“Practice what you preach”: Teachers’ perceptions of emotional competence and emotionally supportive classroom practices

The connections between parents’ emotional competence (emotion expression, regulation, and knowledge) and children’s social–emotional learning (SEL) have been well studied; however, the associations among teachers’ emotional competencies and children’s SEL remain widely understudied. In the present study, private preschool and Head Start teachers (N=32) were observed using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). Participating teachers from each center also participated in focus groups discussions about emotional competence in preschool classrooms. For analyses, teachers were divided into Moderately and Highly Supportive groups based on observed emotional support quality. Teachers’ focus group responses were compared. Comparison groups differed with regards to their discussions of emotion regulation and emotion knowledge. These differences elucidate ways that intervention programs and in-service training can be developed to help teachers better meet the SEL needs of children.