The Living SEB Skills Project: A Living Resource for Review and Meta-Analysis of Social,Emotional,and Behavioral Skills

Abstract

The social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills framework was recently proposed as an integrative model for soft skills/socio-emotional competencies, clarifying their definition and distinction from personality traits. To support open and cumulative research in this area, we introduce the Living SEB Skills Project, a continuously updated database combining ongoing literature searches, an open repository of coded studies and effect sizes, and an interactive application enabling customizable meta-analyses. Using meta-analyses of correlations and meta-analytic structural equation models, we demonstrate the database’s utility by testing the predictive and incremental validity of SEB skills for academic achievement on the current available data (364 publications, of which 30 met the criteria for the living review and 19 [26 samples] for the quantitative synthesis). The Living SEB Skills Project sets out as a transparent, dynamic and openly accessible tool to accelerate and ease cumulative science and synthesis within the SEB skills framework and beyond.

Plain Language Summary

The social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills framework was recently introduced as a way to bring together many existing models of socio-emotional skills while clearly distinguishing skills from personality traits. Interest in SEB skills has grown rapidly across fields such as education and personality psychology. However, as the number of studies increases, it might become difficult for researchers to keep track of new findings, integrate results systematically, and synthesize the existing evidence. To address these challenges, we present the Living SEB Skills Project, a continuously updated system designed to collect, organize, and summarize all studies that use the SEB framework and its main assessment tools, the Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Skills Inventory (BESSI). The project aims to make SEB research easier to find, easier to understand, and easier to update as new studies emerge. The Living SEB Skills Project has three key components: 1. Monthly literature searches that identify all newly published SEB studies; 2.An open and transparent database containing study information, coded variables, and effect sizes; 3.The Living SEB App, a free online tool that allows users to explore the literature, run customizable meta-analyses, visualize data, and download datasets and reports. We conducted a three-level meta-analysis examining the relationship between SEB skills and academic achievement and meta-analytic structural equation modeling to test whether SEB skills predict academic achievement beyond the Big Five personality traits and beyond every other skill domain. Both analyses show that certain skills, and especially self-management, provide meaningful predictive value for academic achievement even after accounting for personality. Overall, the Living SEB skills Project offers an accessible, evolving resource that supports more cumulative, transparent, and reliable scientific progress in the study of SEB skills.