Page 177 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
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ostering Social and Emotional 177
Learning as Means of Achieving
Better-Quality Knowledge
Ana Kozina
Abstract: This paper focuses on the assumption that students’ learning outcomes
can be influenced by fostering social and emotional learning and by reducing their
anxiety. Learning and teaching in schools are not only characterised by a strong
cognitive component, but also by emotional and social components (Zins, Weiss-
berg, Wang and Walberg, 2004). Social and emotional learning involves the pro-
cesses of acquiring the fundamental skills of identifying and regulating emotions,
setting and achieving positive goals, taking into consideration other people’s per-
spectives, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, taking responsible
decisions and dealing with interpersonal conflicts in a constructive way (Elias, Zins,
Weissberg, Frey, Greenberg, Haynes et al., 1997, in Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki,
Schellinger and Taylor, 2011). Students’ lack of social and emotional skills, togeth-
er with their low level of connection with school in the transition to upper second-
ary education, may lead them to lower academic achievement or even dropouts
(Blum and Libbey, 2004). In addition to students’ greater social and emotional
competencies, social and emotional learning also improves their view of them-
selves, others and school, and at a school level decreases the frequency of aggres-
sive behaviour, fosters cooperative behaviour within the classroom and increases
academic achievement (Durlak et al., 2011). Studies have revealed that achieve-
ment in Year 8 can be predicted more efficiently from the data on pupils’ social and
emotional skills from five years ago than the data on their learning achievement
from the same period (Barrett, 2012). Several universal prevention programmes
have been developed for the purposes of encouraging social and emotional learn-
ing, where the FRIENDS programme has proven to be especially effective (Barrett,
2005). In addition to the positive impacts on an individual, the programme also
achieves positive impacts on the school as a whole.
Learning as Means of Achieving
Better-Quality Knowledge
Ana Kozina
Abstract: This paper focuses on the assumption that students’ learning outcomes
can be influenced by fostering social and emotional learning and by reducing their
anxiety. Learning and teaching in schools are not only characterised by a strong
cognitive component, but also by emotional and social components (Zins, Weiss-
berg, Wang and Walberg, 2004). Social and emotional learning involves the pro-
cesses of acquiring the fundamental skills of identifying and regulating emotions,
setting and achieving positive goals, taking into consideration other people’s per-
spectives, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, taking responsible
decisions and dealing with interpersonal conflicts in a constructive way (Elias, Zins,
Weissberg, Frey, Greenberg, Haynes et al., 1997, in Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki,
Schellinger and Taylor, 2011). Students’ lack of social and emotional skills, togeth-
er with their low level of connection with school in the transition to upper second-
ary education, may lead them to lower academic achievement or even dropouts
(Blum and Libbey, 2004). In addition to students’ greater social and emotional
competencies, social and emotional learning also improves their view of them-
selves, others and school, and at a school level decreases the frequency of aggres-
sive behaviour, fosters cooperative behaviour within the classroom and increases
academic achievement (Durlak et al., 2011). Studies have revealed that achieve-
ment in Year 8 can be predicted more efficiently from the data on pupils’ social and
emotional skills from five years ago than the data on their learning achievement
from the same period (Barrett, 2012). Several universal prevention programmes
have been developed for the purposes of encouraging social and emotional learn-
ing, where the FRIENDS programme has proven to be especially effective (Barrett,
2005). In addition to the positive impacts on an individual, the programme also
achieves positive impacts on the school as a whole.
