Balanced or Not? ——Latent Profiles of Students' Social-Emotional Skills During the Middle-to-High School Transition

• In Event: AER Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Factors Influencing Development of Social Emotional Learning in Youth

Abstract

This study uses the OECD framework to explore the latent profiles of social and emotional skills (SES) during the middle-to-high school transition. Participants were 4,320 Chinese school students. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) revealed four balanced profiles (extremely low SES, low SES, high SES, and extremely high SES) and one imbalanced SES profile (low collaboration and engagement). Findings showed that school environment factors (student-classmate relationships, student-teacher relationships, sense of belonging, and teacher feedback) were significantly related to SES profiles. Additionally, mental health differences (life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and well-being) were observed across profiles. SES profiles also exhibited a nonlinear relationship with academic achievement. These results highlight the need for long-term interventions to promote balanced SES and a positive school environment.

Authors

• Hansheng Zhang, East China Normal University

• Jing Zhang, East China Normal University

• Lijuan Hu, East China Normal University