Which Classroom Interactions Foster Adolescents’ Social and Emotional Competencies? A Systematic Review

Research Project Description This project consists of a systematic review examining, in secondary education, the empirically documented associations between classroom interaction quality and adolescents’ social and emotional competencies. These competencies are major determinants of well-being, academic success, and social integration, and adolescence represents a particularly sensitive developmental period for their acquisition. Although numerous structured social and emotional learning programs have demonstrated positive effects, their long-term sustainability and integration into everyday secondary school practices remain limited. These observations highlight the need to better understand the role of routine pedagogical practices, particularly teacher–student interactions, in fostering durable psychosocial development. The project draws on two complementary theoretical frameworks: the Teaching Through Interactions model, which distinguishes emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support, and a widely used conceptualization of social and emotional competencies organized around five domains (self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making). These frameworks will guide the analysis and enable an integrated interpretation of existing findings. The review pursues four main objectives: to identify which categories of competencies have been studied in relation to classroom interactions in adolescence; to determine which interactional dimensions are most consistently associated with students’ psychosocial outcomes; to classify these practices using the Teaching Through Interactions framework in order to provide an integrative synthesis of the literature; and to discuss implications for teacher education and educational policy. Methodologically, the review will follow PRISMA 2020 guidelines and the PICOS framework. A systematic search will be conducted in major international databases for studies published between 2010 and 2025 in English or French. Eligible studies will include quantitative, mixed-methods, or large-sample qualitative designs focusing on secondary school students, incorporating explicit measures of classroom interaction quality and at least one psychosocial outcome. Study selection will be conducted independently by two reviewers, methodological quality will be assessed using a standardized tool, and findings will be synthesized through a structured narrative approach due to heterogeneity across studies. This review aims to map the social and emotional competencies examined in secondary education, identify the interactional dimensions most robustly linked to adolescents’ psychosocial development, and integrate results within a unified theoretical framework. It also seeks to generate concrete recommendations for pre-service and in-service teacher education and to provide evidence-informed guidance for policymakers seeking to improve learning environments and promote students’ well-being.