The effect of effective communication skills training on the social emotional learning skills of secondary school 7th grade students

Today, the contemporary understanding of education focuses on the multifaceted development of the individual. It is emphasized that students should be supported not only with their academic success but also socially and emotionally. In this context, the ability of the individual to establish healthy relationships with their environment, to express their feelings and thoughts, and to cooperate in their social environment are among the important skills. The basis of all these competencies is communication skills. Communication skills have been seen as an important point in the development of students' social emotional learning skills. In this context, the aim of the research is to examine the effect of the prepared communication skills training on social emotional learning skills. The study group of the research consists of 7th grade students of a secondary school located in the Western Black Sea Region. A quasi-experimental design with a pre-test-post-test control group was used in the research. Eight sessions of communication skills training were applied to the experimental group, and no intervention was made to the control group. The "Social Emotional Learning Skills Scale" and the Semi-Structured Interview Form developed by the researcher were used as data collection tools; a mixed method approach was adopted. Quantitative data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests, while qualitative data were evaluated using descriptive analysis. According to the quantitative results of the study, no statistically significant effect of communication skills training on the sub-dimensions of social emotional learning skills, namely problem-solving skills, stress coping skills, communication skills, and skills that increase self-esteem, was found. However, qualitative data revealed that there was a positive change in students' views on these skills. In this context, it is recommended that communication skills training be implemented more systematically and for a longer period of time; and that quantitative and qualitative methods be evaluated together in supporting social emotional learning skills. Keywords: Social emotional learning skills, Effective communication skills, Curriculum, Mixed method, Quasi-experimental design