Social Competence: What young children know and learn

Abstract

Social competence appears to be a multi dimensional, interactive, psychological construct which can be implied through observation of social skills and behaviours of children in various social groups over time. The focus of the thesis was to contribute to the understanding of social competence and its acquisition in young children. Social competence is also a life long skill which can contribute to outcomes such as satisfying social relationships and later life satisfaction. Social incompetence can lead to depression, delinquency, drug taking, suicide and overall unhappiness. If children relate to their peers and gain acceptance they are said to be socially competent. Social competence is important because it affects how children view school which thus, affects their motivation to learn in a classroom environment. The theoretical framework, "theory of mind", situated cognition, and information processing was used for determining which knowledge was pertinent to social competence and how it was processed respectively. The "theory of mind" framework is based on an awareness of self and others' mental states. To function effectively in the peer group, children must be able to make sense of their social world and anticipate how others are feeling; be able to interpret what others are communicating, have an awareness and confidence of self to express appropriate behaviour; and know the peer social rules for social interaction. This requires complex social competence knowledge. ... This study was predominantly qualitative. Some quantitative measures were used as decision making aids within a quantitative approach. Findings of the research revealed the importance of intervention; the knowledge and behaviours valued or accepted by peers; gender, age, context, and sociometric status differences in which knowledge, skills, and behaviours are appropriate; and the most important knowledge, behaviours and skills needed for social competence.