Predictable capability of social skills on school satisfaction

Controversy remains about whether social skills predict school outcomes. To address this issue, this study investigated the capability of social skills to predict school satisfaction through a 2-year longitudinal survey. A total of 317 junior high school students (190 boys and 127 girls) participated in this survey. The results of structural equation modeling through comparison for 16 potential models supported the hypothesis, revealing that social skills in 7th grade could predict school satisfaction in 9th grade with hypothesizing auto regression path. Specifically, (a) social skills relating to forming relationship with peers (termed kakawari skills) had a positive effect on the sense of adjustment, and (b) social skills relating to manners or respect towards peers (termed hairyo skills) had a negative effect on the sense of maladjustment. We discuss the role of social skills on school satisfaction in terms of longitudinal perspective and the need for an additional testing.