Evaluating the Effects of an Emotions Education Training on the Emotion-Related Beliefs of Preservice Preschool Educators

Abstract

Evidence suggests that emotion-related beliefs have important implications for adult interactions with children, which, in turn, influence children’s emotional competence. Among early childhood educators, recommendations increasingly are calling for efforts to provide emotion-based training to strengthen teachers’ abilities to respond to the emotionally arousing circumstances of caring for and teaching young children. The current study examined whether SELF-AWARE, an emotions education training designed for preservice preschool teachers, was effective at increasing emotional self-efficacy beliefs and positive meta-emotion philosophies among pre-service teachers. Using a pretest vs. posttest, treatment vs. control group design, self-report data from 60 undergraduate students related to their emotional self-efficacy beliefs and meta-emotion philosophies were collected through electronic surveys and analyzed. Although some hypotheses were not supported, results indicated that the SELF-AWARE program was effective in enhancing general emotional self-efficacy and emotion-coaching attitudes. These results warrant additional exploration and should inform future preservice teacher training efforts.