A Mixed Method Study on Parental Support for Learning and Social- emotional Learning Competence of English Major Students

The purpose of the study was to explore parental support for learning and its relationship to the social-emotional learning competence of English major students. The researcher employed a mixed-method design, specifically the convergent parallel approach. The participants included 185 English major students who were randomly selected for the quantitative phase and approximately 14 students purposively selected for the qualitative phase: 7 for in-depth interviews and 7 for focused group discussions. The results of the study indicated that both the level of parental support for learning (PSL) and social-emotional learning competence (SEL) were high among the English major students. When both PSL and SEL were assessed, they demonstrated strong positive correlations, indicating that higher levels of parental engagement and support are linked to greater student self-awareness, stronger relationship skills, and enhanced academic motivation. There was a strong alignment between the findings of the quantitative and qualitative data, meaning that overall, both sets of data pointed to similar conclusions and supported one another. While the quantitative phase revealed that most students reported high levels of parental support and SEL competence, the qualitative responses highlighted a range of subjective experiences. Some students expressed that despite receiving parental support, they did not always feel emotionally understood or supported in the way they needed, leading to mixed feelings about the impact of parental involvement. The study confirmed that parental support is a vital factor in enhancing social-emotional learning competence. Both sets of data aligned, demonstrating that English major students who receive consistent parental guidance and emotional support exhibit stronger self-awareness and academic motivation.