Compétences psychosociales au collège : effets, limites et apports d’un dispositif pédagogique exploratoire auprès d’élèves de 5ᵉ

Psychosocial skills (PSS) are now widely recognized as key levers for well-being, social adjustment, and academic success. While numerous studies emphasize the importance of developing these skills from early childhood, continuing this learning process at lower secondary school level remains a major challenge, in a context marked by the transition to adolescence, increasing academic demands, and the growing complexity of social relationships. This study aims to analyze the effects of a pedagogical intervention focused on psychosocial skills among Grade 7 students (fifth grade in the French system) enrolled in a priority education middle school (REP+), drawing on the classification proposed by Santé publique France (2022). The research design follows a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test approach, conducted over nine sessions across one school year, combining familiarization with psychosocial skills, self-assessment, student voting, and collective training activities. The results show moderate and non-significant quantitative changes in the short term, but highlight a stabilization of skills and a descriptive improvement in constructive relationships. The analysis also suggests a response shift effect in students’ self-assessments, reflecting a more refined understanding of psychosocial skills. Beyond numerical outcomes, this study underlines the value of explicit, progressive, and context-based teaching of psychosocial skills in lower secondary education, as well as the relevance of incorporating students’ perceptions when identifying educational needs.