Longitudinal Associations between Social-Emotional Characteristics and Educational and Well-Being Outcomes in Adolescents

• In Event: Social and Emotional Learning of Diverse Youth

Abstract

Little is known about how social-emotional characteristics from educational and personality psychology jointly influence educational and well-being outcomes in adolescents over time. This study integrated both perspectives to examine associations between social-emotional characteristics and well-being outcomes during secondary schooling. Ten social-emotional characteristics were: curiosity, self-esteem, academic self-concept, empathy, social interaction anxiety, and the Big Five personality traits. Four educational and well-being outcomes were: school grades, educational aspiration, school and life satisfaction. Results showed that academic self-concept and openness predicted school grades and educational aspiration. Academic self-concept, self-esteem, and agreeableness were linked to school and life satisfaction. Academic self-concept emerged as the strongest predictor in most outcomes beyond prior developmental differences.

Authors

• Yi-jhen Wu, TU Dortmund University

• Michael Becker, Technische Universität Dortmund

• Julia Tetzner, Humboldt University of Berlin