Korean Educational Development Institute(KEDI)

OECD ESP International Study on Social and Emotional Skills (II): Item  Trial and Field Test

Since 2011, the OECD has continued to work on the education and social progress by conducting the “ESP (Education and Social Progress) Project.” Through these efforts, the OECD emphasized the importance of 'skills' that influence variables of social progress such as well-being, health, safety, environment, labor market, family cohesion, and civic engagement. In particular, it emphasizes the importance of 'social and emotional skills’ which has been relatively overlooked compared to cognitive skills in education policies and practices of each country, urging the OECD member states to increase their interest and effort to promote social and emotional skills of the students. (OECD, 2016a). Through the ESP Project, OECD seeks to draw political implications by identifying the level and status of social and emotional skills of students in major cities around the world, who form the smallest unit of global society, and the learning contexts at home, school, community, and workplace, which could enhance and develop the social and emotional skills. Accordingly, the OECD Secretariat suggested to the OECD member states a study on social and emotional skills (“SSES”) in 2017, as a sub-project of OECD’s ESP based on the cross-sectional approach. (OECD, 2017).