School-based social-emotional development: the role of relationships and teaching

Abstract

This study investigated the association of grade level, teacher–student relationship quality, student–student relationship quality, and the teaching of social– emotional skills with students’ social–emotional competence. It also investigated grade level as a moderator of the associations between teacher–student relationship quality and social–emotional competence and between student–student relationship quality and social–emotional competence. Teacher–student relationship quality also was examined as a moderator of the association between the teaching of social– emotional skills and students’ social–emotional competence. Data were gathered from 29,671 students in grades 3–12 from 115 public schools in Delaware. Results of multilevel statistical analyses indicated that beyond the effects of student-level and school-level demographic factors, elementary schools had lower mean social– emotional competence scores than high schools. However, there was no significant difference between the mean social–emotional competence scores of elementary and middle schools. Results demonstrated a positive association between students’ perceptions of their social–emotional competence and their perceptions of teacher– student relationship quality, student–student relationship quality, and teaching of social–emotional skills. Although there was no significant difference in the strength of the association of teacher–student relationship quality and social–emotional competence perceptions in the comparison between elementary and middle schools, there was a stronger association in high schools compared to elementary schools. Results also indicated that the association between student–student relationship quality and social–emotional competence perceptions was stronger in elementary schools compared to middle or high schools. Additionally, the study found a stronger relationship between perceptions of social–emotional instruction and social–emotional competence within the context of positively perceived teacher–student relationships as opposed to less positively perceived relationships. Findings of this exploratory study suggest that teacher–student relationships, student–student relationships, and the teaching of social–emotional competencies may be potential avenues for school-based social–emotional development programming for students.