Development of a Socio-Emotional Skills Assessment in the Philippines

Highlights

This background paper aims to help educators and policymakers understand the theory and practice behind socio-emotional skills and aid in the development of socio-emotional skills assessments for the Department of Education (DepEd).

The first section highlights the crucial role played by socio-emotional skills in students’ academic achievement, psychological well-being and job success. The second section reviews several socio-emotional frameworks and assessment programmes, such as the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). The third section relates the Philippine initiatives on socio-emotional learning. The fourth section highlights gaps between international and Philippine initiatives, and provides recommendations for educators and policymakers to develop and conduct a socio-emotional skills assessment. Finally, a tool for measuring socio-emotional skills is proposed based on a thorough review of existing frameworks and expert recommendations.