Pre-service teachers’ relationship skills and beliefs about social-emotional learning

We examined (a) links between pre-service teachers' relationship skills and beliefs about their future comfort with and commitment to social-emotional learning (SEL), and (b) whether skills and beliefs vary across years of training or gender. A battery of self-report questionnaires was completed by 197 pre-service teachers to examine these variables. Correlation and multiple regression analyses revealed comfort beliefs were related to initiation and emotional support skills. Commitment beliefs were not related to any skill. MANOVAs revealed that women reported higher commitment beliefs than men. Findings can inform teacher education programs providing interventions or curricula targeting relationship skills and SEL beliefs.