Emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, basic psychological needs satisfaction and their role in job satisfaction and work involvement in teachers

Alina Chiracu; Marilena Bratu; Emilia Oprisan; Viorel Agheana; Zsoka Banga

doi:10.56663/rop.v13i1.78

Authors

Alina Chiracu University of Bucharest, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5966-5742
Marilena Bratu University of Bucharest, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
Emilia Oprisan University of Bucharest, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
Viorel Agheana University of Bucharest, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8348-6557
Zsoka Banga Psychologist, private practice, Târgu Mureș, Romania

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56663/rop.v13i1.78

Keywords:

emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, basic psychological needs, job satisfaction, work involvement, teachers, socio-emotional competencies, professional well-being, educational environment, psychological mediation

Abstract

This study explores the relationships among emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) in shaping job satisfaction and work involvement among teachers. The research is grounded in the context of a social-emotional skills development program implemented by UNICEF under the SEE-Norway Grants 2014–2021 framework. A total of 97 teachers participated in this cross-sectional study, completing validated instruments to measure the constructs of interest. Results indicate that emotional intelligence directly predicts job satisfaction, while self-efficacy is significantly associated with work involvement. Autonomy satisfaction mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and job satisfaction, whereas relatedness satisfaction is associated with both outcomes. However, competence satisfaction showed no significant mediation effects. The findings underscore the critical role of emotional intelligence and self-efficacy in enhancing teachers’ professional well-being and engagement, suggesting the need for targeted training programs to develop these competencies. These insights contribute to fostering more positive educational environments by promoting teacher retention, satisfaction, and involvement.

References

Aloe, A. M., Amo, L. C., & Shanahan, M. E. (2014). Classroom management self-efficacy and burnout: A multivariate meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 26(1), 101-126.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.

Brackett, M. A., Reyes, M. R., Rivers, S. E., Elbertson, N. A., & Salovey, P. (2010). Classroom emotional climate, teacher affiliation, and student conduct. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 46(1), 27-36.

Brackett, M. A., & Katulak, N. A. (2007). Emotional intelligence in the classroom: Skill-based training for teachers and students. Applying Emotional Intelligence, 1, 1-27.

Brackett, M. A., Palomera, R., Mojsa-Kaja, J., Reyes, M. R., & Salovey, P. (2010). Emotion-regulation ability, burnout, and job satisfaction among British secondary-school teachers. Psychology in the Schools, 47(4), 406-417.

Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., Witte, H., Soenens, B., & Lens, W. (2010). Capturing autonomy, competence, and relatedness at work: Construction and initial validation of the Work-related Basic Need Satisfaction scale. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83(4), 981–1002.

Caprara, G. V., Barbaranelli, C., Steca, P., & Malone, P. S. (2006). Teachers' self‐efficacy beliefs as determinants of job satisfaction and students' academic achievement: A study at the school level. Journal of School Psychology, 44(6), 473-490.

Carmeli, A. (2003). The relationship between emotional intelligence and work attitudes, behavior, and outcomes: An examination among senior managers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 18(8), 788-813.

Collie, R. J., Shapka, J. D., & Perry, N. E. (2015). School climate and social–emotional learning: Predicting teacher stress, job satisfaction, and teaching efficacy. Journal of Educational Psychology, 107(4), 1184.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The" what" and" why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.

Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta‐analysis of school‐based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432.

Extremera, N., & Fernández-Berrocal, P. (2006). Emotional intelligence as predictor of mental, social, and physical health in university students. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 9(1), 45-53.

Garner, P. W. (2010). Emotional competence and its influences on teaching and learning. Educational Psychology Review, 22(3), 297-321.

Ghyst, D. (2012). Mini Emotional Intelligence Test. Ghyst & Associates and Brent Darnell International.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.

Hakanen, J. J., Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2006). Burnout and work engagement among teachers. Journal of School Psychology, 43(6), 495-513.

Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2006). Student–teacher relationships. In Handbook of Classroom Management (pp. 179-203). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Ingersoll, R. M. (2001). Teacher turnover and teacher shortages: An organizational analysis. American Educational Research Journal, 38(3), 499-534.

Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The prosocial classroom: Teacher social and emotional competence in relation to student and classroom outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 491-525.

