Survey on Social

and Emotional
Skills (SSES):
Suzhou
(People’s
Republic
of China)
 The OECD’s Survey on Social and Emotional Skills
Research shows that both cognitive, and social and emotional skills improve life outcomes at a societal and an individual
level. Considerable information exists on the development of cognitive skills but is lacking for social and emotional skills.
The OECD’s Survey on Social and Emotional Skills (SSES) was established to fill this important information gap.

The SSES aims to:

• Provide participating cities with information on their students’ social and emotional skills.

• 
Identify factors in students’ home, school and peer environments that promote or hinder the development of social
and emotional skills.

• Explore how broader policy, cultural and socio-economic contexts influence these skills.

• 
Demonstrate that valid, reliable, comparable information on social and emotional skills can be produced across diverse
populations and settings.

What are social and emotional skills?

Social and emotional skills are individual abilities, attributes and characteristics that are important for academic
success, employability, active citizenship and well-being. They encompass behavioural dispositions, internal states,
approaches to tasks, and management and control of behaviour and feelings. Beliefs about the self and the world
that characterise an individual’s relationships to others are also components of social and emotional skills.

Educators and policy makers are increasingly seeking to complement the focus on academic abilities such as
mathematics, reading, or scientific literacy with attention to social and emotional capabilities in order to boost
students’ prospects as full participants in society and active citizens. Enhancing specific social and emotional skills
boosts students’ ability to develop their cognitive skills. But the benefits of developing children’s social-emotional skills
go beyond cognitive development and academic outcomes. They also improve mental health and other important
life outcomes. Inconspicuous yet significantly impactful, social and emotional skills help shape individuals’ behaviours
and lifestyles, which, in turn, shape their socio-economic outcomes. Together, social, emotional and cognitive skills
constitute a comprehensive toolbox, essential to students’ success at school and beyond.

The OECD Survey on Social and Emotional Skills (SSES) focuses on 17 social and emotional skills ranging from curiosity
and creativity through to emotional control (see Figure 1). These skills have been selected according to three main
criteria. First, previous research shows that they are associated with individuals’ educational attainment, labour market
outcomes, health and well-being. Second, they can be improved through interventions and policy measures during
the years a student spends in school. Third, they are suitable for comparability across countries and age cohorts.

2 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
Figure 1. Description of the skills included in the Survey of Social and Emotional Skills

DOMAINS SKILLS DESCRIPTION

OPEN-MINDEDNESS CURIOSITY Interest in ideas and love of learning, understanding and

(Openness to intellectual exploration; an inquisitive mind-set.
experience)
TOLERANCE Is open to different points of view, values diversity, is appreciative
of foreign people and cultures.

CREATIVITY Generating novel ways to do or think about things through

exploring, learning from failure, insight and vision.

TASK RESPONSIBILITY Able to honour commitments, and be punctual and reliable.

PERFORMANCE
SELF-CONTROL Able to avoid distractions and sudden impulses and focus
(Conscientiousness)
attention on the current task in order to achieve personal goals.

PERSISTENCE Persevering in tasks and activities until they get done.

ENGAGING WITH SOCIABILITY Able to approach others, both friends and strangers, initiating
OTHERS and maintaining social connections.
(Extraversion)
ASSERTIVENESS Able to confidently voice opinions, needs, and feelings, and exert
social influence.

ENERGY Approaching daily life with energy, excitement and spontaneity.

EMOTION STRESS RESISTANCE Effectiveness in modulating anxiety and able to calmly solve
REGULATION problems (is relaxed, handles stress well).
(Emotional stability)
OPTIMISM Positive and optimistic expectations for self and life in general.

EMOTIONAL Effective strategies for regulating temper, anger and irritation in

CONTROL the face of frustrations.

COLLABORATION EMPATHY Understanding and caring for others and their well-being that
(Agreeableness) leads to valuing and investing in close relationships.

TRUST Assuming that others generally have good intentions and

forgiving those who have done wrong.

CO-OPERATION Living in harmony with others and valuing interconnectedness

among all people.

ADDITIONAL ACHIEVEMENT Setting high standards for oneself and working hard to meet
INDICES MOTIVATION them.

SELF-EFFICACY The strength of individuals’ beliefs in their ability to execute tasks

and achieve goals.

Source: Assessment Framework of the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills (Kankaraš and Suarez-Alvarez, 2019[1])

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 3
 HIGHLIGHTS FOR SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
Suzhou (People’s Republic of China) Suzh

Intellectual Curiosity, Intellectual Curiosity,

Persistence Persistence

12x12=144 12x12=144
÷6=24 ÷6=24

Intellectual
Intellectual curiosity and persistence are the social and emotional curiosity and persistence are the social and emotional skills
skills
most strongly related to school performance for both 10-most strongly related to school performance for both 10- and 15-year-olds
and 15-year-olds
in reading,
in reading, mathematics and the arts. In Suzhou, these skills seem tomathematics and the arts. In Suzhou, these skills seem to
matter for mathematics more than for the other subjects.matter for mathematics more than for the other subjects.

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In Suzhou,
In Suzhou, socio-economic differences are generally slightly larger s
in 15-year-olds’ social and compared to the international average, especially for skillscompared
in the t
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and
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pronounced in Suzhou, and emotio
and emotional control), self-efficacy and achievement motivation.
compared to the average
across participating cities.

Suzhou (People’s Republic of China)

In Suzhou, as well as on average across participating cities,In 15-year-old

Suzhou, as wellboysasexhibit
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ty, Likewise, 15-year-old
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e skills seem to In Suzhou, 23% of 10-ye
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In Suzhou, socio-economic differences are generally slightly larger

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SKILLS

4 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) SKILLS SKILLS SKIL
ear-old boys exhibit
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 Suzhou (People’s Republic of China)

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curiosity, self-control,
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tolerance
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In Suzhou, socio-economic differences are generally slightly larger

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23% of 10-year-old students and 13% of 15-year-old students have
experienced bullying at least a few times a month or more, which is https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en
low compared to rates observed in other participating cities.
Students’ exposure to bullying is negatively related to almost all social
and emotional skills but particularly for skills in the domain of
emotional regulation (stress resistance, optimism, emotional control).

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 5
 The context of social and emotional learning in Suzhou (People’s Republic of China)

Suzhou (People’s Republic of China, henceforth referred to as “China”) is one of the ten cities that took part in the
OECD Survey on Social and Emotional Skills (SSES) in 2019 (see Box 1 for demographic information about the city of
Suzhou). Suzhou is a city in Jiangsu Province located in the east of China. Suzhou is one of the largest among the cities
participating in SSES. Only Moscow (the Russian Federation) with about 12.7 million inhabitants and Istanbul (Turkey)
with around 15.5 million inhabitants are more populous. In comparison to the diverse pool of cities participating
in SSES, Suzhou is distinguished by the lowest level of unemployment (less than 2%). Suzhou invests a similar
percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) on education as the OECD average, with an estimated 5% of the GDP
spent on public and private schooling.

Since 2015, China has participated in one of the OECD’s international education surveys: the Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA). Jiangsu, the province in which Suzhou lies, is one of the four Chinese
provinces that participated in PISA 2015 and 2018. Results from PISA 2015 and 2018 show that 15-year-olds in
these four Chinese provinces were consistently among the top performers in reading, mathematics and science
(OECD, 2019[2]; OECD, 2016[3]).

Past OECD surveys also provide key information on equity in education in a cross-country comparative fashion.
In the four Chinese provinces, socio-economically advantaged students outperform disadvantaged students and
socio-economic differences in performance are larger than in OECD countries (OECD, 2019[4]; OECD, 2016[3]).
Girls significantly outperform boys in reading and boys outperform girls in science and mathematics, although to a
lesser extent. The gender gap in reading in the four Chinese provinces is smaller than the average gender gap in the
OECD, while the gender gap in the four Chinese provinces are larger than the average in mathematics and science
(OECD, 2019[4]). This suggests that boys perform relatively better than girls in all three domains in these provinces
compared to the OECD average. In Suzhou as well as in China in general, a much smaller share of 25- to 34-year-olds
(about 18%) are tertiary-educated than the OECD average (45%) (OECD, 2020[5]).

