Bidirectional Relationship Between Social-Emotional Competence and Academic Burnout in Adolescence: A Cross-Lagged Study

doi:10.12139/j.1672-0628.2025.06.009

Abstract

Abstract: In the context of Chinese “Double Reduction” policy, enhancing students’ social-emotional competence and alleviating academic burnout have become key issues in the field of education. To explore the bidirectional predictive relationship between these two factors and whether gender moderated the relationship, this study conducted three waves of follow-up surveys with 740 seventh-grade students and analyzed the data using the cross-lagged model. The results showed that: 1) Social-emotional competence gradually declined over time, while academic burnout gradually increased, with boys’ social-emotional competence being significantly higher than that of girls. 2) There was a significant bidirectional negative predictive effect between social-emotional competence and academic burnout. 3) Gender differences existed in the mutual predictive effects between social-emotional competence and academic burnout: a bidirectional predictive effect was observed among boys, whereas only a unidirectional predictive effect of academic burnout on social-emotional competence was found among girls. This study reveals the bidirectional predictive relationship between social-emotional competence and academic burnout among middle school students and gender differences in the relationship. The findings suggest that educational practice should focus on cultivating students’ social-emotional competence to alleviate academic burnout, while paying attention to gender differences.

Key words: social-emotional competence, academic burnout, cross-lagged model, gender differences, adolescence

摘要： 在“双减”政策背景下，提升学生的社会情感能力与缓解学业倦怠已成为关键教育议题。为探究两者间的双向预测作用及性别差异，本研究对740名初一学生进行三次追踪调查，采用交叉滞后模型对数据进行分析。结果发现：(1)社会情感能力随时间逐渐下降，学业倦怠随时间逐渐上升，且男生的社会情感能力显著高于女生；(2)社会情感能力与学业倦怠存在显著的双向负向预测作用；(3)社会情感能力与学业倦怠间的相互预测作用存在性别差异：在男生中呈现双向预测，而在女生中仅表现为学业倦怠对社会情感能力的单向预测。本研究通过纵向设计揭示了初中生社会情感能力与学业倦怠之间的动态交互作用及性别差异特征，提示教育实践应重视通过培养社会情感能力来缓解学业倦怠，并采取性别差异化干预策略。

关键词: 社会情感能力, 学业倦怠, 交叉滞后模型, 性别差异, 青少年

CLC Number:

B844

YANG Xinzhu, WANG Tengfei, ZHENG Xiaolong. Bidirectional Relationship Between Social-Emotional Competence and Academic Burnout in Adolescence: A Cross-Lagged Study[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(6): 789-797.

杨昕珠, 王腾飞, 郑晓龙. 青少年社会情感能力与学业倦怠的双向预测作用：一项交叉滞后研究[J]. 心理与行为研究, 2025, 23(6): 789-797.

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