Students' Social and Emotional Competency Profiles and Their Relations to Socio-Demographics and Teacher Beliefs

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  In Roundtable Session: The Importance of Teachers in SEL

Abstract

Social and emotional competency is a complex and multi-dimensional construct because each of its domains can manifest differently in students. The purpose of this study was to identify social and emotional competency profiles characterizing U.S. elementary school students by adopting a person-centered approach that recognizes such nuance. We employed survey reports from students (N = 2,926) and their teachers (N = 142) from 14 elementary schools in a Midwestern state. The results demonstrated five distinct profiles based on six domains of social and emotional competency (i.e., compassion, emotion regulation, grit, growth mindset, hope, sense of belonging). These profile memberships were significantly associated with students’ socio-demographic characteristics as well as their teachers’ level of comfort with emphasizing social and emotional learning.

Authors

• Iksang Yoon, The Ohio State University

• Roger D. Goddard, The Ohio State University