Box 1. Key demographic information about Suzhou (China)

City: Suzhou
Location: City in Jiangsu Province located in the east of the People’s Republic of China
Population (2019): 10.7 million inhabitants
Average age (2019): 38
Enrolment rate of higher-education entrance examination (2019): 60%
Average unemployment level among adults aged 25-65 (2019): 1.8%
Source: Information provided by the city of Suzhou (China).

Little is known about students’ social and emotional skills and how these relate to their key outcomes despite the
attention paid to these skills in China as well as in the city of Suzhou. Suzhou’s participation in SSES in 2019 helps
fill this important information gap. Suzhou has a strong focus on social and emotional skills, and follows national
measures to incorporate social and emotional learning in primary and secondary education. Suzhou’s main reasons
for pursuing this are to improve educational outcomes and employment; decrease undesired behaviour such as
bullying; and boost students’ well-being, health, resilience and flexibility to deal with change. Social and emotional
learning also fits in with the goal of enhancing students’ national consciousness, sense of social responsibility,
understanding and support of the national political system, and Chinese culture.

6 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
Social and emotional learning in primary and secondary education

The Chinese government has incorporated social and emotional learning into their education goals and curriculum for
primary and secondary education. The education goals focus on students’ key competencies and include emotional
attitudes, values and skills to promote students’ all-round development. Of particular importance are students’ social
responsibility, co-operation and creativity.

To promote the development of these skills, social and emotional skills are embedded in curriculum courses in both
primary and secondary education. In primary education they are included in courses such as Morality and Rule
of Law, Chinese, Science and English. Complementarily, social and emotional skills are also included in secondary
education in courses such as Ideological and Political Education, Chinese, History, English, Physics, Chemistry and
Physical Education (see Box 2 for a description of efforts to promote social and emotional skills in primary education).

In addition to the curriculum set out by the national government, Suzhou offers additional opportunities for
students to develop their social and emotional skills. Suzhou offers courses in mental health to strengthen students’
psychological health and promote all-round development and well-being. According to Suzhou, it lays the foundation
for the health and development of not just students but their family life as well. It helps cultivate modern citizens
who are healthy in body and mind, and have a sense of social responsibility, an innovative spirit and practical abilities.

As in other participating cities, there is no formal evaluation of students’ social and emotional skills at the national
level. However, the province of Suzhou has its own way of evaluating (part of) students’ social and emotional skills.
The evaluation uses what is called the “Sunshine index”, which evaluates the development level of students’ moral
character. The cognitive aspects of morality are assessed via a test and the behavioural aspects by observing and
recording students’ daily performance in school and activities students participate in. Based on this information,
students are evaluated on moral development and civic quality.

Box 2. S
 uzhou’s efforts to promote social and emotional skills in school

In Suzhou (China), primary schools follow the Ministry of Education’s basic curriculum standards focusing on
the development of students’ knowledge, skills, emotional attitudes and values. The objective of this curriculum
is to enable students to solve problems practically and communicate efficiently through the development of
accountability and innovative mindsets. Social and emotional skills are embedded in primary education through
subjects such as Morality and Rule of Law, Chinese, Science and English. These courses aim to develop diverse
skills including curiosity, co-operation, tolerance, sociability and persistence. Students in grades 1 and 2 take
courses on morality and life while those in grades 3 to 6 study morality and society. These subjects target the
social and emotional skills of achievement motivation, assertiveness, co-operation, curiosity, creativity, emotional
control, empathy, optimism, persistence, responsibility, self-control, self-efficacy, sociability, stress resistance,
tolerance and trust.

Source: Information provided by the city of Suzhou (China)

While this overview provides some context to examining findings from SSES for the city of Suzhou (China),
no conclusion can be drawn from SSES as to how elements of this context influence social and emotional learning
in Suzhou.

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 7
 Social and emotional skills matter for academic success

Students’ school achievement is one of the main drivers of success in life. It is linked to later educational attainment
but also to important life outcomes like employment, earnings, health and well-being. However, having the same
academic performance in school does not always lead to the same life outcomes. One potential reason why some
students are more likely to succeed than others is that they have developed specific social and emotional skills,
which intervene in the equation.

In all participating cities but Ottawa (Canada), SSES collected information on students’ school grades in three subjects:
reading, mathematics and the arts along with the results of a short cognitive ability test administered to participating
students. SSES data show that students’ social and emotional skills are significant predictors of school grades
(Figure 2 and Figure 3). The strengths of the associations between certain social and emotional skills and school
grades are relatively weak but consistent across age cohorts and subjects and they remain after accounting for
gender and socio-economic differences across students. In particular, being intellectually curious and persistent
are the social and emotional skills most strongly related to school grades for both 10- and 15-year-olds in all three
subjects. To a lesser extent, students who are more assertive and responsible also tend to have better school grades.
These findings stress the importance of not only pursuing objectives in the face of difficulties but also having an
intellectual curiosity about a diverse set of topics and loving to learn new things.

Fifteen-year-olds who reported being more stress-resistant (relaxed) and sociable have, on average, lower school
grades (Figure 2). This does not mean that calmness in face of adversity (a benefit of being stress-resistant) and
seeking support from peers are harmful to school achievement. Instead, this finding might be related to the fact that
older students who typically have more autonomy than younger students may prioritise their social interactions at the
expense of school work. Students who assess themselves as more stress-resistant might also be those who feel more
remote from school and school demands. In fact, among the younger cohort, which is typically more supervised by
parents and teachers, these relationships are not observed (Figure 3). In other words, younger students may have a
less demanding school environment and are surrounded by adults who help them contain and channel their energy
and desire to interact socially in ways that do not harm their school performance.

8 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
Figure 2. Average relationship between social and emotional skills, and school performance
Figure 2. Average relationship between social and emotional skills, and school performance
ofof15-year-old
15-year-old students
students
Coefficients
Coefficientsofof(standardised) gradesininreading,
(standardised) grades reading,mathematics
mathematics and
and thethe
artsarts on (standardised)
on (standardised) scores
scores on social and
on social
emotional skills scales (international average)
and emotional skills scales (international average)

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.00

-0.05

-0.10
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

Empathy

Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy
Co-operation
Emotional control

Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others

Reading Mathematics Arts

Note: Data for Sintra (Portugal) did not reach student response rate standards and are not included in international averages. The regressions are
Note: Data for Sintra (Portugal) did not reach student response rate standards and are not included in international averages. The regressions are
city-specific and control for gender, socio-economic status, and scores in the cognitive ability test, with the exception of Houston (United States),
site-specific and control for gender, socio-economic status, and scores in the cognitive ability test, with the exception of Houston (United States),
where
wherethe
thecognitive abilitytest
cognitive ability test was
was notnot administered.
administered. OttawaOttawa
(Canada)(Canada) is excluded
is excluded from the
from the analysis ofanalysis of school
school grades grades
as students’ as students’
grades were notgrades were
notavailable.
available. Coloured
Coloured bars bars represent
represent significant
significant differences
differences in atcities,
in at least five leastbars
fivethat
cities, barsoutlined
are only that are only outlined
represent represent
significant differencessignificant
in fewer differences
in than
fewer than
five five cities.
cities.
Source: Adapted from
Source:Adapted from OECD
OECD(2021), Beyond
(2021), BeyondAcademic
AcademicLearning.
Learning.First Results
First from
Results fromthethe
Survey on on
Survey Social andand
Social Emotional
EmotionalSkills, OECD
Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en. Figure 2.1.
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Figure 2.1.

