Teaching intervention route to boost socio-emotional skills and academic performance

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a research study aimed at characterizing the socio-emotional skills of primary school students and their relationship with academic performance, taking into account that academic performance is influenced by the physical environment of the learning process. The study was conducted at the Madres Católicas District Educational Institution in Barranquilla, Colombia, under a rationalist epistemological approach, a critical paradigm, and a deductive–inductive method. A mixed-methods design was used, structured in three phases: theoretical, empirical, and propositional. This manuscript focuses on the empirical phase, in which a Likert-scale questionnaire was applied to homeroom teachers. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, including the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure and Bartlett's test of sphericity, in order to validate the instrument's structure across five dimensions: cognitive, attitudinal, skills-based, learning achievement, and learning assurance. The results show a significant relationship between the development of socio-emotional competencies—such as self-regulation, empathy, and communication—and improved academic performance. These findings support the systematic integration of emotional education into pedagogical practice as a key strategy to enhance learning outcomes and promote holistic student development.