THE ROLE OF TEACHERS’ EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN SHAPING A POSITIVE LEARNING CLIMATE IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES

Abstract

With the teacher-student relationship increasingly considered among the foremost factors in student participation, motivation, and emotional wellness in Physical Education, recent education research has increasingly explored EI - defined as the range and levels of perception, understanding, and management of emotions in oneself and in others, as consequently bearing on the qualitative atmosphere of learning environments. Considered such a subject, PE has access to a myriad of emotions. To witness, to respond, to initiate physical interactions in the sphere of group work-all these engage emotional pathways. Therefore, the matter under consideration attempts to explore how the emotional intelligence of PE teachers participates in nurturing an environment of support, inclusiveness, and motivation in the PE class, focusing especially on aspects such as empathy, positive communication, and positive behavior management. The research followed a five-year systematic review (from 2020 to 2024) centering on empirical papers published in Scopus, ERIC, and Google Scholar. Altogether 24 peer-reviewed articles made the final cut, interestingly for their findings concerning teacher-student relationships, emotional climate, and motivational outcomes within PE contexts of activity. Data extracted from these studies present recurring patterns aligned toward an emotional presence at the inception of school experiences: Those experiences endorse student participation and engagement. For instance, a teacher capable of emotionally regulating, engaging in active listening, and providing empathetic feedback creates a setting in which students feel respected, understood, and confident without fear of judgment or failure-ability to actively engage in what is facilitated. (Granero-Gallegos, Gómez-López, & Manzano-Sánchez, 2023)It is reiterated that the higher the teacher EI level, the stronger student intrinsic motivation and peer cooperation, whereas behavioral conflicts decrease, and performance anxiety is alleviated during PE lessons. It was often revealed through students of teachers with high EI that they “felt safe,” “felt supported,” and “were not afraid to make mistakes," thereby suggesting that emotional support builds confidence and healthy social interaction. Such conditions are especially essential in PE, where students' body image perceptions intermingle with motor skill acquisition and position in peer comparison to influence self-perception. The study concludes that emotional intelligence should neither be considered some kind of interpersonal skill applicable only on certain occasions nor relegated to a supplementary skill. Instead, it should be observed as a core pedagogical competence for the PE teacher. (Petsos & Gorozidis, 2019) However, the literature makes it apparent that, as of late, teacher preparation programs had failed to set in place any trainability of such nature. It is thus recommended that in the curricula of teacher education, emotional awareness workshops, reflective practice, and communities of practice be integrated, aiming at the development of the teacher's emotional life. As such, an emphasis on emotional intelligence will pay dividends in bettering the classroom climate, student engagement, and the whole educational process in Physical Education