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 9
 Figure 3. Average relationship between social and emotional skills, and school performance
ofFigure 3. Average
10-year-old relationship between social and emotional skills, and school performance
students
of 10-year-old
Coefficients students grades in reading, mathematics and the arts on (standardised) scores on social and
of (standardised)
Coefficients of (standardised) grades in reading, mathematics and the arts on (standardised) scores on social
emotional skills scales (international average)
and emotional skills scales (international average)

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.00

-0.05

-0.10
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

Empathy

Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy
Co-operation
Emotional control

Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others

Reading Mathematics Arts

Note: Data
Note: Datafor
forSintra (Portugal)did
Sintra (Portugal) did
notnot reach
reach student
student response
response rate standards
rate standards and
and are not are not
included included in averages.
in international international averages. The regressions
The regressions
areare site-specificand
city-specific andcontrol
control for
forgender,
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socio-economicstatus, and scores
status, in the cognitive
and scores ability test,
in the cognitive with test,
ability the exception
with theofexception
Houston (United
of Houston (United States),
States), where the cognitive ability test was not administered. Ottawa (Canada) is excluded from the analysis of school grades as students’ grades
where the cognitive ability test was not administered. Ottawa (Canada) is excluded from the analysis of school grades as students’ grades were
were not available. Coloured bars represent significant differences in at least five cities, bars that are only outlined represent significant
notdifferences
available.inColoured
fewer thanbars represent significant differences in at least five cities, bars that are only outlined represent significant differences
five cities.
in fewer
Source:than fivefrom
Adapted cities.OECD (2021), Beyond Academic Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD
Source: Adapted
Publishing, Paris,from OECD (2021), Beyond Academic
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en. Learning.
Figure 2.2. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Figure 2.2.

Figure 4 provides an overview of the social and emotional skills that are most strongly related to students’ grades
in all three subjects for the city of Suzhou (China). Different social and emotional skills appear important for reading
and mathematics. Similar to the general trend observed in other participating cities, persistence and curiosity are
associated with better grades in mathematics. Specific to Suzhou is the fact that students who are more optimistic
also tend to have better grades in mathematics. These findings emphasise the importance of not only dedication
in pursuing predetermined goals – even in the face of difficulties – but also cultivating an intellectual curiosity for
a diverse range of topics. Students who are curious about a diverse set of topics and love learning new things are
better equipped to face difficulties and are more likely to reach their goals. Different social and emotional skills are
important for students’ grades in reading – self-control, tolerance and creativity. Students who are more sociable
tend to have lower grades in both mathematics and reading. Interestingly, only in Suzhou do no social and emotional
skills appear related to 15-year-olds’ grades in the arts. However, there are two skills that are positively related to
10-year-old students’ grades in the arts: assertiveness and curiosity.

10 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
Figure 4. Skills most strongly associated with students’ performance in Suzhou (China)
Coefficients of (standardised) grades in reading, mathematics and arts on (standardised) scores on social and
emotional skills scales (international average)

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.00

-0.05

-0.10

-0.15
Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

Emotional Control

Empathy

Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy
Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others

Reading Mathematics Arts

Note: Coefficients from regressions of 15-year-olds’ (standardised) grades in reading, mathematics and the arts on (standardised) scores on
social and emotional skills scales. Each regression controls for gender, socio-economic status, and scores in the cognitive ability test. Only
significant and lasso-selected relationships are reported.
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond Academic Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Tables A2.1, A2.2, A2.3, A2.4, A2.5 and A2.6.

Social and emotional skills matter for future educational and occupational
outcomes

Adolescence is a period when young people start to prepare for adult life. Teenagers have to make important
decisions relevant to their future lives such as what field of study or type of education they will pursue and what job
they will have. But young people often have a distorted perception of their cognitive, social and emotional strengths,
which is influenced by their immediate environment more than by objective information; and they may lack sufficient
knowledge about the breadth of educational opportunities and careers open to them. Importantly, past research
has argued and shown that social and emotional skills are an integral component of individuals’ employability,
i.e. individuals’ capability of getting and keeping fulfilling work (Pool and Sewell, 2007[6]).

Education systems can play a crucial role in channelling these skills into the labour market, and helping young people
develop a fair assessment of themselves and of their future educational opportunities. In doing so, they can ensure
that students’ skills, interests and aptitudes find a suitable match in the economy (Musset and Kurekova, 2018[7]).

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 11
 In Suzhou (China), 91% of 15-year-olds reported that they expected to go on and complete a tertiary degree – the
highest proportion observed across the participating cities. This is slightly above that of Manizales (Colombia) at 88%
and much higher than Sintra (Portugal) at 60% and Ottawa (Canada) at 65%. While this share is high in comparison
to that of other cities participating in SSES, it is higher than the current enrolment rate in higher education in Suzhou
(about 60%, see Box 1) and in China as a whole – a share that amounted to 18% in 2010 (OECD, 2020[5]). This could
suggest that 15-year-old students in Suzhou have high expectations. There may also be other factors that play into this
high level of educational expectations such as the low cost of tertiary education and high returns from completion.

Across all SSES-participating cities with available data, the proportion of students who hold high expectations for
further education is related to how they portrayed their own social and emotional skills. Among students of similar
socio-economic background, differences in education expectations are often related to differences in social and
emotional skills. In Suzhou (China), and in all participating cities, highly intellectually curious students tend to have
higher educational expectations. Higher levels of assertiveness, tolerance and self-control are also, in Suzhou as well
as in most cities, associated with expectations of completing higher education (Figure 5). At the same time, stress
resistance, empathy and sociability are negatively related to educational expectations in Suzhou and a few other
cities. (Figure 6). All these findings hold while accounting for other skill differences and for differences in gender and
socio-economic status.

Why is curiosity strongly and consistently related to expectations for completing tertiary education? This likely
reflects the fact that students with a great deal of curiosity and love of learning tend to have positive dispositions
not only towards learning, in general, but also towards formal tertiary-education institutions; these students see
tertiary institutions such as universities as places where their desire for knowledge can be satisfied. This indicates the
importance of cultivating the affective dimensions that support academic performance – and not only behavioural
tendencies such as persistence and self-control – in order to prepare students for lifelong learning.

Figure5.5.How
Figure How curiosity,
curiosity, assertiveness
assertivenessand
andtolerance relate
tolerance to expectations
relate of completing
to expectations of completing
tertiary education
tertiary education
Percentage-pointchange
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12

10

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Bogotá Daegu Houston Istanbul Manizales Moscow Ottawa Sintra Suzhou
(Colombia) (Korea) (United States) (Turkey) (Colombia) (Russia) (Canada) (Portugal) (China)

Curiosity Assertiveness Tolerance

Note:
Note:The
The figure showsthe
figure shows the percentage-point
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AcademicLearning.
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and Emotional OECD Publishing,
OECD Publishing, Paris,
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Table A2.7.
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Table A2.7.

12 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
 Figure 6. Skills most strongly associated with expectations of expectations of completing
tertiary education in Suzhou (China)
Figure 6. Skills most strongly associated with expectations of completing tertiary education
Percentage-point change in the likelihood that a 15-year-old student expects to complete a tertiary degree
in Suzhou (China)
Percentage-point change in the likelihood that a 15-year-old student expects to complete a tertiary degree
10

8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6

Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

Emotional Control

Empathy

Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy
Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others

Suzhou (China) International Reference

Note: The figure shows the percentage-point change in the likelihood that a 15-year-old student expects to complete a tertiary degree that is
Note: The figure shows the percentage-point change in the likelihood that a 15-year-old student expects to complete a tertiary degree
associated with a 100-point increase in the corresponding skill score. Only significant and lasso-selected relationships are reported. The
that is associated with a 100-point increase in the corresponding skill score. Only significant and lasso-selected relationships are reported.
international reference is the arithmetic average of the coefficients across the cities with significant and lasso-selected relationships only. All
The international
models reference
include controls is the arithmetic
for socio-economic average
status of the coefficients
and gender. across
Data for Helsinki the cities
(Finland) are with significant and lasso-selected relationships only.
not available.
AllSource:
models includefrom
Adapted controls
OECDfor socio-economic
(2021), statusLearning.
Beyond Academic and gender.
FirstData forfrom
Results Helsinki (Finland)
the Survey are not
on Social available.
and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing,
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond Table
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Academic
A2.7.Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Table A2.7.

