Abstract
Social-emotional learning (SEL) has emerged as a vital component in preparing vocational students for both academic success and mental well-being. In Vietnam, while soft skills are part of the vocational curriculum, the integration of SEL into these programmes remains underexplored. This study investigates the social-emotional skill levels among vocational students and examines how soft skills education can foster SEL development. A quantitative survey was conducted with 185 students from technical schools and technical colleges in Ho Chi Minh City, using a structured questionnaire based on the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework encompassing five core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Descriptive statistics revealed that students’ social-emotional skills were generally at an average level. Among the five dimensions, social awareness scored the highest, while self-management—particularly time management and reading habits—scored the lowest. Inferential analysis using t-tests showed a statistically significant difference between technical college and technical school students, with college students demonstrating significantly higher proficiency in all five social-emotion domains. The findings highlight several challenges faced by vocational students, including limited teamwork ability, poor emotional regulation under pressure, and a tendency to focus on others’ weaknesses rather than strengths. These challenges underline the importance of embedding SEL more explicitly within soft skills curricula. The study concludes with practical recommendations for educational administrators and teachers, including smaller class sizes, mindfulness programs, targeted teacher training, and contextualized classroom activities to build emotional resilience and interpersonal competence.
Keywords: SEL, social-emotional skills, soft skills, mental health, vocational college
1 Introduction
In educational research, the social-emotional skills of vocational students have become a focal point, as these competencies are deemed essential for academic achievement and future employability. Many studies show that social-emotional skills not only improve academic performance, but also improve attitudes, increase positive social behaviours such as helping, sharing, and empathizing with others, and reduce stress during learning. This assists children to become healthy, bright, happy, and successful in life. (Van de Sande et al., 2023; Harriott & Kamei, 2021). The important soft skills related to social emotions, such as goal-setting skills, self-awareness skills, communication skills, teamwork skills, presentation skills, and listening skills, will help young people become self-aware and build positive relationships with friends, teachers, and family members. (Yadav, et al., 2023; Murugesan, 2023).
Vocational schools in Vietnam currently have soft skills subjects; however, the goal of developing social-emotional skills for learners through this subject has not yet been popularized. Therefore, teaching social-emotional skills through soft skills is one of the directives to be implemented in vocational schools today. In addition, currently, the study of social-emotional skills in Vietnam is still new, particularly in developing social-emotional skills for vocational students through soft skills.
Taking the issues mentioned above as the backdrop, the purpose of the study is to survey the level of social-emotional skills of vocational learners, thereby proposing recommendations to promote social skills for these young students via soft skills teaching at vocational colleges in Vietnam. Specifically, based on the research purpose, the following research questions are asked:
- What is the level of social-emotional skills of vocational college students?
- Is there any significant difference in terms of social-emotional skills between students of technical college and technical school?
2 Theoretical Framework
2.1 State of the research on SEL
The social-emotional skills of vocational students are pivotal to their overall development and success in both educational and professional settings. Therefore, there have been many scientific studies on this issue up to now.
Though the study aimed to compare the difference between the experimental group and the control group, Farjam and Emamirizi (2024) demonstrated that social-emotional competence training had a significant effect on improving social skills and empathy among the children. The results support the integration of social-emotional training programs in education to promote social and emotional development, as a platform of academic and social success, and to achieve well-being (Farjam & Emamirizi, 2024).
In a related aspect, Van de Sande and colleagues examined the effectiveness of the Skills4Life program, a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) initiative aimed at low-achieving high school students, including vocational students. Their semi-experimental research demonstrated that the program significantly enhanced various social-emotional competencies such as self-awareness and relationship skills, suggesting that structured SEL programs can positively affect the emotional and social development of vocational students. (Van de Sande et al., 2022).
In addition, Murano et al. (2020) contributed by developing reliable assessment tools to measure social and emotional skills in students. Their work emphasized the need for valid measurement tools that can be used in vocational education settings to assess and enhance students’ social-emotional capabilities effectively.
