Exploring teachers' perceptions on the impact of students' social skills on academic achievement: a case study

Social skills influence how well children interact with peers and teachers, and in learning activities, they are widely acknowledged as critical components of academic success. The challenges posed by COVID-19, which resulted in extensive remote learning and heightened social isolation, have highlighted the importance of social skills in recent years. Students' social skills, communication ability, and general academic achievement have all been significantly impacted by these changes. Using an interpretivist qualitative case study approach for detailed insights into the teachers' perspectives, this study attempts to investigate how secondary school teachers see the impact of students' social skills on academic accomplishment. An open-ended questionnaire was used to gather data from a group of secondary school teachers. According to the findings of the study, social skills are consistently viewed by teachers as being necessary for academic achievement, and there are definite connections between social skills and student participation in class, peer collaboration, and general engagement with learning activities. Peer mentoring, cooperative learning activities, and structured socio-emotional learning programs are just a few of the techniques that teacher participants have suggested to establish collaborative environments that foster both academic and social growth. The study also emphasises a number of crucial ethical considerations, such as getting participants' informed consent and maintaining participant confidentiality during the data collection procedure. The study addresses these concerns in accordance with established ethical standards and emphasises the significance of establishing a dignified and reliable research environment. The study underscores the necessity of focused interventions to address gaps in students' social skills, particularly in the wake of the pandemic's disruptions. It is suggested that incorporating social skills development within the curriculum is essential to guaranteeing that students have the social skills needed to succeed in both their academic and social lives. A more comprehensive approach to student development that acknowledges the connection between social and intellectual development in the changing educational landscape is advocated by the discussion of the research's implications for teaching methods and educational policies.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

MPhil

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wolverhampton

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Bharti, Bharti

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Oberholzer, Lizana

• teacher perceptions
• social skills
• academic achievement
• learning behaviour
• secondary education
• student behaviour
• teacher-student relationship
• educational success
• United Kingdom

Licence

• https://wlv.openrepository.com/bitstreams/1f71180d-9fc3-4117-8f8f-848f9d35e382/download