Examining the relationship between social-emotional learning and research competency among undergraduate students

Abstract

The impact of social-emotional learning (SEL) integration on psychological research instructional material enhancement (PRIME) scores of undergraduate psychology students was investigated in this study. A quantitative non-experimental correlational design was used with 362 students who were sampled by the total population sampling technique. The five domains of research competency and SEL integration were measured using two researcher-developed instruments. The data were collected using a face-to-face survey technique and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis. Results showed that both research competency and integration of SEL were high. Strong relationships were seen between the different domains of the SEL and research competency (r=0.734-0.891, p<0.05). The results indicate that SEL integration in teaching materials has a positive effect on students’ abilities in research. The study offers empirical evidence to support curriculum development, curriculum innovation, and policy efforts for integrating SEL into higher education research training.