Similar to educational expectations, students’ occupational expectations are related to specific patterns of social
and emotional skills. First, the relations between social and emotional skills, and occupational expectations
are much stronger among 15-year-olds than 10-year-olds. This might signal the interdependence of these two
factors – students might develop job preferences adapted to their own cognitive, and social and emotional skills at
the same time as they improve their skills to meet the requirements of their personal job aspirations.

Looking at 15-year-olds’ job expectations, certain patterns of social and emotional skills emerge that are associated
with aspirations to work in certain occupational groups. A few exemplar cases illustrate this. For example, in Suzhou
(China), as well as in all other participating cities, 15-year-old students who reported aspiring to become health
professionals (i.e. medical doctors, nursing and midwifery professionals) are also more curious than peers aspiring
to other occupations (Figure 7). This is not surprising given that health occupations require curiosity in pursuing
the sciences. In Suzhou and nearly all other cities, these students also represent themselves as less creative than
other students. More specific to Suzhou is the fact that students aspiring to become health professionals have more
self-control and reported being less energetic, and, to some extent, less assertive.

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 13
 Figure 7. Skills most strongly associated with expectations of expectations of working as
health7.
Figure professionals in Suzhouassociated
Skills most strongly (China) with expectations of working as health professionals
Percentage-point
in Suzhou (China) change in the likelihood that a 15-year-old student expects to become a health professional
Percentage-point change in the likelihood that a 15-year-old student expects to become a health professional
10

8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6

Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

Emotional Control

Empathy

Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy
Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others

Suzhou (China) International Reference

Note:
Note: The figureshows
The figure showsthethe percentage-point
percentage-point changechange in the likelihood
in the likelihood that a 15-year-old
that a 15-year-old student
student expects expects
to become to become
a health a health
professional that isprofessional
associated
that with a 100-point
is associated increase inincrease
with a 100-point the corresponding skill score. Onlyskill
in the corresponding significant
score.and
Onlylasso-selected
significant relationships are reported.
and lasso-selected The
relationships are reported.
international
The reference
international is the arithmetic
reference average average
is the arithmetic of the coefficients across the cities
of the coefficients with
across significant
the andsignificant
cities with lasso-selected
andrelationships only.relationships
lasso-selected All only.
models include controls for socio-economic status and gender.
All models include controls for socio-economic status and gender.
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond Academic Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing,
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Academic
Table A2.8. Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Table A2.8.

In all cities including Suzhou (China), students expecting to work in a creative occupation also represent themselves
as more creative (Figure 8). Creative occupations include, for example, artists, musicians, actors but also marketing
directors, professionals and associate professionals, architects, journalists, public relations officers, and software
professionals. In Suzhou, students expecting a creative occupation tend to be more tolerant but less inclined to
engage with others – they are less trusting, cooperative and assertive compared to other students.

14 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
 Figure 8. Skills most strongly associated with expectations of working in a creative occupation
Figure 8. Skills
in Suzhou most strongly associated with expectations of working in a creative
(China)
occupation in Suzhou
Percentage-point change in(China)
the likelihood that a 15-year-old student expects to work in a creative occupation
Percentage-point change in the likelihood that a 15-year-old student expects to work in a creative occupation
10

8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6

Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

Emotional Control

Empathy

Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy
Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others

Suzhou (China) International Reference

The figure
Note: The
Note: figureshows thethe
shows percentage-point change
percentage-point in the likelihood
change that a 15-year-old
in the likelihood student expects
that a 15-year-old to workexpects
student in a creative occupation
to work that is occupation
in a creative
associated with a 100-point increase in the corresponding skill score. Only significant and lasso-selected relationships are reported. The
that is associated with a 100-point increase in the corresponding skill score. Only significant and lasso-selected relationships are reported.
international reference is the arithmetic average of the coefficients across the cities with significant and lasso-selected relationships only. All
The international reference is the arithmetic average of the coefficients across the cities with significant and lasso-selected relationships only.
models include controls for socio-economic status and gender.
All models
Source: include
Adapted controls
from for socio-economic
OECD (2021), status
Beyond Academic and gender.
Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing,
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Academic
Table A4.20. Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Table A4.20.

Social and emotional skills matter for well-being

Well-being is an important measure of quality of life alongside other social and economic dimensions (OECD, 2013[8]).
Adolescence is a period of rapid physical growth and brain development, increasing demands and expectations
regarding school performance, changing relationships with parents and peers as well as increasing autonomy
as students start to make their own decisions and develop behaviours that can influence their current and future
well-being (Inchley et al., 2020[9]; Patton, 2016[10]). Education policies increasingly address student well-being as part
of a whole-child perspective to education. This has led to increased emphasis on social and emotional skills alongside
cognitive skills as drivers of future well-being.

The three aspects of students’ psychological well-being measured in the SSES (life satisfaction, current psychological
well-being and test anxiety) are strongly related to skills in the domain of emotional regulation: stress resistance,
optimism and emotional control. All three aspects of students’ psychological well-being are also only weakly related
to skills in the domains of task performance and engaging with others.

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 15
 Life satisfaction

Students’ life satisfaction is an evaluation that students make of their perceived quality of life according to their chosen
criteria. This can be determined in part by the student’s current mood and memory, and by the immediate context.
In Suzhou (China) and in all other participating cities, 15-year-old students who are more optimistic also reported
higher levels of life satisfaction (Figure 9). This also holds true for 10-year-old students. Students who are optimistic
have a positive attitude and favourable outlook towards life. At the same time, students who have a more privileged life
might be more optimistic. Most importantly, higher levels of optimism are inversely related to depressive disorders.
Optimism confers resilience and coping skills in dealing with stressful events, and is related to factors such as
socio-economic status and social integration, which generally have protective effects for both psychological and
physical well-being (Carver, Scheier and Segerstrom, 2010[11]).

Similar to other cities, in Suzhou (China), optimism stands out as being most strongly related to 15-year-old students’
life satisfaction. Other social and emotional skills such as high levels of stress resistance, emotional control, trust,
curiosity, and low levels of creativity are, to a lesser extent, related to 15-year-olds’ life satisfaction. A similar pattern
holds for 10-year-olds in Suzhou.

Figure 9.9.Skills
Figure Skillsmost
moststrongly
stronglyassociated
associatedwith
with students’ life satisfaction
life satisfaction in Suzhou in Suzhou (China)
(China)
Change in in
Change 15-years-olds’ lifelife
15-years-olds’ satisfaction associated
satisfaction with
associated changes
with in social
changes and
in social emotional
and skills
emotional skills

2.0

1.5
1.0
0.5
0
-0.5
-1.0
Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

Emotional Control

Empathy

Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy

Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others

Suzhou (China) International Reference

Note: The figure shows coefficients from a regression of students’ life satisfaction on (standardised) scores on social and emotional skill scales.
Note: The figure shows coefficients from a regression of students’ life satisfaction on (standardised) scores on social and emotional skill scales.
Only significant and lasso-selected relationships are reported. The international reference is the arithmetic average of the coefficients across the
Only significant and lasso-selected relationships are reported. The international reference is the arithmetic average of the coefficients across
cities
thewith
citiessignificant and lasso-selected
with significant relationships
and lasso-selected only.
relationships All models
only. include
All models includecontrols for
controls socio-economic
for socio-economicstatus
status and
and gender.
gender.
Source:
Source:Adapted
Adapted from
fromOECD (2021),Beyond
OECD(2021), BeyondAcademic
AcademicLearning.
Learning.First
FirstResults
Resultsfrom
fromthe
theSurvey
SurveyononSocial
Socialand
andEmotional
EmotionalSkills,
Skills,OECD
OECDPublishing,
Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Table A3.18.
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Table A3.18.

