Effects of Social Skills on Students’ Academic Achievement at Secondary Level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

The development of social skills is necessary for the development of personality. This study examined the effects of social skills on secondary school students' academic performance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. One of the factors influencing students' academic success is their social abilities. This study has only looked at five social skills: cooperation, academic performance, peer relationships, self-management, and assertiveness. This research was of the survey and correlational types. While sixty public secondary schools were chosen as a sample, all of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's secondary schools were included in the population count. Twenty ninth-graders from each school were chosen at random to serve as the sample. There have been two 5-point Likert-type measures used: one for students and the other for class teachers. Pakistan Study Academic Achievement Test (PSAAT), a self-developed test, has been used for assessment of students’ academic achievement. Expert committees examined the validity of the instruments, and Cronbach alpha was used to establish reliability, which came out to be 0.945. The mean, standard deviation, independent sample t-test, and linear regression were used to examine the data in accordance with the research topic. Based on the results, it can be said that social skills contribute to secondary school students' academic success. Students may receive social skills instruction in any school.