Socioemotional Competences among University Students

Abstract

The general objective of this research was to evaluate socioemotional competences among university students. We analyzed the relationship among empathy levels, social skills, mindfulness, and other psychoeducational variables among Spanish university students. The sample consisted of 100 students. Instruments were administered to evaluate empathy, social skills, mindfulness, and other psychoeducational variables. An ex post facto design was used. An analysis of the relationships among these variables is presented. The data are relevant for implementing future programs for the training of socioemotional competences such as soft skills related to teamwork, assertiveness, empathy, creativity, and critical thinking.

1. Introduction

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [1] and models such as EuroPsy [2] consider the development of socioemotional competences to be important. Among these socioemotional competences, empathy, self-efficacy, and resilience can be considered relevant variables. It can be considered that after the pandemic, it is even more necessary to contribute to the promotion and acquisition of such competences.

Along similar lines, several studies have argued that emotional intelligence plays a relevant role in people’s well-being since it can be related to higher performance at work, better interpersonal relationships, optimism, and greater satisfaction with oneself, all of which usually lead to greater self-esteem, happiness, and extraversion [3, 4, 5]. A recent study [4] corroborates that empathy is one of the dimensions of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence refers to the “ability to perceive, assimilate, understand and regulate one’s own emotions and those of others, promoting emotional and intellectual growth” (p. 10) [6]. Somehow, “Empathy allows us to approach the other, to tune in with him and, therefore, it is a key aspect in the educational relationship” (p. 178) [7]. This study shows the enormous pedagogical value that, according to this author, the variable empathy has; it also underlines the fact that the development of empathy is encouraged in the university environment. A study has shown that in the contemporary scenario, empathy is discussed from an integrative perspective considering its cognitive and affective or emotional dimensions [8]. In this sense, it can also be noted that prosocial behaviors have links with other non-cognitive skills, such as self-efficacy [9], which has been defined as perceived capabilities within specific domains [10, 11, 12, 13]. As evident in recent studies, it is necessary to contribute to improving this construct called self-efficacy in the university environment [14, 15]. Likewise, other studies highlight the importance of resilience to optimize the development and quality of life [16], and advocate for its orientation to university students [17].

Regarding full consciousness, for André (p. 70) [18], it can be understood that “Full consciousness is the quality of consciousness that emerges when we concentrate the mind deliberately in the present moment. Attention is directed to the experience that is lived and suffered, without any filter (it is accepted as it is), without formulating judgment (good or bad, desirable or not), and without expecting anything in particular.” Different studies (e.g., [19, 20]) have highlighted the benefits of mindfulness on the quality of life and well-being, enhancing problem solving skills, emotional self-regulation, and satisfaction with all aspects in life.

Precisely, this work aimed to evaluate the socioemotional competences among university students. Specifically, scores on the variables of mindfulness, self-efficacy, empathy, social skills, and resilience were examined in a sample of university students.

2. Methods

2.1 Participants

The participants were 109 university students, and most of them were women between the ages of 18 and 22, from the fields of Educational Sciences and Psychology. Instruments were administered to assess the constructs of mindfulness, social skills, empathy, resilience, and self-efficacy. An ex post facto design was used. The final sample was 100 students after excluding part-time students and those who did not complete all the instruments. In the final sample, 39 (39%) are men and 61 (61%) women. In these degrees, the majority are women and a gender-balanced incidental sample was used. The consecutive recruitment of participants was performed.

2.2 Instruments

Several tools have been applied to assess mindfulness, self-efficacy, empathy, social skills, and resilience.

State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity (SMS-PA), Cox et al. [21]: adaptation in Spanish by Ullrich-French et al. [22]. It is a scale of 12 items with a five-step response format where 0 = not at all and 4 = very much. It has adequate psychometric properties of reliability and validity (α = .89). An example of an instrument item is: “I was aware of different emotions that arose in me.”

General Self-Efficacy Scale, [23, 24]. It is a 10-item scale with a Likert-type response format where 1 = strongly disagree, and 10 = strongly agree. It has adequate psychometric properties (α = .90). An example of an item from this scale is: “I can solve difficult problems if I try hard enough.”

Interpersonal Reactivity Scale (IRI), [25], adapted by Pérez-Albéniz et al. [26]. It is a scale made up of 28 items with a five-step response format where 1 = Does not describe me very well and 5 = Describes me very well. An example of an item is: “I would describe myself as a fairly sensitive person.” It is a widely used instrument with adequate psychometric properties (α = .89).

