Adolescent Social Skills, Perception of Social Support and Motivation to Learn: the impact on School Performance

Abstract

The aim of this study was to verify whether the School Performance variable can be explained by the Adolescent Social Skills (ASS), Motivation to Learn and Perception of Social Support constructs in groups of students that were with and without an age/grade discrepancy in Elementary School and in Acceleration classes. This study also aimed to compare the constructs in the groups. Participants were 500 students from public schools, aged 15 to 18 years, divided into two groups according to the school progression. The Social Skills Inventory for Adolescents, the Learning Motivation in Elementary Education Scale, the Social Support Appraisals Scale and the Class Council Maps of the participating institutions were used. For the data analysis, Multiple Linear Regression was performed and Student’s t-test. The results showed that Adolescent Social Skills, Motivation to Learn and the Perception of Social Support better explained the school performance of the regular progression students. When comparing the groups, the regular progression students presented higher mean scores in Empathy, Self-Control, Civility, Assertiveness, Social Development and in the overall total of the ASS scale. The same occurred when comparing the means of Perception of Social Support and Motivation to Learn of students with and without age/grade discrepancy. The data obtained can contribute to preventive intervention actions for academic competences and social skills, aiming at improving school performance and maintaining regular progression.

Habilidades sociais, motivação para o aprendizado e clima escolar no ensino fundamental e médio

“…A Análise Fatorial Confirmatória do instrumento utilizado não alcançou índices satisfatórios. Entretanto, a motivação para aprender é um dos fatores psicossociais que estariam relacionados ao desempenho escolar (Medeiros et al, 2000;Medeiros et al, 2021). Ademais, o clima escolar é um construto multifatorial (Janosz et al, 1998), no qual diferentes variáveis devem ser investigadas para melhor compreensão do fenômeno, contribuindo com intervenções escolares mais eficientes e que promovam a aprendizagem com qualidade.…”

“…Por outro lado, a motivação extrínseca é proveniente de ações e atividades realizadas em resposta a algo externo, ou seja, pela obtenção de recompensas, reconhecimento, obediência a ordens ou ainda, para escapar de sanções e punições(Neves & Boruchovitch, 2007). SegundoMedeiros et al (2021), o estudante que identifica, em um ou em vários ambientes, circunstâncias propícias para seu sucesso, pode motivar-se por aspectos internos ou externos, percebendo sua participação e, por conseguinte, favorecendo seu rendimento de forma positiva.No campo da Psicologia há estudos que investigaram a motivação para aprender em estudantes do Ensino Fundamental. Marchiore e Alencar (2009) investigaram a percepção de estudantes de Ensino Médio acerca de sua motivação para aprender.…”

Academic motivation in adolescents: the role of parental autonomy support, psychological needs satisfaction and self-control

“…Considering the remarkable changes in adolescence and the increased quest for independence motivation plays a crucial role during this period, supporting teenagers in setting their own goals, taking on responsibilities, and making independent decisions (Pickhardt, 2013). It also propels adolescents to refine social skills, establish friendships, and foster positive relationships with their families (Medeiros et al, 2021). Furthermore, motivation positively influences the emotional and mental well-being of adolescents, empowering them to enhance coping skills when facing challenges (De France and Hollenstein, 2021).…”

An enquiry into the role of classroom management in enhancing learners’ social skills

“…Based on learners' performance and social skills enhancement, researchers have focussed on classroom management variables. According to research (Medeiros et al, 2021) PM and SE are one of them.…”