Social competence at the playground: Preschoolers during recess

Social interactions at the playground have been represented as a rich learning opportunity to hone and master social skills at pre- school years. Specifically, all forms of social play (fantasy, role, ex- ercise or rough-and-tumble) have been related to children’s social competence. The main goal of this study was to examine whether it is a certain kind of social play which facilitates the development of social competence, or if it is just the opportunity for interacting during recess that provides children with an optimal environment for social learning. A total of 73 preschoolers (4–6 years old) were videotaped at the school’s playground. Teachers provided assess- ments of children’s social competence. Children’s interactions at the playground were assessed through an innovative measuring method, based on radio-frequency identification devices. The results showed a positive association between exercise play and children’s social competence. In contrast with the literature, both forms of pretend play, fantasy and role play were unrelated to children’s social competence. Smaller peer groups and longer interactions also demonstrated a positive association with these preschoolers’ social competence. The study shows the importance of outdoor physical play for preschoolers’ social success. More- over, the study suggests that the environment in which children play has an important effect on the adaptive nature of their play.

Social competence at the playground: Preschoolers during recess

Social interactions at the playground have been represented as a rich learning opportunity to hone and master social skills at preschool years. Specifically, all forms of social play (fantasy, role, exercise or rough-and-tumble) have been related to children’s social competence. The main goal of this study was to examine whether it is a certain kind of social play which facilitates the development of social competence, or if it is just the opportunity for interacting during recess that provides children with an optimal environment for social learning. A total of 73 preschoolers (4–6 years old) were videotaped at the school’s playground. Teachers provided assessments of children’s social competence. Children’s interactions at the playground were assessed through an innovative measuring method, based on radio-frequency identification devices. The results showed a positive association between exercise play and children’s social competence. In contrast with the literature, both forms of pretend play, fantasy and role play were unrelated to children’s social competence. Smaller peer groups and longer interactions also demonstrated a positive association with these preschoolers’ social competence. The study shows the importance of outdoor physical play for preschoolers’ social success. Moreover, the study suggests that the environment in which children play has an important effect on the adaptive nature of their play.

Social competence and career development: validation of a scale with secondary students

This paper presents a validation study of the Perceived Social Competence in Career Scale (SCCarS). The sample included 571 adolescents, 283 girls (49.6%) and 287 boys (50.3%), aged 14 to 25 years old (ì=16.33±1.41), 10th and 11th grade students attending secondary schools in the northern, central and southern Portugal. Exploratory factor analysis indicates the presence of eight factors, with eigenvalues superior to 1.00, explaining 79.16% of the total variance of the items. Confirmatory factor analysis provided support to the factorial structure of eight factors, with adequate fit indices (X2/df=4.229, CFI= 0.909, GFI= 0.869, RMSEA= 0.079, p= 0.000). These results are consistent with the factorial structure found in previous studies carried out with Portuguese samples from 8th grade. Implications are drawn related to the need for further study of the psychometric characteristics of the SCCarS with young people from different age groups

Social competence and emotional comprehension: How are they related in children?

The developmental progression of emotional competence in childhood provides a robust evidence for its relation to social competence and important adjustment outcomes. This study aimed to analyze how this association is established in middle childhood. For this purpose, we tested 182 Portuguese children aged between 8 and 11 years, of 3rd and 4th grades, in public schools. Firstly, for assessing social competence we used an instrument directed to children using critical social situations within the relationships with peers in the school context - Socially in Action-Peers (SAp) (Rocha, Candeias & Lopes da Silva, 2012); children were assessed by three sources: themselves, their peers and their teacher. Secondly, we assessed children’s emotional understanding, individually, with the Test of Emotion Comprehension (Pons & Harris, 2002; Pons, Harris & Rosnay, 2004). Relations between social competence levels (in a composite score and using self, peers and teachers’ scores) and emotional comprehension components (comprehension of the recognition of emotions, based on facial expressions; external emotional causes; contribute of desire to emotion; emotions based on belief; memory influence under emotional state evaluation; possibility of emotional regulation; possibility of hiding an emotional state; having mixed emotions; contribution of morality to emotion experience) were investigated by means of two SSA (Similarity Structure Analysis) - a Multidimensional Scaling procedure and the external variable as points technique. In the first structural analysis (SSA) we will consider self, peers and teachers’ scores on Social Competence as content variables and TEC as external variable; in the second SSA we will consider TEC components as content variables and Social Competence in their different levels as external variable. The implications of these MDS procedures in order to better understand how social competence and emotional comprehension are related in children is discussed, as well as the repercussions of these findings for social competence and emotional understanding assessment and intervention in childhood is examined.

Preschoolers’ free play - connections with emotional and social functioning

Play has an important role in various aspects of children’s development. However, time for free play has declined substantially over the last decades. To date, few studies have focused on the relationship between opportunities for free play and children’s social functioning. The aims of this study are to examine whether children ́s free play is related to their social functioning and whether this relationship is mediated by children ́s emotional functioning. Seventy-eight children (age, 55- 77 months) were tested on their theory of mind and emotion understanding. Parents reported on their children’s time for free play, empathic abilities, social competence and externalizing behaviors. The main findings showed that free play and children’s theory of mind are negatively related to externalizing behaviors. Empathy was strongly related to children’s social competence, but free play and social competence were not associated. Less time for free play is related to more disruptive behaviors in preschool children, however certain emotional functioning skills influence these behaviors independently of the time children have for free play. These outcomes suggest that free play might help to prevent the development of disruptive behaviors, but future studies should further examine the causality of this relationship.

