Miejsce kompetencji społeczno-emocjonalnych w edukacji wczesnoszkolnej

In the article, the authors aim at discussing what socio-emotional competences (SECs) are, how they are shaped and how their development can be supported in the first stage of school education. The authors analyse five categories of SECs identified in the constructed diagnostic and prevention-intervention programmes: 1) self-awareness, 2) social awareness, 3) responsible decision making, 4) managing one’s own behaviour, 5) managing relations with others. The authors in the article suggest relating SECs to the basic psychic functions necessary for smooth completion of tasks by the human. The authors present reasons for considering SECs important in early school education and they point to the discrepancies between the place currently occupied by SECs and the place that these competences deserve. Moreover, the authors analyse the possible ways of developing socio-emotional competences in the education process.