16 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
Current psychological well-being

Students’ current psychological well-being is an evaluation of students’ feelings and experiences during the two
weeks prior to the survey. In Suzhou (China) and in all other participating cities, being optimistic is strongly related
to one’s current psychological well-being (Figure 10). This holds true for both cohorts of students. Students’ level
of energy also appears to be particularly related to their current psychological well-being in Suzhou compared to
other cities. Other social and emotional skills that matter for both 10- and 15-year-olds students’ current psychological
well-being in Suzhou are students’ trust of others, their ability to resist stress and their curiosity. Students who
are more optimistic generally respond differently to challenging situations than students who are less optimistic.
Optimists are more likely to experience less distress than pessimists when dealing with difficulties in their lives
(Scheier, Carver and Bridges, 2004[12]). This is not necessarily because optimists have unrealistic expectations (though
that may sometimes be the case) but because they have more coping strategies to deal with challenging situations.
Thinking that things will only get worse – even if true – may disengage someone from confronting a situation while
thinking that things can improve – even if false – may motivate them to get the best out of a given situation.

Figure 10. Skills most strongly associated with students’ current psychological well-being in
Figure 10. Skills most strongly associated with current pyschological well-being in Suzhou
Suzhou (China)
(China)
Change in 15-year-olds’ current psychological well-being associated with changes in social and emotional skills
Change in 15-year-olds’ current psychological well-being associated with changes in social and emotional skills

5
4
3
2
1
0
-1
-2
Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

Emotional Control

Empathy

Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy

Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others

Suzhou (China) International Reference

Note:
Note:TheThefigure
figure shows coefficientsfrom
shows coefficients fromregressions
regressionsof of students’
students’ current
current psychological
psychological well-being
well-being on (standardised)
on (standardised) scoresscores onand
on social social and emotional
emotional
skill scales. skill
Onlyscales. Only significant
significant and lasso-selected
and lasso-selected relationships
relationships are reported.
are reported. The international
The international reference
reference is the
is the arithmetic
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coefficients
across across
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with cities with significant and lasso-selected
and lasso-selected relationships
relationships only. Allonly. All models
models includeinclude controls
controls for socio-economic
for socio-economic status
status andand
gender.
gender.Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond Academic Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
Source:
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond Academic Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing,
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Table A3.19.
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Table A3.19.

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 17
 Test Anxiety

Test anxiety can be described as “the set of phenomenological, physiological, and behavioural responses that
accompany concern about possible negative consequences or failure in an evaluative situation” (Zeidner, 2007[13]).
It typically arises in educational settings where students believe their abilities are stretched or exceeded by the
demands of the test situation. In Suzhou (China) and in all participating cities with available data, students who
indicated higher stress resistance reported a lower level of test anxiety. This holds true for students aged 10 and 15
while accounting for students’ grades in both mathematics and reading, which are typically correlated with a lower
level of test anxiety (Figure 11). Among 10- and 15-year-olds, higher levels of optimism, creativity and emotional
control are also related to lower levels of test anxiety in quite a few cities.

Similar to other cities, being stress resistant is most strongly associated with lower test anxiety in Suzhou. This holds
for both 10- and 15-year-olds. Other skills that are related to lower test anxiety for 15-year-olds are skills in the
domain of emotional regulation such as optimism and emotional control, but also curiosity and creativity. In Suzhou,
as in other cities, students who reported being more persistent and sociable indicate higher levels of test anxiety.

Figure
Figure 11.
11.Skills
Skillsmost
moststrongly
stronglyassociated
associatedwith
withtest
testanxiety
anxietyininSuzhou
Suzhou(China)
(China)
Change
Change in
in 15-year-olds’
15-year-olds’ test
test anxiety
anxiety associated
associated with
with changes
changesin
insocial
socialand
andemotional
emotionalskills
skills

4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

Emotional Control

Empathy

Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy

Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others

Suzhou (China) International Reference

Note: The figure shows coefficients from a regression of students’ test anxiety on (standardised) scores on social and emotional skill scales. Only
Note: The and
significant figure shows coefficients
lasso-selected fromare
relationships a regression of international
reported. The students’ testreference
anxiety is
onthe
(standardised) scoresofon
arithmetic average thesocial and emotional
coefficients across the skill scales.
Only
cities significant and lasso-selected
with significant relationships
and lasso-selected areonly.
relationships reported. The international
All models reference
include controls is the arithmetic
for socio-economic statusaverage of the coefficients across the
and gender.
Source:
cities Adapted
with from and
significant OECD (2021), Beyond
lasso-selected Academic Learning.
relationships only. AllFirst Results
models fromcontrols
include the Surveyforon Social and Emotional
socio-economic status Skills, OECD Publishing,
and gender.
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en,
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), BeyondTable A3.20.Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
Academic
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Table A3.20.

18 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
Students’ social and emotional skills are related to students’
background characteristics…
SSES data and past research show that students’ social and emotional skills are important for students’ academic
success, employment outcomes and well-being as well as for the prosperity of societies in general. The United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Target 4.7 advocates:

“ensuring that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development,
including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles,
human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and
appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development”.

In this context, social and emotional skills such as co-operation, empathy and tolerance are key for citizens and
societies to achieve these goals and secure the basis for functioning democracies. However, students with different
background characteristics tend to possess different combinations of social and emotional skills.

In Suzhou (China) as well as on average across participating cities, 15-year-old boys exhibit higher skills in the domains
of emotional regulation (stress resistance, optimism and emotional control) and engaging with others (sociability,
assertiveness, energy). Likewise, 15-year-old girls exhibit higher levels of responsibility, empathy and co-operation,
tolerance and achievement motivation. Overall, gender differences in 15-year-olds’ social and emotional skills seem
slightly less pronounced in Suzhou compared to the average across participating cities. They seem particularly smaller
in skills in the domain of emotional regulation (stress resistance, optimism and emotional control), collaboration
(empathy, trust and co-operation) and engaging with others (sociability, assertiveness and energy). In addition, both
in Suzhou and on average across cities, gender differences in students’ social and emotional skills seem to increase
with age as they tend to be more pronounced among 15-year-olds than 10-year-olds (Figure 12).

On average across participating cities, socio-economically advantaged students exhibit higher levels on every social
and emotional skill measured by SSES. The difference in skills between students with low or high socio-economic
status is especially pronounced in skills related to the domain of open-mindedness such as tolerance, curiosity,
and creativity as well as empathy, assertiveness and self-efficacy. In Suzhou (China), socio-economic differences are
similar in magnitude to the international average. Across both cohorts, socio-economic differences are slightly larger
than on average across participating cities for only 4 out of the 17 social and emotional skills: responsibility, self-
control, creativity and self-efficacy. In Suzhou and on average across cities, socio-economic differences in students’
social and emotional skills tend to decrease between the ages of 10 and 15 (Figure 13).

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 19
 Figure 12. Gender differences in social and emotional skills in Suzhou (China)
Standardised gender differences in skill scores (15-year-old girls – 15-year-old boys)
0.8
0.8 Girls report higher...
0.6
Girls report higher...
0.6
0.4
0.4
0.2
0.2
0.0
0.0
-0.2
-0.2
-0.4
-0.4
-0.6
Boys report higher...
-0.6
-0.8
Boys report higher...

Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

resistance

Optimism

Control

Empathy

TrustTrust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy

Self-efficacy

motivation
-0.8

Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

resistance

Optimism

Control

Empathy

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy

Self-efficacy

motivation
Emotional
Stress

Achievement
Emotional
Stress

Achievement
Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others Other outcomes

Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others Other outcomes
International Average Suzhou (China)

International Average Suzhou (China)

Standardised gender differences in skill scores (10-year-old girls – 10-year-old boys)

0.8
Girls report higher...
0.6
0.8
0.4 Girls report higher...
0.6
0.2
0.4
0.0
0.2
-0.2
0.0
-0.4
-0.2
-0.6
-0.4
Boys report higher...
-0.8
-0.6
Boys report higher...
Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

resistance

Optimism

Control

Empathy

Trust Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy

Self-efficacy

motivation

-0.8
Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

resistance

Optimism

Control

Empathy

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Curiosity

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Sociability

Assertiveness

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Self-efficacy

motivation
Emotional
StressStress

Achievement
Emotional

Achievement

Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others Other outcomes

Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others Other outcomes
International Average Suzhou (China)

International Average Suzhou (China)

Note: Data for Sintra (Portugal) did not reach student response rate standards and are not included in international averages. The figures report
standardised differences, whereby the raw scale points have been divided by the (city-specific) standard deviation. Significant differences are
coloured, non-significant differences are outlined.
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond Academic Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Tables A1.4, A1.5. and Figure 1.3.

