Examining the impact of social-emotional learning on academic achievement: insights from the post-pandemic era
摘要
This study examines the influence of social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies on high school students’ academic performance in the post-pandemic era, as well as the mechanisms by which these competencies contribute to achievement. Confidence, behavior, empathy, and beliefs about change were included as key SEL dimensions. Drawing on data from 1,308 students in Midwestern charter high schools who completed the Panorama SEL Survey in 2022–2023, this paper analyzes the relationship between SEL competencies and weighted GPA. The findings show that confidence and post-survey behavior significantly predict academic performance, while changes in empathy do not exert a direct effect. Additionally, gender and racial differences reveal heterogeneous patterns, with certain SEL competencies exerting stronger effects on some demographic groups than on others. These results offer new insights into how SEL functions as a developmental resource within diverse school environments and provide meaningful implications for advancing equitable, competency-based SEL practices in K–12 education.