Promoting Socio-emotional Skills in Initial Teacher Training: An Emotional Educational Programme

Abstract

Developing socio-emotional skills is essential for improving university students’ quality of life and subjective well-being. These skills also play a crucial role in initial teacher education, as they are responsible for their students’ cognitive, emotional and social development. The objective of the present study is to analyse the perceived impact of an emotional education programme for teachers in training. A total of 56 student teachers, from seven different master’s degree programmes, completed a six-session programme. The evaluation was conducted through an experiential portfolio, which included the challenges and dynamics experienced in terms of emotional experience, the meaning of these experiences, and the difficulties and gains. The results revealed that, despite some difficulties, participation in the programme was considered by the participants as contributing to their emotional literacy, such as the ability to express and understand their own emotions and those of others, and to a growing sense of empathy and connectedness. This study highlights the importance of continuously investing in teachers’ socio-emotional growth and competence during their training and teaching careers. Keywords: social and emotional learning, socio-emotional skills, emotional education programme, initial teacher training, sense of belonging