20 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
 Figure 13. Differences in social and emotional skills by socio-economic status
Standardised differences in skill scores (high socio-economic status – low socio-economic status) among 15-year-olds
Figure 13.
Figure 13. Differences
Differences in social
in social and emotional
and emotional skills by socio-economic
skills by socio-economic status status in Suzhou (China)
Standardised
Standardised
1.0 differences in skill
differences in scores (high socio-economic
skill scores status – low
(high socio-economic socio-economic
status status) among 15-year-olds
– low socio-economic status) among 15-year-olds
Socio-economically advantaged students report higher...
0.8
1.0
0.6 Socio-economically advantaged students report higher...
0.8
0.4
0.6
0.2
0.4
0.0
0.2
-0.2
0.0
-0.4
-0.2
-0.6
-0.4 Socio-economically disadvantaged students report higher...
-0.8
-0.6
-1.0 Socio-economically disadvantaged students report higher...
-0.8
Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

ControlControl

Empathy

Trust Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy Energy

Self-efficacy

motivation
-1.0
Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

Empathy

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Self-efficacy

motivation
Emotional

Achievement
Emotional

Achievement
Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others Other outcomes

Task performance Emotional regulation

InternationalCollaboration
Average Open-Mindedness
Suzhou (China) Engaging with others Other outcomes

International Average Suzhou (China)

Standardised differences
Standardised differencesin skill scores
in skill (high socio-economic
scores status – low
(high socio-economic socio-economic
status status) among status)
– low socio-economic 10-year-olds
among 10-year-olds

Standardised differences in skill scores (high socio-economic status – low socio-economic status) among 10-year-olds
1.0
Socio-economically advantaged students report higher...
0.8
1.0
0.6 Socio-economically advantaged students report higher...
0.8
0.4
0.6
0.2
0.4
0.0
0.2
-0.2
0.0
-0.4
-0.2
-0.6
-0.4 Socio-economically disadvantaged students report higher...
-0.8
-0.6
-1.0 Socio-economically disadvantaged students report higher...
-0.8
Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

ControlControl

Empathy

Trust Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy Energy

Self-efficacy

motivation

-1.0
Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

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Self-efficacy

motivation
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Emotional

Achievement

Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others Other outcomes

Task performance Emotional regulation

InternationalCollaboration
Average Open-Mindedness
Suzhou (China) Engaging with others Other outcomes

Note: Data for Sintra (Portugal) did not reachInternational student response Average
rate standards Suzhou (China)
and are not included in international averages. Socio-economically
advantaged
Note: Data forstudents are those
Sintra (Portugal) did notin thestudent
reach top quarter
response of ratethe site-specific
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and are not of the index
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cally advantaged students
disadvantaged students arearethose
ininthe
the top quarterquarter
bottom of the site-specific distribution of the
of the site-specific index of socio-economic
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socio-economic status. The figures report
disadvantaged students are in the bottom quarter of the site-specific distribution of the index of socio-economic status. The figures report
standardised
Note:
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Data fordifferences,
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wherebydid the
notraw the
reach
scale raw
student scale
have points
response
points have
ratedivided
been by been
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are by the
not included
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averages.
deviation. Coloured deviation. Significant differences are
Socio-economi-
bars represent
cally advantaged
coloured,
significant students are differences
non-significant
differences. those in the toparequarter of the site-specific distribution of the index of socio-economic status. Socio-economically
outlined.
disadvantaged
Adaptedstudents
from are in(2021),
OECD the bottom
Beyondquarter of the
Academic site-specific
Learning. Firstdistribution
Results from of theSurvey
index ofonsocio-economic status. Skills,
The figures report
Source: Adapted
Source:
standardised from
differences, OECD the
whereby (2021), Beyond
raw scale pointsAcademic
have Learning. Firstthe
Results from Social
theand Emotional
Survey on Social and OECDEmotional
Publishing, Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Figures 1.8. andbeen
1.9. divided by the (city-specific) standard deviation. Coloured bars represent
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en,
significant differences. Figures 1.8. and 1.9.
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond Academic Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing,
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Figures 1.8. and 1.9.

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 21
 …But students’ social and emotional skills are malleable...
Inequalities in social and emotional skills among students are not set in stone. SSES data as well as previous research
support the notion that social and emotional skills are characteristics and abilities that are malleable and change
with biological and psychological maturation, environmental influences, individual effort and important life events
(Specht et al., 2014[14]; Kankaraš and Suarez-Alvarez, 2019[1]; OECD, 2015[15]; Roberts, Walton and Viechtbauer, 2006[16]).

On average across participating cities, 15-year-olds exhibited lower levels than 10-year-olds for most of the social
and emotional skills.1 The differences are particularly pronounced when it comes to optimism, trust, energy and
sociability but are smaller for empathy. Tolerance and assertiveness are the only two skills that are reportedly higher
among 15-year-olds than 10-year-olds. On the one hand, this might be because teachers and schools are usually
more effective at developing these skills. Instruction in citizenship and citizen rights may enhance tolerant attitudes
among students. School assignments like oral presentations and written essays may encourage students to develop
more assertiveness. On the other hand, the longer one spends in school with its fixed learning environments the
more students’ abilities to build and practise self-regulation skills, interpersonal skills and creativity and curiosity may
become inhibited.

Overall, age-related differences in students’ social and emotional skills in Suzhou (China) are substantially larger
than the average across cities (Figure 14). The findings observed for Suzhou and all other participating cities might
partly derive from the fact that education systems often expect compliance from students. This has the potential
consequence of driving out social and emotional skills as students grow older and stay longer in the education
system. Extended time in school and being exposed to fixed learning environments may inhibit student’s abilities to
build and practise some of these skills. Of note, the dip in students’ social and emotional skills as students age is not
uniform for all types of students. In particular, the decline is more acute for socio-economically advantaged students;
in other words, less pronounced for socio-economically disadvantaged students.

22 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
Figure 14. Age differences in social and emotional skills in Suzhou (China)
Differences (15-year-olds – 10-year-olds) in social and emotional skills

0.4
15-year-old students report higher ...
0.2

0.0

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6
-0.8
-1.0
10-year-old students report higher ...
-1.2 Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

Emotional Control

Empathy

Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy

Self-efficacy

Achievement motivation
Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others Other outcomes

International Average Suzhou (China)

Note: Data for Sintra (Portugal) did not reach student response rate standards and are not included in international averages. The figure reports
standardised differences, whereby the raw scale points have been divided by the (city-specific) standard deviation. Significant differences are
coloured, non-significant differences are outlined.
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond Academic Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Figure 1.3.

Important age-related differences are also observed in other key outcomes examined in SSES. SSES data show that
10-year-old students enjoy higher levels of psychological well-being than 15-year-olds. Life satisfaction and current
psychological well-being dip as students get older while test anxiety increases from childhood to adolescence.
Figure 15 shows, for example, that the share of students who reported being very satisfied with their life declines in
all participating cities. In Suzhou (China), this share goes from nearly 55% among 10-year-olds down to slightly more
than 20% among 15-year-olds. This pattern is generally more pronounced among girls than boys.

1 In the absence of longitudinal data, it cannot be ascertained the extent to which differences observed between age groups represent age or cohort
effects. As there were no specific reasons to assume cohort effects and the findings were consistent across the participating cities, the former can
be assumed.

