Social and Emotional Learning in Finnish Physical Education Teacher Education

Purpose : Teachers’ social and emotional learning (SEL) skills play a central role in physical education to promote holistic youth development and physical activity. The purpose of this study was to explore what SEL skills Finnish physical education student teachers learned during their final study year at university and how they described the meaning of SEL in part of their teacherhood. Method : Data were collected from a questionnaire for four annual courses of Finnish physical education student teachers (n125) and written teaching philosophies (n12). Results : Students reported learning many different SEL skills during their final year. Most learning experiences were reported in self-awareness skills and relationships skills. SEL was also described as (a) a tool for better teaching, (b) a basis for human perception, and (c) changing the way they view their teacherhood. Discussion/Conclusion : The findings indicated that students place a high value on learning SEL skills and that SEL is central to their overall view of physical education.