Harriott and Kamei (2021) further explored the integration of SEL in educational practice, especially in virtual environments. They propose intervention strategies that can be tailored to vocational education, emphasizing the importance of cognitive and emotional regulation and social skills in promoting a supportive learning environment.
The role of emotional intelligence in vocational education was also emphasized by Martanto, who investigated the influence of self-competence and emotional intelligence on project-based learning outcomes in vocational students. Their findings suggest that these emotional competencies are important for improving the quality of students’ projects, thus linking social-emotional skills directly to academic outcomes (Martanto, et al., 2022).
Le et al. (2022) discussed the competencies needed for the 21st century, emphasizing that vocational education must adapt to equip students with the social-emotional skills needed to thrive in the modern workforce. This is in line with the ongoing discourse on the relevance of SEL in preparing students for real-world challenges.
The process of integrating 15 soft skills that are closely related to social-emotional skills into the training program was presented in the article “Integrating Essential Skills into Training Programs at Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College: Implementation Process and Results” (Do, 2019).
In conclusion, the literature shows a growing recognition of the importance of social-emotional skills in vocational education. As the educational landscape continues to evolve, integrating social-emotional learning into vocational training will be essential to fostering well-rounded, capable individuals who are ready to meet employers’ needs. In essence, social–emotional skills are the foundation that strongly boost the development of mental health to help learners obtain a balanced and satisfied life.
2.2 Theory related to social emotions
In the 1990s, researchers Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer introduced the theory of social emotions with the concept of “intelligence in emotions,” including the ability to recognize, understand, and manage the emotions of oneself and others (1990).Since then, social-emotional competence has become a field of research in psychology aimed at exploring and developing individuals’ social-emotional abilities.
Zych et al. (2018) stated that social-emotional competence consisted of dimensions such as self-awareness, the ability to recognize emotions, self-management, motivation, and skills for regulating and managing emotions to achieve goals. With regard to this problem, Gómez-Ortiza et al. (2017) argued that, during childhood, social-emotional competence influences a person’s emotional knowledge and skills, such as expressing, understanding, and managing emotions, enabling appropriate social and emotional responses in various interactions and situations. Social skills are also behaviours through which individuals express their ideas, emotions, opinions, and desires, maintain or improve their relationships with others, and manage social situations effectively (Mendo-Lázaro et al., 2018).
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) introduced a more specific concept of social and emotional learning (SEL). SEL is understood as a process through which individuals understand and manage emotions, establish and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and fulfil decision-making responsibilities. (Bahrami et al., 2024; CASEL, 2015).
According to CASEL’s framework, SEL includes five primary skill areas or capabilities: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision–making (Bahrami et al., 2024; CASEL, 2015).
Self-Awareness refers to the wayindividuals think about themselves to know who they are. In other ways, it consists of the perception of their competencies, thoughts, feelings, and moral values, strengths and weaknesses, especially how these things affect their actions and viewpoints, with a well-grounded sense of confidence and purpose in many different circumstances. (Bahrami et al., 2024; CASEL, 2015).
Social Awareness is the understanding ofother people we meet every day, despite their different perspectives. It means that we understand and empathize with other people’s feelings and actions and recognize how external circumstances affect us and the justifications for these realities (Bahrami et al., 2024; CASEL, 2015).
Self-Management is the ability to control one’s feelings, opinions, and actions when working toward targets. In circumstances where individuals have to cope with pressure and anxiety, they gain resilience through challenges, develop a sense of personal agency, and are ready to make a difference. (CASEL, 2015; Gómez-Ortiza, et al., 2017).
Relationship Skills describe how people communicate with others, solve the issues they encounter in their friendships via managing conflicts and disagreements, and how they stand up for themselves and others to protect their lasting connections. (CASEL, 2015; Mendo-Lázaro et al., 2018).
Responsible Decision-Making is how individuals think about the effects of their activities and choose beneficial measures for themselves, and the community based on curiosity and keeping an open mind to new perspectives and sources of information. (Bahrami et al., 2024; CASEL, 2015).