Jennings, P. A., Frank, J. L., Snowberg, K. E., Coccia, M. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2013). Improving classroom learning environments by cultivating awareness and resilience in education (CARE): Results of a randomized controlled trial. School Psychology Quarterly, 28(4), 374-390.

Kanungo, R. N. (1982). Measurement of job and work involvement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 67(3), 341.

Klassen, R. M., & Chiu, M. M. (2010). Effects on teachers’ self-efficacy and job satisfaction: Teacher gender, years of experience, and job stress. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(3), 741.

Klassen, R. M., Perry, N. E., & Frenzel, A. C. (2012). Teachers' relatedness with students: An underemphasized component of teachers' basic psychological needs. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(1), 150.

Kokkinos, C. M. (2007). Job stressors, personality, and burnout in primary school teachers. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77(1), 229-243.

Macdonald, S., & Maclntyre, P. (1997). The generic job satisfaction scale: Scale development and its correlates. Employee Assistance Quarterly, 13(2), 1-16.

Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey & D. Sluyter (Eds.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Educational implications (pp. 3-31). Basic Books.

Mérida-López, S., & Extremera, N. (2017). Emotional intelligence and teacher burnout: A systematic review. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 23(4), 471-484.

Oberle, E., & Schonert-Reichl, K. A. (2016). Stress contagion in the classroom? The link between classroom teacher burnout and morning cortisol in elementary school students. Social Science & Medicine, 159, 30-37.

Pearce, C. L., & Sims Jr, H. P. (2002). Vertical versus shared leadership as predictors of the effectiveness of change management teams: An examination of aversive, directive, transactional, transformational, and empowering leader behaviors. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 6(2), 172.

Pena, M., Extremera, N., & Rey, L. (2012). The role of emotional intelligence in job stress (burnout and engagement) in teachers. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 37(1), 1-9.

Roeser, R. W., Skinner, E., Beers, J., & Jennings, P. A. (2012). Mindfulness training and teachers' professional development: An emerging area of research and practice. Child Development Perspectives, 6(2), 167-173.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78.

Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Hanson-Peterson, J., & Hymel, S. (2015). Social and emotional learning and preservice teacher education. Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning: Research and Practice, 406-421.

Schutz, P. A., & Zembylas, M. (2009). Advances in Teacher Emotion Research: The Impact on Teachers’ Lives. Springer.

Schwarzer, R., & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalized Self-Efficacy scale. In J. Weinman, S. Wright, & M. Johnston, Measures in health psychology: A user’s portfolio. Causal and control beliefs (pp. 35-37). Windsor, UK: NFER-NELSON. http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~health/engscal.htm

Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2010). Teacher self-efficacy and teacher burnout: A study of relations. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(4), 1059-1069.

Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2011). Teachers' feeling of belonging, exhaustion, and job satisfaction: The role of school goal structure and value consonance. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 24(4), 369-385.

Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2011). Teacher job satisfaction and motivation to leave the teaching profession: Relations with school context, feeling of belonging, and emotional exhaustion. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(6), 1029-1038.

Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2014). Teacher self-efficacy and perceived autonomy: Relations with teacher engagement, job satisfaction, and emotional exhaustion. Psychological Reports, 114(1), 68-77.

Sutton, R. E., & Wheatley, K. F. (2003). Teachers’ emotions and teaching: A review of the literature and directions for future research. Educational Psychology Review, 15(4), 327-358.

Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(7), 783-805.

Tschannen-Moran, M., & McMaster, P. (2009). Sources of self-efficacy: Four professional development formats and their relationship to self-efficacy and implementation of inquiry-based instruction. The Elementary School Journal, 110(2), 228-245.

Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., De Witte, H., Soenens, B., & Lens, W. (2010). Capturing autonomy, competence, and relatedness at work: Construction and initial validation of the Work-related Basic Need Satisfaction scale. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83(4), 981-1002.

Wong, C. S., & Law, K. S. (2002). The effects of leader and follower emotional intelligence on performance and attitude: An exploratory study. The Leadership Quarterly, 13(3), 243- 274.

Yin, H., Lee, J. C.-K., & Zhang, Z. (2016). Teacher emotions and emotional labor: A study of relations among teachers’ efficacy, emotional labor, and job satisfaction. Educational Psychology, 36(3), 394-408.

Yin, H., Huang, S., & Chen, G. (2019). The relationships between teachers' emotional labor and their burnout and job satisfaction: A meta-analytic review. Educational Research Review, 28, 100287.