACT, Inc.
  Non-Presenting Author