Predictive Role of Self-Perception on Social-Emotional Competence in Pre-Service Preschool Teacher

Social-emotional learning is a lifelong process in which individuals develop their social-emotional skills and abilities. It encompasses various characteristics such as being aware of and managing emotions, setting and achieving goals, respecting different perspectives, establishing and maintaining positive relationships with the environment, making decisions, and being constructive in relationships. The social-emotional competencies of teachers significantly influence children's social-emotional skills. To teach and develop children's social-emotional skills, it is crucial for the teacher—the one who teaches—to possess a certain level of social-emotional competence. The preschool teacher, who introduces children to the concept of school for the first time, plays a critical role in preparing children for school and ensuring their adaptation. Their positive self-perception and social-emotional competence are vital in this regard. However, it is expected that teachers will acquire these skills during pre-service training. Considering this information, this study examines the relationship between the social-emotional competencies and self-perception of pre-service preschool teachers. Accordingly, it investigates whether there is a significant relationship between pre-service preschool teachers' social-emotional competencies and self-perception and to what extent social-emotional competence predicts self-perception. The data for the study were collected using the Social-Emotional Competence Questionnaire and the Self-Theory Scale. The research findings indicate that pre-service teachers' self-perception significantly predicts their social-emotional competence.