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 23
 Figure 15. Students’ life satisfaction, by age cohort and city
Percentage of students, by level of life satisfaction
Figure15.
Figure 15. Students’
Students' life
lifesatisfaction by age
satisfaction, cohort
by age and city
cohort and city
Percentageof
Percentage of students,
students, by bylevel
levelofoflife satisfaction
life satisfaction
Average life satisfaction

Manizales (Colombia) 8.7

Average life satisfaction
Bogotá (Colombia) 8.6
Manizales
Helsinki (Colombia)
(Finland) 8.6 8.7
Bogotá
Sintra (Colombia)
(Portugal) 8.5 8.6
Helsinki (Finland)
Moscow (Russia) 8.3 8.6
10-year-olds

Sintra
International (Portugal)
Average 8.2 8.5
Moscow (Russia)
Istanbul (Turkey) 8.1 8.3
10-year-olds

International Average
Suzhou (China) 8.2 8.2
Istanbul
Daegu (Turkey)
(Korea) 8.1 8.1
Suzhou
Houston (United (China)
States) 7.6 8.2
Daegu
Ottawa (Canada)(Korea)
7.9 8.1
Houston (United States) 7.6

ManizalesOttawa (Canada)
(Colombia) 7.9 7.9

Bogotá (Colombia) 7.6

Manizales
Helsinki (Colombia)
(Finland) 7.6 7.9
Bogotá
Moscow (Colombia)
(Russia) 7.4 7.6
Helsinki
Houston (United (Finland)
States) 7.0 7.6
15-year-olds

Moscow
International (Russia)
Average 7.2 7.4
Houston (United States)
Sintra (Portugal) 7.2 7.0
15-year-olds

International Average
Daegu (Korea) 7.0 7.2
Sintra (Portugal)
Ottawa (Canada) 6.8 7.2
Daegu
Suzhou (Korea)
(China) 7.0 7.0
Ottawa (Canada)
Istanbul (Turkey) 6.3 6.8
Suzhou (China) 7.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%
Istanbul (Turkey) 6.3

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

Very satisfied (9-10) Satisfied (7-8) Moderately satisfied (5-6) Not satisfied (0-4)

Very of
Note: Cities are ranked in descending order satisfied (9-10) of students
the percentage Satisfied
who(7-8) Moderately
reported being satisfied
very satisfied (5-6)life.
with their Not satisfied (0-4)
Data for Sintra (Portugal) did not reach student response rate standards.
Note:
Source: Cities from
Adapted are ranked in descending
OECD (2021), order ofLearning.
Beyond Academic the percentage of students
First Results from thewho reported
Survey being
on Social andvery satisfied
Emotional with
Skills, their life. Data for Sintra (Portugal)
OECD
Note:
did Cities
reachare
notParis,
Publishing, ranked response
student in descending order
rate of the percentage
standards.
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en. Figure 3.1. of students who reported being very satisfied with their life. Data for Sintra
(Portugal) did not reach student response rate standards.
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond Academic Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond Academic Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing,
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en,
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en,Figure 3.1.
Figure 3.1.

Students’ educational and occupational expectations also change as they get older. In particular, older students
embrace more diverse occupational expectations than their younger peers. On average across cities, 48% of 10-year-
olds expect to work in one of the 10 most frequently reported occupations for their age cohort. This goes down
to 37% for 15-year-old students. In addition, the relation between students’ social and emotional skills, and their
occupational expectations is much stronger for 15-year-olds than 10-year-olds. This suggests reciprocal influence
between students’ social and emotional skills, and their occupational aspirations.

24 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
… And students’ social and emotional skills can be influenced
by the school environment
The malleability of social and emotional skills enables them to be modified or developed for the better. Schools can play
a particularly important role in providing learning environments where skills can be developed, enhanced and reinforced
through practice and daily experiences. There are a number of studies that look at the effect of different school-based
interventions to enhance students’ social and emotional learning (Durlak et al., 2011[17]; Park et al., 2008[18]; Sklad et al.,
2012[19]; Smithers et al., 2018[20]). A meta-analysis by Durlak et al. (2011[17]) shows that social and emotional learning
programmes had significant positive effects on targeted social and emotional skills, and attitudes about self, others
and school. They increased pro-social behaviour, reduced behavioural problems and improved school performance.
A more recent meta-analysis of quality research studies (comprising randomised experimental, quasi-experimental
intervention studies and observational studies, controlling for relevant confounding factors) by Smithers et al. (2018[20])
found that interventions aiming to improve social and emotional skills had more obvious positive effects on academic
achievement outcomes than on psychological, cognitive, language and health outcomes. These findings suggest that
people are not born with a fixed set of social and emotional skills. Instead, there is considerable potential in developing
these skills throughout people’s lives (Helson et al., 2002[21]; Srivastava et al., 2003[22]). Studies linking data on teachers
and students show that teachers have an impact on students’ social and emotional skills. Teachers’ interactions with
students, classroom organisation, and emphasis on critical thinking in specific subjects were found to support students’
development in areas beyond their core academic skills (Blazar and Kraft, 2017[23]).

SSES data shed light on teachers’ and schools’ roles in shaping students’ social and emotional skills. A first illustration
of this is that students with a greater sense of school belonging and better relations with teachers reported higher
social and emotional skills. This holds true for Suzhou (China) and for all other participating cities. Fitting in at school
is most strongly related to higher co-operation, optimism and sociability. At the same time, students who reported
having positive relations with their teachers also view themselves as more optimistic, curious and achievement-focused.
These findings suggest that schools that are able to provide a positive disciplinary climate, offer support from teachers
and engage with parents in building a positive school culture can help students develop their social and emotional skills.
Indeed, all these factors are positively associated with students’ sense of belonging at school by other research studies
(Allen et al., 2018[24]; Crouch, Keys and McMahon, 2014[25]; Dotterer, McHale and Crouter, 2007[26]; Ma, 2003[27]; OECD,
2017[28]; Shochet, Smyth and Homel, 2007[29]).

Secondly, school climate and anti-bullying policies can be instrumental to students’ positive social and emotional
development. Bullying at school can affect any schoolchild in any country (Nansel et al., 2004[30]). This violent behaviour
can have severe long-term physical, social and emotional consequences for students. Teachers, parents, policy makers
and the media are increasingly drawing attention to bullying and trying to find ways to tackle it (Phillips, 2007[31]).
A Korean study established that being bullied in middle school causes the onset of symptoms of psychopathologic
behaviours to resurface later (Kim, Leventhal and Koh, 2006[32]). Yet, research suggests that a supportive and caring
school environment is linked to less bullying and, conversely, students’ willingness to seek help (Låftman, Östberg
and Modin, 2017[33]; Ma, 2002[34]; Olweus, 2012[35]). In schools where students perceive greater fairness; feel they fit
in at school; work in a more disciplined, structured and cooperative environment; and have understanding teachers,
students are less likely to engage in risky and violent behaviour (Gottfredson et al., 2005[36]; Kuperminc, Leadbeater
and Blatt, 2001[37]).

SSES data show that students’ exposure to bullying is negatively related to almost all social and emotional skills.
In Suzhou (China), as well as on average across participating cities, 10-year-old and 15-year-old students’ exposure
to bullying is most strongly related to lower skills in the domains of emotional regulation. Students who reported
greater exposure to bullying tended to report lower levels of optimism, emotional control, stress resistance, and trust
in other people (Figure 16). These findings need to be interpreted in light of the share of students who experience
bullying. In Suzhou, 23% of 10-year-old students and 13% of 15-year-old students experienced bullying at least a
few times a month or more during the 12 months prior to the 2019 survey. While these shares are not negligible,
they are smaller than in almost all other participating cities.