Competências sócio-emocionais de crianças com dificuldades de aprendizagem: Percepção de pais e professores

Os pais e os professores vivenciam o quotidiano das crianças e constituem-se como observadores significativos (Guaragna e tal., 2005; Pires et al, 2008) e as suas perceções acerca dos filhos e alunos influenciam os comportamentos destes (Zirkel, 2002). Porém, as características das crianças parecem influir na perceção de pais e na perceção de professores (Pires et al., 2008). As crianças com DA apresentam características sócio emocionais próprias: instabilidade emocional, pouca tolerância à frustração (Fonseca, 2008) e dificuldades na interação social (Framer et al., 2008). As competências sociais e emocionais são muito relevantes no processo adaptativo da criança e contribuem para a consecução de objetivos sociais (Candeias, 2008; Anderson-Butcher et al., 2008; Buckley & Saarnni, 2006; Saarni, 2002). Neste contexto, considerando o papel especial dos pais e professores no processo desenvolvimental das crianças com dificuldades de aprendizagem (DA), desenvolvemos um estudo que investigou a perceção de 37 pais e 66 professores acerca das competências sócio emocionais de crianças entre os 6 e 11 anos com DA. No estudo foram utilizados o Inventário do Quociente Emocional Bar-On, (EQ-i: Pa, versão original de Bar-On & Parker, 2004) nas suas versões para pais e para professores, e a Prova de Avaliação da Competência Social (PACS-6/11, Candeias et al., 2008; Candeias, 2008b), para avaliar, respetivamente, a perceção sobre a inteligência emocional e sobre a competência social. Os principais resultados sugerem que os pais avaliam mais positivamente as competências emocionais das crianças e que a avaliação das competências sociais dos pais é semelhante à dos docentes /ABSTRACT: Parents and teachers are significant observers and participants in every day’s children's life's and their perceptions about their sons and pupils can influence their on behavior (Zirkel, 2002). However, children’s characteristics can influence parent’s perceptions and teacher’s perceptions (Pires et a/., 2008). Children with learning disabilities (LD) have singular social-emotional characteristics: emotional instability, low tolerance to frustant events (Fonseca, 2008) and difficulties in social interactions (Framer et al., 2008). Social and emotional competences are relevant in children's adaptation process and contribute to the fulfillemente of social goals (Candeias, 2008; Anderson-Butcher et a/., 2008; Buckley & Saarnni, 2006; Saarni, 2002). ln this context, considering teachers’ and parent’s special role throughout the growing process, we developed a study that investigated the perception of 37 parents and 66 teachers about the social-emotional competences of children’s (with ages between 6 and 11 years) with LO. Results suggests that (a) parent’s perception of emotional competence has higher values, (b) there is no significate differences between parents and teacher’s perception about social competence.

Competências sócio-emocionais em crianças com dificuldades de aprendizagem : Estudo de caracterização em alunos do 1º ciclo do ensino básico

As dificuldades de aprendizagem são tema de grande relevância no campo da educação, pelas repercussões que têm no desenvolvimento das crianças que as possuem, quer a nível pessoal, familiar, escolar e social. A compreensão das competências sócio-emocionais destas crianças surge como objecto de estudo desta investigação. A amostra é constituída por 74 crianças com dificuldades de aprendizagem do 1° Ciclo do Ensino Básico. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: o Inventário de Quociente Emocional Bar-On: Versão para crianças (EQ-i:YV; versão portuguesa; Candeias et al., 2008), o Teste de Resolução de Problemas lnterpessoais da Inteligência Social para Crianças (PRPI - 6/11; Candeias et al., 2008), o Teste de Competências Sociais para Crianças (PACS - Socialmente em Acção 6/11, Candeias et al., 2008), o Teste de Percepção de Emoções (Franco & Candeias, 2008) e as Matrizes Progressivas Coloridas de Raven (MPCR, Raven, 1965). Estudaram-se as relações entre a inteligência social, inteligência emocional, competência social e variáveis sócio-demográficas como a idade, o nível sócio-económico e a participação social destas crianças. Conclui-se que, quanto mais elevada é a competência emocional destes alunos, menores serão as suas dificuldades em termos de competência social. Estes achados permitem aumentar o conhecimento teórico sobre esta problemática, possibilitando a aplicação prática na intervenção psicológica e psicopedagógica. / ABSTRACT: Learning difficulties are the subject of great relevance in education, the impact they have on the development of children who have, whether for personal, familial, educational and social. Understanding of the socio-emotional skills of these children appears to be the subject of this research study. This study used a sample of 74 children with learning difficulties the first cycle of the cities of Évora and Montemor-o­ Novo. We applied: Emotional Quocient lnventory Bar-On: young version (EQ-i: YV; Candeias et al., 2008); Perception and Recognition Emotions (Franco & Candeias, 2008); Cognitive Test of Social lntelligence for Children (PRPI-6/11; Candeias et al., 2008); Social Competence Test for Children (PACS-6/11; Candeias et al., 2008) and Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM, Raven, 1965). We studied the relationship between social intelligence, emotional intelligence, social competence and socio-demographic variables such as age, socio-economic and social participation of these children. lt was concluded that, the higher the emotional competence of these students, lower their difficulties in terms of social competence. These findings increase the theoretical knowledge on this issue, enabling the practical application in psychological and pedagogic. This study leaves open some suggestions for future work.