Objective - This study examines which social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies make the largest relative contributions to adolescent well-being, in order to inform the prioritization of school-based SEL interventions in Vietnam.

Methodology/Technique - Grounded in the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) competency framework and Seligman's PERMA model of well-being, a cross-sectional survey was conducted with 486 lower secondary school students (Grades 6–9) in Hanoi, using the Vietnamese versions of the Social Emotional Competence Questionnaire and the PERMA-Profiler. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis, nested and hierarchical multiple regression, and relative weight analysis.

Findings - These findings suggest that school-based SEL programs in Vietnam should prioritize self-management and relationship skills to maximize students' psychological well-being and provide evidence-based guidance for educational resource allocation.

Results - Results showed that all five SEL competencies positively predicted well-being, but their contributions differed substantially. Self-management emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by relationship skills, whereas social awareness demonstrated the weakest effect. The competency-based model explained 38% of the variance in well-being, exceeding the explanatory power of the overall SEL model. After controlling for demographic characteristics, the prioritization pattern remained stable.

Type of Paper - Empirical

Keywords: social-emotional competencies, student well-being, SEL, lower secondary school students, Vietnam, PERMA

JEL Classification: I21, I31, J24

URI: https://gatrenterprise.com/GATRJournals/GJBSSR/vol14.3_2.html

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35609/gjbssr.2026.14.3(2)

Pages 95–108