Hence, social-emotional development involves enhancing learners’ cognition, emotional management, relationship building, empathy, and decision-making. These core skills improve learning outcomes and future success.
2.3 The importance of developing social-emotional skills for learners
2.3.1 Social-emotional skills make it easier for apprentices to connect with those around them.
The advancement of media and technology has made it increasingly simple for children to engage with the world through video-sharing platforms and social media. In a diverse and globalized world, social-emotional skills are essential for addressing societal challenges and for developing empathy, kindness, and the competencies necessary for establishing healthy relationships. (Alzahrani et al., 2019).
Conflicts can occur in communication between friends and family members. Understanding and controlling one’s own emotions is essential in such situations, as social-emotional skills help children resolve conflicts delicately and skilfully. These skills enable children to empathize with and respect others, support each other, and maintain good relationships both in the classroom and in society. Moreover, Breeman et al. (2015) pointed out that positive teacher-child relationships improve children’s psychosocial abilities and their motivation to communicate in the classroom. Simultaneously, Cohen and Mendez (2009) indicated that young children who have social competence and perseverance have good peer relationships thanks to their positive behaviours.
Thus, social-emotional skills assist children with understanding and managing their own emotions, providing a solid foundation for building positive relationships with others, thereby fostering confidence and a balanced life in terms of spiritual and physical health in the competitive world (Tompkins & Villaruel, 2020).
2.3.2 Social-emotional skills help children increase their ability to cope with depression and face challenges with confidence
Mental and physical health are vital for a healthy and happy life. Ashdown and Bernard (2012) emphasized the significance of social and emotional competence to young people facing pressures from studying, work, and family relationships. Moreover, they have to cope with grades, study failures, employment issues, and family challenges like parental divorce, leading to the reality that they have to live with their grandparents.
However, studies have also shown that the high level of positive social-emotional competencies decreases the frequency of negative behaviour and is considered a protective factor against problematic behaviours (Nasaescu et al., 2018; Poulou, 2015). It means that effective time management reduces anxiety disorders, stress, and mental health risks. Self-awareness helps learners care for themselves and achieve a life balance. Learning to manage emotions leads to confidence in handling life’s difficulties. Knowing themselves clearly enables learners to solve problems, face challenges, and try new things. (Ashdown & Bernard, 2012)
2.3.3 Social-emotional skills help students learn better and have better career opportunities
Denham et al (2012) stated that young people’s social-emotional skills influence their academic success in all learning fields. It means that social-emotional skills are of great importance in helping students to regulate their emotions and moods so as not to affect their ability to learn. If they have these skills, it will help them improve their concentration, increase patience and self-management, and create conditions for the learning and training process to be more effective. In addition, social-emotional skills will help learners improve their academic performance in languages, mathematics, and science, for example (Zins & Elias, 2006; Ashdown & Bernard, 2012).
In addition, students with social-emotional skills will develop self-control, manage emotions, and make responsible decisions, building positive behaviour. Currently, besides recruiting employees with expertise, social and communication skills are considered the top recruitment criteria for every business. These are valuable skills both inside and outside of school. (Ashdown & Bernard, 2012; Denham et al., 2012).
2.4 Teaching Soft Skills in Vocational Colleges
Soft skills are essential for developing social skills in learners, helping them to meet employers’ strict future requirements and to adapt to a competitive and challenging working environment. In addition, a healthy mind in a strong body is the standard of a happy life that individuals desire to attain in today’s society, where numerous students face academic pressure, parental expectations, school-based interpersonal relationships, working environments, and even inner conflicts.
Soft skills are also regarded as a crucial element in helping apprentices increase their confidence and patience. They will know how to put themselves in the position of others for sympathetic and mutual understanding to give suitable solutions when coping with numerous conflicts in the studying process and future career paths, based on oriented goals and proper plans for a balanced, successful, and happy life.
In the soft skills programme at vocational schools in Vietnam, teamwork skills, communication skills, listening skills, presentation skills, self-identification skills, goal determination skills, and study planning skills are usually taught as compulsory subjects that students have to study in the training programme (Do, 2019).
