Socio-academic interventions in primary and lower secondary education: A scoping review

This scoping review highlights the intricate relationship between the social and academic dimensions of educational interventions. Spanning the subjects of mathematics, literacy and science in primary and lower secondary school (ages 5–15), the interventions actively integrate collaboration and inclusive practices to improve learning outcomes and enhance students’ social participation. The review further investigates how researchers describe, operationalise and evaluate the social and academic dimensions of socio-academic interventions, and how the two dimensions influence each other. Although the studies analysed vary greatly in terms of how they define and measure these dimensions, they consistently demonstrate that fostering strong socio-academic environments simultaneously benefits both dimensions. In addition, the dialogic interactions, physical activity and self-reflection covered in the studies exemplify how social engagement reinforces academic performance and vice versa. Despite a search yielding 557 articles, only 11 directly addressed both academic achievement and social skills and well-being, and of those 11, none closely explored how the two domains support each other. This shortfall underscores the need for more integrated research and for practices that promote students’ holistic development by connecting social and academic goals more effectively.