Investigating Strengths and Areas of Needed Growth in Social-Emotional Competence of Kindergarten Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate which specific areas of social-emotional competence kindergarten students struggle in most so that educators may find ways to best address student needs through explicit instruction. The measurement tool was an observational scale. This study involved use of descriptive study design to understand which behaviors students exhibited that showed proficiency in social-emotional skills and the frequency at which they were observed. The participants were four kindergarten students ranging from age five to six. Findings showed that students in this sample showed strengths including strong development of specific interests in the area of self-awareness and effective communication skills using kind words. However, further explicit instruction could be beneficial to address emotional management and growth mindset, especially as students grow and the skills they need to participate in the increasingly complex interactions with their peers also become more complex to master.