Assessing the social skills of migrant students: a theoretical model and the development of a diagnostic tool

Context and relevance. Psychological and pedagogical support for students with a migration background requires theoretical conceptualization of social skills as a component of adaptation in the educational environment, as well as the development of a diagnostic tool to assess these skills.
Objective. To propose a theoretical culturally specific model of migrant students’ social skills that reflect their successful acculturation in the Russian educational environment, and to develop a diagnostic tool for their assessment.
Methods and materials. Multidimensional Scale of School Students’ Life Satisfaction; Achenbach Questionnaire; Brief Sociocultural Maladjustment Scale.
Results. The developed Social Skills Questionnaire for Migrant Children demonstrated high internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha > 0,9), factor analysis revealed three scales ("Behavior in Educational Situation," "Interaction with Peers," "Compliance with School Rules"). Significant correlations were found between social skills, psychological well-being, and successful sociocultural adaptation.
Conclusions. Social skills were found to form a single construct comprising three distinct groups, each of which is relevant to migrant students' adaptation to the Russian educational context and applies universally across all school levels: skills related to classroom behavior, peer interaction, and adherence to school rules. A diagnostic instrument to assess these skills was developed and pilot-tested.

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