Mind the (social and emotional competence) gap to support higher education students’ well-being: Psychometric properties of the SECAB-A(S)

Abstract

Today’s increasingly brittle, anxious, nonlinear, incomprehensible world of work calls for a socially and emotionally competent workforce. However, there is a clear gap in higher education settings regarding the assessment and promotion of students’ social and emotional competence (SEC). Our study aims to address the pressing need to evaluate and develop higher education students’ SEC by providing a tool to assess these skills, enabling researchers and practitioners to intervene and actively promote them. A sample of 767 higher education students (62.8% female, M = 22.88 years, SD = 7.30) enrolled in the study. Structural, discriminant and concurrent criterion validity, and reliability of the measure were assessed. A multiple hierarchical regression analysis tested the relation of SEC and well-being. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the hypothesized factorial structures. Coefficient omegas indicated adequate internal consistency. The results also supported the measure’s discriminant and criterion validities in relation to external measures. Multi-group invariance across gender and academic fields was attained. We found evidence of the predictive role of intrapersonal skills on students’ personal and academic well-being. This study bridges a gap in research and practice by introducing a psychometrically sound yet parsimonious instrument for assessing higher education students’ SEC. It also highlights the supportive role of SEC in promoting students’ well-being.