Social-Emotional Learning and Mathematics Achievement: The Role of Teacher- Student Relationship, Stress Resistance, and Emotion Control

• In Event: Perspectives on Student Belonging and Humanization in Mathematics Classrooms

Abstract

Social-emotional learning has become increasingly important in mathematics education due to its influence on students’ academic performance and emotional well-being. This study investigates how three key social-emotional learning dimensions—teacher-student relationship, stress resistance, and emotion control—affect students’ mathematics achievement, drawing on large-scale data from PISA 2022. Results show that all three social-emotional learning components significantly predict mathematics performance, with teacher-student relationship showing the strongest effect. Furthermore, gender moderates the effects of teacher-student relationship and emotion control, revealing nuanced gender-specific patterns. These findings underscore the importance of integrating social-emotional learning into mathematics instruction and suggest that combining emotional skills training with supportive teacher-student interactions may enhance students’ academic engagement and success in cognitively demanding disciplines like mathematics.

Authors

• Xijing Wang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Melissa Dan Wang, The Education University of Hong Kong