Resilience Scale (RS), [27]. It is a scale consisting of 14 items scored from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) with two factors: 1) personal competence and 2) acceptance of oneself and life. It has adequate psychometric properties (α = .89). An example item for the first factor is: “My life has meaning”; and an example item for the second factor is: “I am a disciplined person.”

2.3 Procedure

The questionnaires were administered collectively in the different classrooms. This research has the favorable report of the Ethics Committee in Human Sciences of the University of Granada and respects the principles established by national and international legislation within the Ethics Committee in Human Research and all the rights linked to the protection of personal data. Participants were informed that collected data would remain anonymous and be used only for research purposes. A control sample used to counter-verify the results obtained. The completion of each questionnaire lasted approximately 6 to 9 minutes.

2.4 Data design and analysis

This study adopted a quantitative cross-sectional design. A cross-sectional non-experimental research design was selected involving convenience sampling of student participants. Participants were students recruited from Educational Sciences and Psychology courses at the Granada University and were asked to complete a series of self-report scales with a Likert response format. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 22.0. The normal distribution of the variables was confirmed with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Descriptive analyses and bivariate analyses were carried out to study the relationship between the variables of this research using Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

3. Results

Regarding the main study variable of mindfulness, the mean score was 33.07, and the standard deviation was 9.03. For the resilience variable under the personal competence factor, the mean score was 60.85, and standard deviation was 9.08. For the acceptance of oneself and life factor of the resilience variable, the mean score was 15.71 (standard deviation = 2.97). For the variable of self-efficacy, the mean score was 30.60, and the standard deviation was 4.61.

Regarding the relationship between the study variables, statistically significant positive correlations were found between mindfulness scores and empathy in university students (r = .45, p < .01).

Statistically significant correlations were exhibited between the variables of mindfulness and the two factors under the variable of resilience-personal competence (r = .51, p < 0.01) and acceptance of oneself and life (r = .32, p < 0.05). Positive correlations were also found between the variable of mindfulness and perceived general self-efficacy (r = .41, p < .01).

No significant differences were found in levels of mindfulness according to gender.

4. Discussion

This study aimed to examine mindfulness, levels of empathy, resilience, and levels of perceived self-efficacy in a sample of university students. Moreover, the relationships among the variables of the study were analyzed.

The results show the existence of statistically significant associations between the study variables. These results can be considered congruent with previous studies that found relationships between mindfulness and empathy [28, 29] and resilience [30]. Another study also found how mindfulness and self-efficacy variables were related to stress levels in university students [31].

Another recent previous research [32] shows that the mindfulness score was associated with better emotion regulation, which leads us to propose, as indicated in this study, the need for mindfulness training interventions that contribute to improving emotional regulation in university students. Likewise, another study [33] finds that the development of mindfulness and emotional management can contribute to improving the university students’ well-being and resilience. Developing these competences or actions can contribute to the promotion or construction of resilience in university students [34], which will allow better adjustment or adaptation with the use of more productive coping strategies and a more effective orientation [17]. In this sense, it can be noted that one of the factors or characteristics that can be identified in resilient students is self-esteem [16].

Before concluding this chapter, it should be noted that in the study by Sierra et al. [28], it was found that a program with mindfulness sessions influenced the emotional dimension with an increase in the levels of empathy and a decrease in school stress. In this sense, there is a need to develop such programs for the university environment, given the impact on academics and well-being and health generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A limitation of the study was our inability to use a longitudinal design that allows us to see how the scores on these variables evolve and transform. In this sense, causal relationships could not be established from the results obtained in this study. Further studies should analyze relationships among other psychoeducational variables or constructs that can help improve well-being and build organizational happiness under different contexts of study and work.

5. Conclusions

It can be concluded that mindfulness shows statistically significant positive correlations with all the variables evaluated, such as self-efficacy, self-perceived self-efficacy, communication and empathic skills, and resilience in its two dimensions.

The assessment of self-perceived self-efficacy and resilience in university students is considered fundamental since it has relevant implications from the educational and clinical point of view, given its repercussions for greater well-being and coping with adversity and the continuous challenges that the European Higher Education Area demands. However, there are still fewer studies on the university population compared to studies on those in other developmental stages such as adolescence.

The data obtained are relevant for designing a future program or psychoeducational intervention that will contribute to improving self-esteem and resilience for coping with academic, health-related, and interpersonal situations that can generate stress in the university environment. The information provided by these data is necessary under the current situation of the pandemic to train individuals in coping strategies and intrapersonal and interpersonal skills to prevent technological stress, academic stress, and other fears considering the age of adversity and uncertainty that we live in. This can enhance the acquisition and/or development of technological and socioemotional competences.