Unveiling social-emotional excellence: A network perspective on social-emotional skills in children and adolescents

This study investigates the network structure and interconnections of social-emotional skills among high-achieving 10- and 15-year-old students. Using cross-sectional data from the 2019 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, we identified central skills and examined how these skills interacted within the networks of the two age cohorts. The sample included 7731 10-year-olds and 7430 15-year-olds from 10 cities across nine countries. Empathy and cooperation were identified as the most central skills in the network of high-achieving 10-year-olds, while cooperation uniquely remained central among 15-year-olds. We also observed denser and more integrated network structures in adolescence. These findings highlight the importance of central skills, particularly cooperation and empathy, in fostering social-emotional competence through developmentally tailored educational programmes.