Evaluation of the Teaching Emotional Competence of student teachers in practices: learning to regulate emotions from the writing of an "emotional diary"

Abstract

Research indicates that it is essential to train new teachers in emotional competence (EC) to respond to the demands and challenges posed by the school. The curricular practices of the initial teacher training program prove to be an ideal context for the development of this competence. These practices constitute a moment of learning and illusion for the students, but they also mean facing situations of great stress and, therefore, it is usually a source of negative emotions. This article presents the results of the analysis of the pre- and post-test EC questionnaire administered to 46 student teachers who completed the curricular internships in the last year of their career. The students received specific information about EC, presentation of interactive material for reflection on their emotions and wrote practice diaries, called "emotional diaries", with specialized support from their tutors. The results show that the internship period constitutes an ideal moment for the development of EC. Likewise, the participating students increased the use of adaptive emotional regulation strategies and reduced that of the less adaptive ones. Finally, the accompaniment of the tutor teacher is essential throughout the process.