Analysis of Change in Relationship between Communication and Social Competence: Comparison of Children and Adolescents by Grade Level

Objectives: It is known that communication and social competence are related, but it is not known specifically which detailed items are involved in this relationship. Therefore, this study analyzed the relationship of the evaluation results of social communication competence by grade level (high school, middle school, elementary school) presented in the longitudinal data of the Analysis on the Actual Status and the Quality of School Education in Korea (AASQSEK) school panel of Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI). Methods: The mean comparison, correlation measurement, and multi-group structural equation modeling analysis (multi-group SEM) of observed variables (communication, social cooperation, social responsibility competence) were conducted for each multi-age group (6th grade in elementary school, 3rd grade in middle school, and 2nd grade in high school). Results: 1) 6th graders rated all communication and social competence questions the highest. 2) It was found that the third-year middle school students' communication competence and social cooperation were the lowest among the three grade levels. 3) Social responsibility was significantly lower in the 3rd grade of middle school and 2nd grade of high school compared to the 6th grade of elementary school. 4) In addition, the relationship between communication and social competence showed a significantly lower effect as the grade level increased. Conclusion: Social communication competence scores can be influenced by grade level factors, so clinicians should consider grade level factors in the interpretation of the results of the Social Communication Competence (SCC) assessment.