Relationships between Emotional Competence and Social Adjustment among Korean Children and Adolescents

아동과 청소년의 정서적유능성과 사회적 적응간의 관계

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between emotional competence and social adjustment among Korean children and adolescents. The subjects of this study were 380 children between fifth and sixth grade ages and 579 middle school students. Their emotional competence was assessed by 'Korean Emotional Competence Scale (Kim et al., 2004),' and also their social adjustment by 'Social Adjustment Scale (Lee, 1994).' The data were analyzed by ANOVA, the Pearson's Correlation, and Regression, using SPSS. The results of this study are as follows: (1) Children's and adolescents' emotional competence and social adjustment had a meaningful difference according to SES, gender, and grade. (2) There was a significant, positive relationship between their emotional competence and social adjustment. Their social adjustment was related more strongly to factors, such as Self-expressiveness, Assertion, and Positive thinking, and also their emotional competence more to Self-adjustment and Emotional adjustment. (4) Social adjustment of children and adolescents was predicted best by Self-expressiveness and Assertion, Positive Thinking, Awareness and Understanding of Emotion, and Consideration factors of emotional competence.