Social, emotional, and behavioral skills as resources for student engagement: A one-year longitudinal study in high school students

Social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills refer to capacities that support social relationships, emotion regulation, and engagement with new experiences. These skills are considered crucial for high school students' academic success and well-being. The present study examined the longitudinal associations between five SEB skill domains (self-management, social engagement, cooperation, innovation, and emotional resilience) and four dimensions of student engagement (affective, behavioral, cognitive, and agentic). A sample of 1555 Italian high school students completed self-report measures of SEB skills and engagement at the beginning (T1), middle (T2), and end (T3) of the academic year. Latent change score modelling showed that student engagement generally declined across the school year, particularly between T1 and T2. However, students with higher levels of self-management, innovation, and social engagement at T1 showed smaller declines in engagement. Overall, these findings suggest that SEB skills help students sustain engagement, especially during the first part of the school year. Educational relevance statement Social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills are increasingly recognized as key competencies that foster student engagement in learning and academic activities. Using a comprehensive SEB framework and a three-wave longitudinal design, our study examined whether SEB skills contribute to the maintenance of engagement across the school year. Results indicated that students who reported higher levels of self-management, innovation, and social engagement also experienced smaller decreases in engagement, although the effects varied across engagement dimensions. Overall, these findings highlight the educational value of integrating SEB skills instruction into school curricula. Strengthening these skills may help students sustain engagement throughout the academic year, with potential benefits for academic achievement and well-being.