Family and school environment determine social skills among Indian adolescents

• Published in: International journal of education and psychology in the community 2014, Vol.IV (1&2), p.78-92
• Main Authors: Kaur, Jagpreet, Singh, Dalvir
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Education
• ISSN: 2069-4695

The main objective of this study was to explore the relationship of social skills with family and school environment of adolescents in a sample of 500 adolescents from Patiala district of Punjab. Social skills considered in the present study were self awareness, empathy, effective communication and interpersonal relationship. The results of correlation analysis revealed a positive and significant relationship of these social skills with cohesion, expressiveness, acceptance and caring, independence, active recreational orientation and organization dimensions of home environment among adolescents. However, a negative and significant relationship of these social skills with conflict dimension of home environment among adolescents was observed. Also, social skills among adolescents was found to be positively and significantly related to creative stimulation, cognitive encouragement, permissiveness and acceptance dimensions of school environment. However, social skills among adolescents were found to be negatively and significantly related to rejection dimension of school environment. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was run to examine the extent to which the various dimensions of home and school environment contributed to the variability in social skills among adolescents. The results indicated that cohesion, expressiveness, acceptance and caring and dimensions of home environment and creative stimulation and control dimensions of school environment were the significant predictors of self awareness among adolescents. In case of empathy, conflict component of home environment and creative stimulation and cognitive encouragement and control components of school environment were found to be the significant predictors. However, effective communication was found to be significantly predicted by control, rejection and permissiveness components of school environment and acceptance and caring component of home environment. For interpersonal relationship skills, acceptance and caring and independence dimension of home environment and control and creative stimulation components of school environment came out to be the significant predictors. These results of the study have implications for counsellors, teachers and parents.