Elementary Teachers’ Perspectives of Social and Emotional Learning in Physical Education

• In Event: Physical Education Curriculum and Teachers

Abstract

This research investigated Physical Education (PE) teachers’ perspectives regarding SEL pedagogies in their elementary PE programs. Twenty-one PE teachers across the United States participated in in-depth interviews. The trustworthiness was enhanced by triangulation, peer debriefing, and member checking (Miles et al., 2014). Five themes were generated from the data analysis: Teaching empathy has to be intentional, Recognizing and managing emotions, Cooperative Learning creates teachable moments, Play is under-rated, and It’s all about the context. Based on the findings, future research should view PE teachers as key stakeholders in SEL development at an elementary level. More academic attention is needed on PE teachers’ views and opinions related to their classroom and gymnasium environments to facilitate SEL development for youth.

Authors

• Ben Dyson, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Seunghyun Baek, SUNY - College at Cortland

• Yongjin Lee, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Judy A. Fowler, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Donal Howley, Towson University

• Yanhua Shen, University of Virginia's College at Wise