Social emotional learning of Icelandic students according to PISA 2022

Abstract

In the PISA test 2022, a measure of students’ social and emotional skills, was submitted for the first time. It is based on the The Big Five personality model and contains seven personality traits: perseverance, stress tolerance, assertiveness, emotional regulation, curiosity, empathy and cooperation. The study sought to assess the perceptions of 15-year-olds in Iceland on various aspects of social and emotional skills; whether gender differences were evident; and whether such skills were associated with academic achievement in mathematics, reading and science. Results showed that Icelandic students performed above the OECD average in perseverance, stress tolerance, emotional control, and assertiveness and exhibited the strongest performance in perseverance and stress tolerance. The cultural context in Iceland, where resilience and emotional stability are valued, may contribute to these results. However, the students scored below the OECD average in empathy, curiosity, and cooperation. Findings also showed a relationship between some measured social emotional skills, and academic achievement in mathematics, reading, and science, although the relationship was not particularly strong. The strongest relationships were between curiosity and perseverance and mathematics achievement, followed by a relationship between assertiveness, stress tolerance and emotional regulation with mathematics achievement, while the weakest link was between empathy and cooperation skills with mathematics achievement. The relationship between aspects of social- and emotional skills and mathematics achievement was considerably stronger in most respects in Iceland than in the other OECD countries. There was also a relationship between all aspects of social- and emotional skills with reading achievement, but the association between stress tolerance and reading achievement was not significant. The strongest bond was between curiosity, empathy and perseverance with reading achievement, followed by the relationship between assertiveness and reading achievement, while the weakest connection was that of emotional regulation, cooperation and stress tolerance with reading achievement. The relationship between aspects of social- and emotional with reading achievement was generally considerably greater in Iceland than in the other OECD countries. A relationship was also found between all aspects of social- and emotional skills with achievement in natural sciences. The strongest relationship was that of curiosity and perseverance with achievement in natural sciences, followed by the relationship between emotional regulation, empathy and assertiveness with achievement in natural sciences. The weakest relationship was between stress tolerance and cooperation skills with achievement in natural sciences. The association between aspects of social- and emotional skills with achievement in natural sciences was in most aspects considerably stronger in Iceland than in the other OECD countries.

Several significant conclusions can be drawn from the results of the study. Firstly, it is important to generally foster social- and emotional skills of Icelandic students to a greater extent. Research has shown how essential this is for their general well-being. However, the results indicate that in school policy and practice, supporting perseverance and curiosity should be prioritized to improve academic achievement as these factors generally have the strongest relationship with it. Secondly, it must be kept in mind that the results revealed the empathy and cooperation skills of Icelandic students as being below the average of OECD countries. Considering that behavioral and communication problems are a growing and more significant aspect of school work in Iceland than in the other Nordic countries, and also that violent behavior has increased among children and young people in Iceland (Ragný Þóra Guðjohnsen et al., 2024; Stjórnarráð Íslands, 2024), it is clear that a targeted approach is needed to support positive communication and culture in schools and after-school activities. This is also in line with the goals of the revised National Curriculum for Primary Education (Miðstöð menntunar og skólaþjónustu, e.d.-a), which clearly states that work should be done on social skills, cooperation, expression, social relationships, and emotional and moral development. To meet the increasing call for such emphasis in school work, a new diploma study line was launched in the fall of 2024 at the School of Education in the University of Iceland. The name of the study line is Social and Emotional Competence in School and Leisure Activities. The program is intended to train professionals who work with children and young people in using effective ways to promote various aspects of social and emotional competence, such as cooperation, teamwork and empathy. Third, the validity of the measurement of social and emotional competence used in PISA 2022 needs to be considered. Given that no social and emotional component has a strong relationship with academic achievement, it could be concluded that some important aspects are missing. Studies have, for example, shown that self-regulation is an important factor in academic achievement. Fourth and finally, it is paramount to examine further the interaction of different personal and social factors, both in relation to academic achievement, school climate and student well-being, and to ensure that the needs of diverse groups are considered in this regard.