These subjects aim to educate learners on essential skills for working with others, compassion, forbearance, and mutual understanding through listening and behaving appropriately in family, school, and social situations. Additionally, they include presenting issues systematically, self-awareness, interview skills, and job application strategies, following the Soft Skills Program’s goals.
3 Research Methodology
The survey technique was adopted as the research design using a quantitative approach. In the survey, the questionnaire was distributed randomly to targeted respondents, and the data collected was analyzed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. Additionally, in order to enhance the validity of the findings, the survey outcomes were triangulated with qualitative outcomes obtained from the interview, which was conducted with several selected participating respondents.
3.1 Research participants
A total of 185 respondents were involved in this research. The respondents were randomly selected from the technical school and the technical college at Ho Chi Minh City. The sample distribution is indicated in Table 1.
Table 1: Sample distribution table
| Level | Number of students (N) | Total |
| Technical School | 89 (48.11%) | 185 |
| Technical College | 96(51.89%) |
3.2 Data Analysis
The data collected was analyzed using SPSS, where both descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (independent t-test) statistics were used. The mean scores were categorized into different levels based on the mean ranges. Table 2 shows the interpretation of the mean scores.
Table 2: The Interpretation of the Mean Score
| The range of the means | Interpretation of the means |
| 1.00 – 1.99 | Very weak |
| 2.00 – 2.99 | Weak |
| 3.00 – 3.99 | Average |
| 4.00 – 4.99 | Good |
| 5.00 | Very good |
3.3 Research limitations
This research merely involved participants from two vocational colleges. Therefore, the findings might not be generalizable to the whole population of vocational college students.
4 The results of the student’s self-assessment on the development level of the social-emotional skills
4.1 The general results of the Means of the students’ social-emotional skills
Social-emotional skills consist of five essential skills, i.e., self-awareness skills, self-management skills, social awareness skills, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making skills. The results are as follows:
Table 3: The general results of the means of students’ social-emotional skills
| Name of skills | Mean score | Standard deviation (SD) | Rankings of mean scores | |
| Self-awareness skills | 3.49 | Average | 0.88 | 2 |
| Self-management skills | 3.28 | Average | 0.85 | 5 |
| Social awareness skills | 3.60 | Average | 0.93 | 1 |
| Relationship skills | 3.31 | Average | 0.83 | 4 |
| Responsible decision-making skills | 3.46 | Average | 0.88 | 3 |
Looking at the statistics on the average score of the social-emotional skills, we can see that for all of the above skills, students achieve an average level, with social awareness skills having the highest average score. Self-awareness skills rank second, while responsible decision-making skills have an average score of 3.46 (SD=0.88), ranking third. Finally, Relationship Skill and Self-Management skill, with an average score of 3.31 (SD=0.83) and 3.28 (SD=0.85) respectively, ranked fourth and last.
The statistical results in the following sections will describe in detail each item related to each of the five core skills mentioned above.
4.1.1 The general results of the means of students’ self-awareness skills
According to the general results of the means of students’ self-awareness skills, we found that students evaluated themselves very honestly with the item “I show honesty and integrity” with the highest score of 3.64 (SD=1.05), ranked first. The statistics also show that students have better item identification skills than others because item 5, “I am aware of my purpose in life,” has an average score of 3.61(SD=1.09), ranking second. In addition, the data also showed that students rated themselves in item 4, “I’m aware of my own bias about something,” at an average level, ranking third. In addition, item 3, “I identify my interests, strengths, and weaknesses,” and item 1, “I identify with my own emotions,” occupy the fourth and final position in the ranking.
