The paper presents the characteristics of social-emotional competence that have
been studied and their importance in the development of self-regulation in students.
The scientific novelty and the theoretical significance of the paper are as follows:
For the first time:
– The author’s model of social-emotional competence, consisting of the
following components: social-emotional awareness, self-awareness, self-management,
social-emotional consciousness, social management, self-efficacy, is developed and
tested;
– The ‘Social-Emotional Competence’ Questionnaire, aligned with the author’s
construct model, is developed and tested;
– The role of social-emotional competence in the context of the development of
self-regulation in students and the optimisation of their coping behaviour are
theoretically grounded and empirically demonstrated;
– The characteristics of the manifestation of social-emotional competence,
different types of self-regulation and coping behaviour of higher education students
according to their study profile are identified.
The understanding of the following is expanded:
– Provisions on the social-emotional competence as a specific psychological
construct;
– The concept of ‘self-regulation’ as a dynamic system that integrates activity,
volitional, motivational, emotional and social aspects;
– The notion of coping behaviour as a set of cognitive, emotional and
behavioural strategies.
The following is clarified:
– Essential elements of social-emotional competence, its role and place in
psychological science;
– Structure of stress management, classification of coping strategies.
The following is developed:
– Use of psychological and correctional methods in the social-emotional skills
development programme for pupils.
The practical significance of the paper is as follows: A comprehensive study of
social-emotional competence, its nature and structure; Establishing an interdependence
between social-emotional competence, different types of self-regulation and coping
strategies; Determining the peculiarities of the manifestation of social-emotional
competence, self-regulation (activity, volitional, motivational, social-emotional),
coping system during the student period of life, as well as depending on the profile of
the study; Development of the author’s ‘Social-Emotional Competence’ Questionnaire,
suitable for use with samples of late adolescents and more mature age groups;
Development of a correction and development programme that has proven its
effectiveness with a sample of students, increasing their level of social-emotional
competence.
The main provisions of the research and the results obtained in the thesis can be
used in the professional training of higher education students and in the professional
development of practical psychologists, as well as in the teaching of the following
courses: ‘Educational Psychology’, ‘Age Psychology’, ‘Psychodiagnostics’, ‘General
Psychology’, ‘Personality Psychology’, ‘Psychological Counselling’, ‘Social and
Psychological Training’, etc.
The concept of social-emotional competence is outlined as a result of the
theoretical analysis. It is understood as an integrative construct that encompasses a set
of competences of a communicative, social, emotional, regulatory, normative,
cognitive and behavioural nature at intrapersonal and interpersonal levels. The synergy of these competences contributes not only to the effective interaction of a person with
the social environment, but also to the harmonisation of the inner world and to selfdevelopment. The sensitivity of the student period (late adolescence) for the
development of social-emotional competence, as well as the interdependence between
social-emotional competence, different types of self-regulation and the coping system,
are theoretically grounded.
The author’s own model of social-emotional competence is developed. It
includes the following components: Social-emotional awareness is a cognitive package
that includes communicative, emotional and social knowledge necessary for
socialisation, communication and self-knowledge; Self-awareness is the ability of an
individual to interact with their inner environment, to understand and hear themselves;
Self-management is the ability to control and modify one’s emotions and behaviour for
maximum personal benefit; Social-emotional consciousness is an interpersonal skill
that manifests itself in the process of communicative interaction, concerns the
communicators, and is designed to help a person navigate social and interpersonal
situations; Social management is the ability to interact effectively with other people
and social groups, with the ultimate goal of personal fulfilment and social integration;
Self-efficacy is a set of skills, traits, qualities, attitudes and abilities designed to
harmonise all aspects of a person’s life and to realise and enhance their natural
potential.
