Adolescence is a critical period for developing responsible decision-making, a skill that predicts positive outcomes for teenagers. However, gaps remain in understanding how specific Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) components influence this ability. Using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 (covering over 613,000 15-year-olds across 80 countries), this study explored the direct and combined associations of four SEL dimensions on responsible decision-making through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), Pearson correlation, and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results revealed the following: (1) All SEL dimensions demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach’s α >.8) and validity (composite reliability (CR) >.7, average variance extracted (AVE) >.5); (2) Pearson correlations indicated positive, significant associations between all SEL dimensions and responsible decision-making (self-awareness: r =.430; relationship skills: r =.182); and (3) SEM revealed that self-awareness showed the strongest direct association with responsible decision-making ( β =.328), followed by social awareness ( β =.249) and self-management ( β = .174). Relationship skills showed a minimal direct association ( β =.019) but may exert an indirect association through self-awareness. High correlations among SEL dimensions (e.g., self-awareness and social awareness: β =.532) underscored their interconnectedness. This study advances SEL theory by clarifying the distinct effects of individual dimensions and informing targeted strategies to promote responsible decision-making among adolescents worldwide.
Chen et al. (Sun,) studied this question.