Table 4: The general results of the means of students’ self-awareness skills
| No. | Items | Mean score | Standard deviation (SD) | Rankings of mean scores | |
| 1 | I identify with my own emotions | 3.25 | Average | 1.15 | 5 |
| 2 | I show honesty and integrity | 3.64 | Average | 1.05 | 1 |
| 3 | I identify my interests, strengths, and weaknesses | 3.41 | Average | 1.12 | 4 |
| 4 | I’m aware of my own bias about something | 3.54 | Average | 0.99 | 3 |
| 5 | I’m aware of my purpose in life | 3.61 | Average | 1.09 | 2 |
4.1.2 The general results of the means of students’ self-management skills
The self-management skill was assessed with 10 items. The analysis outcome of self-management skill is shown in Table 5.
Table 5: The general results of the means of students’ self-management skills
| No. | Items | Mean score | Standard deviation (SD) | Rankings of mean scores | |
| 1 | I read books and learn new ideas | 2.83 | Weak | 0.94 | 10 |
| 2 | I have positive and optimistic expectations about myself and my life | 3.54 | Average | 1.13 | 2 |
| 3 | I was able to adjust the stress and calmly solve the problem. | 3.17 | Average | 1.16 | 7 |
| 4 | I set goals for myself and work hard to achieve them | 3.31 | Average | 1.02 | 5 |
| 5 | I control my emotions in conflict situations. | 3.22 | Average | 1.17 | 6 |
| 6 | I work well in high-pressure situations | 3.12 | Average | 1.11 | 8 |
| 7 | I arrive on time for appointments | 3.53 | Average | 1.24 | 3 |
| 8 | I plan for individuals and groups | 3.06 | Average | 1.06 | 9 |
| 9 | I take the initiative when doing my work | 3.36 | Average | 1.05 | 4 |
| 10 | I decide my own things | 3.66 | Average | 1.17 | 1 |
Of the ten items shown in table 3 “The general results of the Means of Self-Management skill of the students”, we find that most of them have an average score of 3.06 to 3.66, which is equivalent to the average level. Only the item “I read books and learn new ideas” has a score of 2.83 (SD=0.94), which is equal to a weak level, ranking 10th, the lowest in the rankings of mean scores. At the same time, item 8 “I plan for individuals and groups” students also only achieved an average score of 3.06 (SD=1.06), an average rating, and ranked ninth in the ranking.
The results of this study are consistent with the researcher’s interviews on students’ learning. Some students shared that “After class, I don’t have time to study and read books on my own because I have to work to earn more income to cover my life”. Others said, “I don’t have the habit of reading; most of them learn from the guidance of teachers in class”. Most of the students, when interviewed, said that “I rarely work and study according to the set plan”, and even many said “I never consciously make a plan for myself and the whole group unless the teacher asks me to”.
In addition, the problem related to the ability to cope with stress is shown in item 3, “I was able to adjust to the stress and calmly solve the problem,” and item 6, “I work well in high-pressure situations.” Students only ranked seventh and eighth, respectively. Exceeding the average score of all other items, item 9, “I decide my own things,” achieved the highest average score, ranking first. This explains that students are better able to make their own decisions when practising other items according to the Self-Management skill ranking.
4.1.3 The general results of the means of students’ social awareness skills
Social awareness skills were assessed with six items. The analysis outcome was indicated in Table 6.
Table 6: The results of the means of students’ social awareness skills
| No. | Items | Mean score | Standard deviation (SD) | Ranking of mean scores | |
| 1 | I care about other people’s feelings and want them to be happy | 3.83 | Average | 1.08 | 1 |
| 2 | I understand what others are expressing | 3.69 | Average | 1.09 | 3 |
| 3 | I sympathize with people who have obstacles in life | 3.53 | Average | 1.13 | 5 |
| 4 | I recognize strengths in others | 3.15 | Average | 1.09 | 6 |
| 5 | I feel grateful to everyone around me | 3.74 | Average | 1.10 | 2 |
| 6 | I understand the influence of school, family, and community on my personal behaviour | 3.66 | Average | 1.09 | 4 |
In terms of social awareness skills, all average scores in students’ items are average. However, the most prominent was item 1, “I care about other people’s feelings and want them to be happy”. Students achieved the highest mean score of 3.83 (SD=1.08) with first place in the ranking. The 2nd place in the mean score belongs to item 2 “I feel grateful to everyone around me” with an average score of 3.74 (SD=1.10). In particular, item 4 “I recognize strengths in others” achieved an average score of 3.15 (SD=1.09), ranking sixth, the lowest in the ranking. Through the in-depth interview process, many students shared that when communicating or evaluating others, they often find other people’s shortcomings before thinking about their strengths. This also leads to the habit of finding faults in others, making it harder to see the strengths of others than to see their weaknesses. Specifically, item 4, “I recognize strengths in others,” received an average score of 3.15 (SD=1.09), making it the sixth-ranked and lowest-rated item in the evaluation.
