SEVERITY OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SOCIAL SKILLS DEFICITS

Abstract

This study explored the differences in the rated social skills of elementary ‐ aged students at ‐ risk for emotional/behavioural disorders (E/BD) based on severity of academic difficulties. Teachers nominated students at ‐ risk for E/BD who were classified into four groups of academic difficulty based on the Wide Range Achievement Test ‐ 3. Students, parents, and teachers completed the Social Skills Rating System. Teachers’ ratings indicated that academic strengths did not significantly affect perceptions of students’ social competence; all children were rated with notable social skills deficits. Consistent with previous positive research, self ‐ ratings were uniformly positive across groups. Parents’ ratings indicated highest social competence for children with most severe academic deficits. Key words: emotional disorders, behavioural disorders, academic performance, elementary school, social competence;,self ‐ perceptions, parent perceptions, teacher perceptions Cette etude a explore les differences chez des eleves du primaire presentant des risques de troubles affectifs et du comportement dans l’evaluation de leurs habiletes sociales , par rapport a la gravite de leurs difficultes academiques. Les enseignants ont designe ces eleves a risque, qui ont ete repartis en quatre groupes en fonction de leurs difficultes academiques evaluees en utilisant le Wide Range Achievement Test ‐ 3 . Les eleves, les parents et les enseignants ont rempli le questionnaire sur les aptitudes sociales ( Social Skills Rating System ). Les evaluations des enseignants revelent que les aptitudes scolaires n’ont pas une incidence importante sur les perceptions des aptitudes sociales des eleves ; tous les enfants ont ete evalues comme ayant d’importants deficits quant aux aptitudes sociales. Conformement a des recherches anterieures, les auto ‐ evaluations sont uniformement positives dans tous les groupes. Les evaluations des parents font etat d’aptitudes sociales plus fortes chez les enfants ayant les deficits scolaires les plus graves. Mots cles : troubles affectifs et du comportement, rendement scolaire, ecole primaire, aptitude sociale, autoperceptions, perceptions des parents et des enseignants