ISSN 2360-7963
Abstract
This study aims to offer psychosocial skills training to students who struggle with academic integration in higher learning institutions in Rwanda. This training allows a student to regulate and control both his/her own and other people’s emotions, which are likely to disrupt his/her ability to learn. The total sample group is 165 students of the first year, enrolled in the Faculty of Education at ICK, during the academic year 2021-2022. These students were selected using the proportionate stratified random sampling technique. They are divided into groups: the intervention group of 82 students who received training of two years on psychosocial skills versus 83 from the control group. The study has adopted a mixed-methods approach to collect, analyse and interpret data. Thus, the training program, academic records, emotional quotient test (EQT), and chi-square tests were used to assess the impact of training psychosocial skills on students’ achievements. The results (Chi-square (22.7 > 7.815 at 3 ddl at the 5% threshold)) indicated that the psychosocial skills training improved the academic performance and psychological well-being of the intervention group’s students (χ² c = 26.86 > 7.815) compared to their counterparts in the control group. Not only did training enhance students' emotional and social skills but it also optimised academic performance. The findings of this research contributed valuable insights to educational practitioners, policymakers, and psychologists, guiding the implementation of tailored interventions to enhance students' emotional and social skills.
Keywords: Psychosocial skills, the Emotional Quotient Test (EQT), academic integration, academic results