This moment in history is one of profound uncertainty, where competing ideas, ways of living and even fundamental matters of science and fact are swirling around an information landscape whose complexity and pace of change is outstripping our ability to navigate it. To adapt to complexity and uncertainty and be able to help shape a better future, every learner needs to be equipped with certain transformative competencies. These specific competencies enable students to develop and reflect on their own perspective, and they are necessary for learning how to shape and contribute to a changing world. Creating new value, taking responsibility, and reconciling tensions, dilemmas, trade-offs and contradictions are all examples of such competencies (OECD, 2020[22]).
These skills matter in the classroom. By holding conflicting ideas in tension, students can acquire a deeper understanding of opposing positions, develop arguments to support their own position, and find solutions to dilemmas and conflicts (OECD, 2019[23]) For example, a systems thinking approach, where students develop an understanding of how complex systems behave by studying real-life examples, such as the water-energy-food nexus or the energy system, can help students see various opportunities for making change within a system.
These skills matter in the workplace, too. Google’s Project Oxygen programme, running since 2008, seeks to determine which skills are key to the performance of its best managers. It has consistently found that collaboration, self-management, communication and encouragement are in top place. In fact, only one of the top 10 skills is technical.
School is where we can learn and sharpen these skills. In many ways, schools are like giant petri dishes of social emotional learning, where students interact with their peers in formative ways. But teaching is as important. The effective teaching of social and emotional skills can positively affect students' success in school. Skills such as problem-solving, self-regulation, impulse control and empathy can help improve academic outcomes and reduce negative social behaviours such as bullying. This can lead to a virtuous circle: when a student believes in herself and is able to exercise self-control, her performance increases (Steponavičius, Gress-Wright and Linzarini, 2023[24]). This in turn leads to further self-belief and so on.
And this is borne out by the data. A 2006 study of the 1979 US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth found that an increase in the measure of social and emotional skills – from the 25th to the 75th percentile of its distribution – was associated with a nearly 25 percentage point increase in the probability of being a four-year college graduate at age 30 (OECD, 2021[25]). The OECD’s own PISA data show that in 2022, on average across OECD countries, students that were curious or persistent scored around 11 points higher in math. Students who were better able to control their emotions or were stress resistant also outperformed their peers by around six points.
The good news is that many schools are teaching social and emotional skills. A 2019 study of American schools by the RAND Corporation found that nearly four in five principals listed the promotion of students’ social and emotional skills as the top priority or among the school’s top priority (Hamilton, Doss and Steiner, 2019[26]). This was especially true for schools in lower-income areas. The bad news is that on many measures, young people seem to be struggling with social and emotional skill development.
OECD survey data on social and emotional skills show that 15-year-olds in all participating cities demonstrated lower social and emotional skills than 10-year-olds, and this is especially true for optimism, trust, energy and sociability. Developmental psychology provides some explanations for that, but on the other, these effects may be worsened by the often-stifling effect of secondary school on creativity and self-expression.
And there are other warning signs. In 2022 one in five students reported being bullied at least a few times a month, on average across OECD countries, with 8% being bullied regularly. For the victims of bullies, the consequences on academic performance can be severe. Students who are lonely, unhappy or frightened are unlikely to excel in a classroom. In systems that have lower incidences of bullying, especially among disadvantaged students, educational performance is better. It is important not to forget that bullies themselves are also often facing social and emotional issues and require support as well.
Most people aren't taught systems thinking in their education, making it hard for them to tackle systemic issues that impact their lives. To help teachers improve their skills in systems analysis and thinking, resources can be created to incorporate these topics into their teaching (OECD, 2023[4]). These could range from comprehensive curricula for university, school, and adult education to modular teaching aids that teachers can adapt to their needs, including specific course materials. Practical tools for teachers and their students, such as qualitative methods, simulation games, and even quantitative methods, can provide further benefit. Encouraging teachers to explore systems thinking can be achieved by offering broad introductions that highlight its relevance to their teaching activities.
In Latvia, students enrolled in a media theory class are encouraged to reflect on how the media landscape in the country is defined by the system of donor-political relationships (World Economic Forum, 2023[27]) They practice this skill by mapping all donations given to various political parties and analysing the political agendas of the respective parties. This helps them better understand the stated beliefs and values of political parties running for election and visualise how a complex interconnection of relationships influences the political landscape, in turn helping students become more informed civic actors and providing them with the knowledge to enact positive change in their communities.
To effectively introduce social-emotional learning in classrooms, teachers must first master these skills themselves. When teachers model and teach social and emotional competencies, such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making, they create a supportive learning environment that can improve academic outcomes. They also contribute to a positive classroom climate where students feel safe, supported, and engaged. This is conducive to learning and can reduce behavioural problems such as bullying.
For example, Peru’s Escuela Amiga model offered teachers and principals a comprehensive year-long course, facilitated by psychologists, blending classroom instruction with practical activities such as role-playing and peer support (Guerra, Modecki and Cunningham, 2014[28]) Participants, hailing from underserved communities, emerged with certificates and notably transformed their classrooms into calmer, more engaging spaces, employing innovative teaching methods. Beyond professional growth, teachers reported significant personal gains, underscoring the critical role of supportive learning environments in enhancing children's skill development.
To address the social and emotional issues facing young people, educators also need to better understand them. New Zealand deploys the What About Me? Survey, targeting students at upper secondary level, and uses the data and insights to inform decisions and policies which support well-being in schools around a range of dimensions, including physical, spiritual, family and mental health (OECD, 2023[4]). In Finland, the educational system gathers information through the Youth Barometer, an annual survey of the values and attitudes of 15 to 29-year-olds in the country. By contributing to an understanding of young people’s social and emotional context, the Youth Barometer provides educational institutions with an invaluable source of data to shape social and emotional learning.
Pedagogical methods can be adapted to utilize social-emotional skills for academic learning. Korea has shifted towards embedding social and emotional learning into education, notably through the 2009 introduction of Creative Experiential Learning (CEL) into curriculums (OECD, 2022[29]) CEL encourages students to engage in extracurricular activities that foster creative thinking, autonomy, and hands-on learning across diverse areas such as multiculturalism, environmental sustainability, and financial education. By participating in self-regulated, club, volunteering, and career exploration activities, students enhance vital skills like creativity, self-regulation and cooperation, building a stronger sense of community and personal identity.