Examining the Interplay Between Goal Structures and the Social-Emotional Development of Primary School Students

The article examines contemporary conceptual frameworks of social-emotional skills in relation to the psychological development of primary school students in ontogenesis. Based on the theoretical analysis, propositions are formulated regarding the shape of educational practices aimed to foster social-emotional skills. In particular, the relationship between the characteristics of the classroom as a social system and the development of social-emotional skills in primary school students is argued. The article describes the reciprocal relationships between the social-emotional skills of primary school students and their psychological well-being. The article demonstrates how a focus on the development of social-emotional skills can have a positive impact on students’ psychological well-being as well. The article is grounded in Achievement Goal Theory and Social Interdependency Theory. It is posited that the classroom can be operationalized as a structure of interconnected elements shaped by teaching practices on the one hand and is a matter of perception of students on the other. The article proposes that the development of primary school students’ social-emotional skills might be related to the teaching practices that endorse a mastery goal structure. Suggestions for further research on the relationship between teaching practices and the development of social-emotional skills in primary school students are formulated.

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