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 25
 Figure 16. Relations between students’ exposure to bullying and social and emotional skills
Figure
Change 16. Relations
in 15-year-olds’ between
social students’
and emotional exposure
skills related to bullying,
to a one-standard and
deviation social
increase and emotional
in exposure to bullying skills in
Suzhou (China)
Figure 16. Relations between students’ exposure to bullying and social and emotional skills
0.5
Change
Changein
in 15-year-olds’ social
15-year-olds’ social and
and emotional
emotional skillsskills related
related to a one-standard
to a one-standard deviationdeviation increase
increase in intoexposure
exposure bullying to bullying
0.0
0.5
-0.5
0.0
-1.0
-0.5
-1.5
-1.0
-2.0
-1.5
-2.5
-2.0

Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

ControlControl

Empathy

Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy

Self-efficacy

Achievement motivation
-2.5

Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

Stress resistance

Optimism

Empathy

Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy

Self-efficacy

Achievement motivation
Emotional
Emotional

Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others Other outcomes

Task performance Emotional regulation

InternationalCollaboration
Average Open-Mindedness
Suzhou (China) Engaging with others Other outcomes

International Average Suzhou (China)

Change in 10-year-olds’ social and emotional skills related to a one-standard deviation increase in exposure to bullying
Change in 10-year-olds’ social and emotional skills related to a one-standard deviation increase in exposure to bullying

0.5
Change in 10-year-olds’ social and emotional skills related to a one-standard deviation increase in exposure to bullying
0.0
0.5
-0.5
0.0
-1.0
-0.5
-1.5
-1.0
-2.0
-1.5
-2.5
-2.0
Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

resistance

Optimism

Control

Empathy

Trust Trust

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy

Self-efficacy

Achievement motivation

-2.5
Co-operation
Responsibility

Persistence

Self-control

resistance

Optimism

Control

Empathy

Tolerance

Curiosity

Creativity

Sociability

Assertiveness

Energy

Self-efficacy

Achievement motivation
Emotional
StressStress

Emotional

Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others Other outcomes

Task performance Emotional regulation Collaboration Open-Mindedness Engaging with others Other outcomes
International Average Suzhou (China)

International Average Suzhou (China)

Note: Data for Sintra (Portugal) did not reach student response rate standards and are not included in the international average. Control variables
include gender, socio-economic status and immigration background. Significant differences are coloured, non-significant differences are outlined.
Note: Data for Sintra (Portugal) did not reach student response rate standards and are not included in the international average. Significant differences are coloured,
Source: Adapted
non-significant from OECD
differences Beyond
(2021),Control
are outlined. Academic
variables Learning.
include First Results from
gender, socio-economic statusthe
andSurvey on Social
immigration and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
background.
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en,
Source:
Note: Adapted
Data from(Portugal)
for Sintra OECD (2021), Beyond
did not Table
reach A5.17.
Academic
student Learning.rate
response First Results from
standards and the
are Survey on Social
not included and
in the Emotional Skills,
international OECD
average. Publishing,
Significant Paris, https://-
differences are coloured,
doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en,
non-significant Table A5.17.
differences are outlined. Control variables include gender, socio-economic status and immigration background.
Source: Adapted from OECD (2021), Beyond Academic Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://-
doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Table A5.17.

26 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
A third area where schools could make a difference in the holistic development of their students is in organising
informal activities. Extracurricular activities at school do not only have an academic focus, they usually aim to achieve
a broader set of goals such as physical exercise and health; developing creativity and practice or appreciation of the
arts; and encouraging volunteering and involvement with the community. Participation in extracurricular activities
can also help students develop social and emotional skills (Farb and Matjasko, 2012[38]).

SSES data show that, in Suzhou (China) as well as in all other participating cities, students who participate in
after-school art activities reported higher levels of creativity (Figure 17). This holds true even after accounting for
differences in socio-economic status and gender among students. In Suzhou, differences in creativity levels between
students who participate in art activities and those who do not are similar across both age cohorts while these
differences tend to increase as students age in other cities. In Suzhou, 65% of 10-year-old students participate in
extracurricular art activities outside of school (e.g. playing a musical instrument, dancing, drawing, etc.) – a share
that drops down to 44% among 15-year-old students. It is possible that sustained participation in art activities helps
students build confidence in their creativity. While the nature of SSES data does not allow us to identify the direction
of causality, the data suggest a strong association between art activities at age 15 and creativity.

Figure 17. How participation in art activities relates to creativity

Figure 17. How participation in art activities relates to creativity
Mean scale differences after accounting for socio-economic status and gender
Mean scale differences after accounting for socio-economic status and gender

Creativity
Mean scale difference
-10 0 10 20 30 40 50

Students participating in extracurricular

activities rated themselves higher than others

International Average

Bogotá (Colombia)

Daegu (Korea)

Helsinki (Finland)

Houston (United States)

Istanbul (Turkey)

Manizales (Colombia)

Moscow (Russia)

Ottawa (Canada)

Sintra (Portugal)

Suzhou (China)

10-year-olds 15-year-olds

Note: Data for Sintra (Portugal) did not reach student response rate standards and are not included in international averages.
Note: Data
Source: for Sintra
Adapted from(Portugal) did notBeyond
OECD (2021), reach student
Academicresponse rate First
Learning. standards and
Results arethe
from notSurvey
included
oninSocial
international averages.
and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris,
Source: Source: Adapted from OECD (2021),
https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Beyond
Figure 4.9. Academic Learning. First Results from the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, OECD
Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en, Figure 4.9.

SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) | @ OECD 2021 27
 Box 3. K
 ey features of the OECD’s Survey on Social and Emotional Skills
(SSES)
Target populations and samples

The SSES took a single snapshot of two cohorts of primary and secondary school students, at ages 10 and
15. A sample of around 3,000 students was drawn for each of the two age groups in each participating city.
The sample design consisted of creating an initial random sample of schools, followed by a random selection
of students within sampled schools.

Ten cities participated in the first round of SSES in 2019: Bogotá (Colombia), Daegu (Korea), Helsinki (Finland),
Houston (United States), Istanbul (Turkey), Manizales (Colombia), Moscow (the Russian Federation), Ottawa
(Canada), Sintra (Portugal) and Suzhou (China).

In Suzhou (China), the school samples for both cohorts were drawn from the population of schools across the
10 municipalities (districts) under the jurisdiction of Suzhou. The school samples were explicitly stratified by
school sector and implicitly stratified by school socio-economic status, level of education, and, for the older
cohort, by type of secondary school as well.

Survey instruments

SSES assessed students’ social and emotional skills directly but also obtained information from their parents,
teachers and school principals.

SSES’s assessment instruments are self- (student) and others’ (parents and teachers) reports on assessed
students’ typical behaviours, thoughts and feelings. Questions/items are in the form of simple statements such
as “I like learning new things” (item assessing students’ curiosity) and “I stay calm even in tense situations”
(item assessing stress resistance). A 5-point Likert-type agree/disagree response scale was used with answers
ranging from 1 – completely disagree to 5 – completely agree. All of the 15 assessment scales used positively
and negatively worded items.

These methods are used the most frequently in social and emotional skills assessments. They provide a simple
and efficient way to collect information from a large number of respondents, are cost-efficient, simple to
administer and tend to produce consistent results.

SSES also collected information on students’ and their parents’ background characteristics as well as family,
school, and community learning contexts through four contextual questionnaires developed for: students,
parents, teachers and school principals.

SSES data of all participating cities were complemented with information on students’ school grades (except in
Ottawa [Canada]) and students’ scores via a short cognitive test (except in Houston [United States] and Ottawa
[Canada]).

Administration mode

The students filled out the questionnaires online through desktop or laptop devices. A trained study administrator
delivered the survey with school staff present. Parents, teachers and school principals also filled out questionnaires
online but in some participating cities, parents could choose a paper and pencil option in case of necessity or
personal preference. All instruments were provided using a centrally managed online platform.

28 @ OECD 2021 | SURVEY ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS (SSES): SUZHOU (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
Acknowledgements

This city note was prepared by Noémie Le Donné and Eva Feron, with valuable contributions from Ivona Feldmarova.
Its development was guided by Andreas Schleicher, Dirk Van Damme and Marta Encinas-Martin. The authors thank
Zhengguo Yuan, Zhongjing Huang, Huang Xingyuan Gao, Wei Sun and Zhi Liu for their inputs. The report was edited
by Clara Young. The OECD thanks the Porticus foundation for the financial support provided for this report.

This publication was designed by DHA Communications.

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