Abstract

FEITOSA, Fabio Biasotto; DEL PRETTE, Zilda A. P.  and  DEL PRETTE, Almir. Social skills and academic achievement: the mediating function of cognitive competence. Temas psicol. [online]. 2012, vol.20, n.1, pp.61-70. ISSN 1413-389X.

Several studies have highlighted the correlation between social skills and academic achievement. Nevertheless, the processes implied in this association are not clear enough. This paper aimed at testing the hypothesis of cognitive competence as a possible mediator variable linking social skills and academic achievement. 80 children of both sexes (age average = 8.15 years old) were evaluated by the Columbia intelligence test, the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS-BR) and a School Achievement Test (SAT). GLM analysis confirmed the initial hypothesis of the cognitive competence mediating the instrumental as well as the enabler function of social skills on the academic achievement. Implications for early school interventions to promote social skills and possible directions for future researches are discussed.

Keywords : Academic achievement; Social skills; Learning disabilities; Mediation relationships.

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