The relationship between SE and development in mathematics and vocabulary
Children’s SE, which encompasses self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making (CASEL , 2017), is a dynamic process where children engage with their environments, resulting in effective interactions that promote learning (Curby et al., 2015). Children with stronger SE tend to have more opportunities for active classroom participation and are more likely to receive constructive feedback from teachers (Denham & Brown, 2010). These interactions, in turn, foster children’s academic development, encompassing areas such as mathematics and language skills (Dobbs et al., 2006).
Research has consistently shown that SE significantly predicts mathematics, even when accounting for children’s language (Denham et al., 2012). Conversely, children facing challenges in SE tend to exhibit lower early mathematics (Marsh et al., 2002). Moreover, SE exhibits stability in predicting mathematics in both high- and low-risk children (Doctoroff et al., 2016). Furthermore, SE is strongly correlated with vocabulary. Even after adjusting for factors like age and attention, children demonstrating higher SE in preschool tend to achieve higher-quality language scores in primary school (Jerome et al., 2009). SE emerges as a protective factor and a significant predictor of long-term growth in children’s vocabulary (Mackintosh & Rowe, 2021).