4.1.4 The general results of the means of the students’ relationship skills
Relationship skills were assessed with 12 items. The analysis outcome was indicated in Table 7.
Table 7: The results of the means of students’ relationship skills
| No. | Items | Means score | Standard deviation (SD) | Rankings of Mean scores | |
| 1 | I made friends from different backgrounds, including strangers and foreigners | 3.45 | Average | 1.20 | 4 |
| 2 | I don’t have a hard time working with the team | 2.96 | Weak | 1.14 | 10 |
| 3 | I don’t shy away from public speaking | 3.19 | Average | 1.18 | 8 |
| 4 | I forgive those who do wrong | 3.23 | Average | 1.12 | 7 |
| 5 | I arrive on time for appointments | 3.63 | Average | 1.12 | 2 |
| 6 | I patiently listen to others | 3.63 | Average | 1.14 | 2 |
| 7 | I resolve conflicts positively | 3.47 | Average | 1.10 | 3 |
| 8 | I demonstrate team leadership | 2.83 | Weak | 1.13 | 11 |
| 9 | I connect team members with each other | 3.25 | Average | 1.11 | 6 |
| 10 | I seek support when I need it | 3.44 | Average | 1.15 | 5 |
| 11 | I help others when needed | 3.70 | Average | 1.08 | 1 |
| 12 | I stand up to protect the rights of others | 3.05 | Average | 1.09 | 9 |
The average score results show that for 12 items of the student’s Relationship Skills, the majority was only average, especially the second item “I don’t have a hard time working with the team” and the eighth item “I demonstrate team leadership” were weak with an average of 2.96 (SD=1.14) and 2.83 (SD=1.13) respectively, ranked 10th and 11th in the average score ranking. This proves that students’ teamwork skills are inferior to those of others. However, the average score of first place for item 11 “I help others when needed” and the average score of second place for item 5 “I arrive on time for appointments” and item 6 “I patiently listen to others” indicates that students are relatively kind, know how to respect others by arriving on time, and listening patiently to others.
4.1.5 The general results of the students’ responsible decision-making skills
Responsible decision-making skills were assessed with seven items. The analysis outcome was indicated in table 6.
Table 8: The results of the means of the students’ responsible decision-making skills
| No. | Items | Mean score | Standard deviation (SD) | Rankings of mean scores | |
| 1 | I think carefully about my actions and words | 3.69 | Average | 1.05 | 2 |
| 2 | I consider and choose between a solution that is beneficial to myself and the community with an open mind | 3.44 | Average | 1.06 | 3 |
| 3 | I consider and make decisions based on multiple sources of information | 3.39 | Average | 1.10 | 5 |
| 4 | I take responsibility for my work | 3.72 | Average | 1.11 | 1 |
| 5 | I make decisions at the right time, not waiting for others to lead | 3.40 | Average | 1.03 | 4 |
| 6 | I avoid distractions and focus on my current job to achieve my personal goals | 3.38 | Average | 1.03 | 6 |
| 7 | I put off the fun activities until the important work is done | 3.20 | Average | 1.13 | 7 |
The responsible decision-making skills are the fifth essential component of the social-emotional skills as described above. The statistical results show that each item showing the decision-making skills of vocational school students in general is only at an average level. Among these items, the fourth item “I take responsibility for my work” had the highest mean scores of 3.72 (SD=1.11), ranking first. In contrast, the seventh item “I put off the fun activities until the important work is done” had the lowest mean scores in the group.
