The Impact of Social Emotional Learning on Life Skills and Academic Performance of Middle School Students
Abstract
The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of social and emotional learning on the academic success and life skills of secondary school students. The sample consists of 464 secondary school students studying in Antalya province in Turkey. The research was modeled as an explanatory sequential mixed methods research in which quantitative and qualitative research methods were used together. Quantitative and qualitative data obtained from the students were collected using the "Social and Emotional Learning Scale in Adolescents", "Life Skills Education Scale”, "Personal Information Form" and "Semi-Structured Questions" prepared by the researchers. The obtained data were analyzed using a statistical package program. As a result of the research, it was determined that there were significant differences in the students' social emotional learning and life skills in terms of variables such as gender, grade level, number of siblings, social media usage and book reading status. It has also been determined that social and emotional learning is a significant predictor of life skills. Another result obtained is that students' having developed social and emotional behaviors is an important factor that brings success in their academic lives.
Keywords
Ethical Statement
References
- Abbastürnüklü, Y. D. D. (2004). Okullarda Sosyal ve Duygusal Öğrenme. Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Yönetimi, 37(37), 136-152. https://izlik.org/JA49CY24NY
- Ağırkan, M. (2021). Ergenlerde sosyal ve duygusal öğrenmenin incelenmesi [Doctoral dissertation]. Hacettepe University.
- Alwagait, E., Shahzad, B., & Alim, S. (2015). Impact of social media usage on students' academic performance in Saudi Arabia. Computers in Human Behavior, 51, 1092–1097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.09.028
- Akçaalan, M. (2016). Yaşam boyu öğrenme ile sosyal duygusal öğrenme arasındaki ilişkilerin çeşitli değişkenler açısından incelenmesi [Master's thesis]. Sakarya University.
- Aksoy, Ö. N. (2020). Ergenlerin sosyal duygusal öğrenme düzeylerinin incelenmesi. İnsan ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 3(1), 576–590. https://izlik.org/JA44EX68YF
- Altınok-Kalkan, S. (2018). Ortaokul öğrencilerinde yaşam becerileri ve okul güvenliği [Master's thesis], Hasan Kalyoncu University.
- Antonucci, T. C., & Akiyama, H. (1987). An examination of sex differences in social support among older men and women. Sex Roles, 17(11-12), 737–749. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287685
- Aslan, H., Başcıllar, M., & Karataş, K. (2022). Ergenlerde dijital oyun bağımlılığı ile sosyal beceriler arasındaki ilişki. Bağımlılık Dergisi, 23(3), 266–274. https://doi.org/10.51982/bagimli.1033761
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Psychological Foundations of Education
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
June 24, 2026
Submission Date
September 17, 2025
Acceptance Date
June 17, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 5 Number: 1