Motivational, Emotional, and Social Factors Explain Academic Achievement in Children Aged 6–12 Years: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Recent studies highlight the effect of cognitive factors on academic achievement, ignoring motivational, emotional, and social factors. This provides the background for the present study, a meta-analysis on the relationship between academic achievement and motivational factors (motivation, self-concept, and self-esteem), emotional factors (emotional intelligence, emotional competence, and emotional well-being), and social factors (social intelligence, social competence, and social skills) in children aged 6–12 years (37 samples, n = 15,777). The methodology based on the PRISMA protocols was applied: phases of inclusion and exclusion of articles, analysis of effect size, heterogeneity, publication bias, and, finally, meta-regressions and moderation analysis. The results showed a moderate positive effect size (0.321) for motivational and social factors (0.210) and a small positive effect size (0.172) for emotional factors. The moderating effects of age (65% on social factors) and geographical area (52% on motivational factors, 17% on emotional factors, and 76% on social factors) were studied. These results highlight the importance of motivational and social factors regarding academic achievement. In addition, along with the moderating effect of age, that of geographical area emerges strongly given the diversity of contexts studied. Our results highlight the importance that these factors have on academic performance and, therefore, the need to design school plans that address the correct development of these variables.

Longitudinal Association Between Child Psychological Abuse and Neglect and Academic Achievement in Chinese Primary School Children: A Moderated Mediation Model

“…Moreover, according to learning motivation theory ( Skinner et al, 2009 ), learning engagement, as a motivational factor, played a critical role in children’s academic achievement. For example, low cognitive engagement of a child would make him unwilling to study hard, which impeded academic achievement ( Quílez-Robres et al, 2021 ).…”

Self-Concept, Prosocial School Behaviors, Well-Being, and Academic Skills in Elementary School Students: A Whole-Child Perspective

“…Quílez-Robres et al [16] conducted a meta-analysis on the relations between academic achievement and several factors reflective of or connected to the present study constructs (i.e., self-concept, prosocial behaviors, and well-being). The constructs in this meta-analysis included self-concept, motivation and self-esteem, social competence, social skills, social intelligence and emotional well-being, emotional competence, and emotional intelligence in children 6-12 years old (37 samples, N = 15,777).…”

Engagement de los alumnos en la escuela: Perspectivas sociales y psicológicas

“…En primer lugar, las evaluaciones clásicas obtienen resultados que no son reflejo de las habilidades reales de los estudiantes (Zainul et al, 2019) siendo necesario implementar estrategias de evaluación competencial que sean más cercanas a sus capacidades reales. Por otro lado, la inestabilidad emocional en la que se encuentra el alumnado en esta etapa de educación hace que las variables motivacionales sean más importantes que en otras etapas (Quílez et al, 2021).…”