4.2 The difference in the mean scores of the social-emotional skills between technical school students and technical college students
Social-emotional skills between students of technical school and technical college were compared using a t-test. The analysis results were shown in tables 9 and 10.
Table 9: Comparison of the difference in the mean scores of social-emotional skills betweentechnical school students and technical college students
| Social-emotional skills | Level of study | Means score | Standard deviation | T | P | Results | |
| Technical College (N=96) | 3.88 | average | 0.51 | 10.63 | 0.00 | Different significantly | |
| Technical School (N=89) | 2.88 | weak | 0.74 | ||||
| Sig = 0.05 | |||||||
According to the results represented in the above table, the mean score of technical college students is 3.88, which is higher than the mean score of technical school students, which is 2.88. It means that the social-emotional skills of technical school students are at an average level; simultaneously, the social-emotional skills of technical school students are weak. The t-test result clearly reveals that there is a significant difference between technical school students and technical college students in terms of social-emotion skills, i.e., t=10.63, p<0.05.
Table 10: Comparison of the difference in the mean scores of the five core elements of the social-emotional skills between technical school students and technical college students
| Skills | Level of study | Means score | Standard deviation | T | P | Results | |
| Self -Awareness skill | Technical College (N=96) | 3.96 | average | 0.56 | 8.75 | 0.01 | Different significantly |
| Technical School (N=89) | 2.99 | weak | 0.89 | ||||
| Self-Management skills | Technical College (N=96) | 3.77 | average | 0.61 | 10.09 | 0.00 | Different significantly |
| Technical School (N=89) | 2.75 | weak | 0.75 | ||||
| Social Awareness skills | Technical College (N=96) | 4.10 | good | 0.59 | 8.97 | 0.00 | Different significantly |
| Technical School (N=89) | 3.06 | average | 0.93 | ||||
| Relationship skills | Technical College (N=96) | 3.78 | average | 0.58 | 9.81 | 0.00 | Different significantly |
| Technical School (N=89) | 2.80 | weak | 0.76 | ||||
| Responsible Decision-Making skills | Technical College (N=96) | 3.94 | average | 0.60 | 9.16 | 0.00 | Different significantly |
| Technical School (N=89) | 2.94 | weak | 0.85 | ||||
| Sig = 0.05 | |||||||
The results shown in table 10 illustrate that in terms of the five core elements of social-emotional skills, there is a significant difference between technical college students and technical school students, with p<0.05 when using the Independent Samples T-Test to compare the two mean scores. In short, the level of social-emotion skills (self-awareness skills, self-management skills, social awareness skills, relationship skills, responsible decision-making skills) of technical school students is significantly lower than those in technical College.
5 Conclusion and recommendations
5.1 Conclusion
In summary, the social-emotional skills of vocational school students at the two levels of technical school and technical college are mostly average, especially the self-management skill with the item “I read books and learn new ideas” and the relationship skill with two items “I don’t have a hard time working with the team” and “I demonstrate team leadership” are only weak due to the Means scores <3.0. The data obtained showed that there was a significant difference between technical college and technical school students in terms of social-emotional skills, with Technical College students consistently scoring higher than Technical School students.
Regarding the social awareness skill aspect, the item “I recognize strengths in others” had the lowest mean score of 3.15 compared to other items in this group, consistent with many students’ observations during the interview that they often see weaknesses before recognizing strengths in others during interactions.
It means that most of these young people have difficulty working in groups – an important skill that requires interaction, listening, and understanding among peers to achieve a common goal. In group work, the performance of leadership roles is also not a prominent aspect of vocational school students. Parashchenko and Sumbaieva (2025) also pointed out that most students acknowledged the importance of leadership skills, discipline, and responsibility; however, they reported lacking confidence in their own leadership abilities and having trouble managing emotions under stress (Parashchenko & Sumbaieva, 2025). This proves that mental health related to self-confidence, empathy, and learner’s patience is poor. In addition, the habit of seeing others’ strengths rather than weaknesses is also a serious problem that contributes to students’ poor relationships with others, easily creating conflicts and disagreements in the communication process.
