Relationship between preschoolers' social-emotional competence and early academic competence: a meta-analysis

Social-emotional competence (SEC) is widely considered foundational for early academic development, yet the relative importance of its specific dimensions during the preschool years remains unclear. In this meta-analysis, 71 studies (N = 26,484) were synthesized using random-effects models. The analyses indicated stronger associations between early academic competence and both social awareness (r = 0.394) and self-regulation (r = 0.349), whereas the associations involving social skills (r = 0.285) and social problem-solving (r = 0.226) were relatively smaller in magnitude. Moderator analyses indicated that the association between self-regulation and academic competence varied by age, academic subject, and SEC measurement approach, and that the association between social problem-solving and academic competence was moderated by gender and age. These findings support a developmentally differentiated view of preschool SEC and highlight the importance of considering specific dimensions rather than global indicators. The results also offer practical insights for early childhood educators by identifying social-emotional competencies that are particularly relevant for supporting early learning in preschool classroom contexts.