According to the interview, students said that they do not have enough time to read books, which is related to their poor time management skills, contributing to making them easily stressed and pressured when having to deal with many things related to assigned tasks and duties. Another study by Gayef et al. (2017) highlighted that vocational students often struggle with effective time management and need to enhance their skills by becoming more aware of how their attitudes, planning, thinking, and behaviours impact academic achievement.
Simultaneously, reading books is also a skill that needs to be practised more because this activity gives young people the opportunity to approach new things and immerse themselves in each page of a book written by talented authors who are skilled at conveying great ideas, meaningful messages, and fruitful solutions for young people. This will help expand their soul, worldview, outlook on life, and universe. If the heart is open, mental health will be stronger, and life will be more balanced and happier.
5.2 Recommendations
To conclude, social-emotional learning (SEL) relates closely to mental health. SEL helps younger generations to develop soft skills like managing emotions, building relationships, and making responsible decisions, which are crucial for positive mental health. In other words, SEL plays a significant role in equipping individuals with tools to navigate challenges, regulate emotions, and build positive relationships, which are key factors leading to overall well-being status.
Hence, the educational issues related to developing social-emotional skills through soft skills or integrating social-emotional skills is a necessary trend of modern vocational education. Based on research results, the following recommendations are made:
5.2.1 Recommendations for the Office of Academic Affairs and managers
- Understand the significance of social-emotional skills and their integration into soft skills development.
- Organize small classes (under 25 students) to practice social skills activities in soft skills lessons.
- Encourage teachers to design teaching activities that cultivate social-emotional skills and provide them with complete funding for educational materials.
- Offer domestic and international training courses for teachers to learn methods of integrating social-emotional skills into soft skills.
- Promote emotional management skills by introducing mindfulness or meditation programs. These programs aim to teach students simple meditation techniques for regulating emotions and reducing stress. This can be achieved by helping students manage attachments, clear their minds, and maintain calmness and patience during conflicts in studies and personal relationships. Many meditation methods are available today, including Falun Dafa, a Buddhist qigong practiced worldwide. (Nguyen & Trey, 2021). Some schools globally have also integrated such programs into their curriculum. (Saleh, 2018; Trey, 2020; Yahiya, 2010)
5.2.2 Recommendations for teachers
- The social-emotional model focuses on five core skills: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship building, and responsible decision-making. Vocational schools should implement a soft skills program that includes communication, listening, presentation, teamwork, goal setting, planning, and time management. Thus, teachers can teach these skills during classroom activities to enhance the social-emotional dimensions.
- To develop self-awareness, teachers can organize activities like introducing themselves to identify strengths and weaknesses, using IQ tests, applying learning methods for better self-understanding, and giving situational challenges. This helps students understand their emotions, thoughts, values, and their impact on behaviour.
- Social and emotional skills vary by age. For example, preschool children can understand social awareness by identifying a character’s feelings in a story. In contrast, high school juniors can understand how a friend feels and thinks in real situations. Thus, to enhance social emotions related to skills, teachers can create scenarios where learners role-play. This helps them practice recognizing their own and others’ emotions and learn appropriate behaviours in social situations.
- Teachers can use various methods to develop social emotions in learners. Setting an example is crucial, especially for emotional and social education. Teachers should model appropriate emotions and behaviours to guide learners effectively. Rewarding correct behaviours and emotions helps build learners’ confidence and ensures they feel understood.
- Social-emotional education should be suitable for each learner’s temperament. For instance, irascible learners need to practice patience, while shy learners require gentle encouragement to express their views.
- The social-emotional education method should be implemented in various settings, not limited to classrooms. Educators should observe and analyse students’ behaviour and attitudes during interactions outside of class, making adjustments if any divergent behaviour is noted.
- Moreover, teachers can directly teach social-emotional skills and integrate these activities into other subjects. They guide students, organize activities, and offer feedback to help students understand the skills they are developing.
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