THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS’ STRESS LEVELS AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE LEVELS IN EFL CONTEXT

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the teachers’ stress levels, social-emotional competence levels, and relationships. The participants of this study were 135 English Language Teachers who work in state or private schools in Mersin. The presented data was acquired from the ―Teacher Stress Inventory‖ and "The Social-Emotional Competence Teacher Rating Scale‖. Besides the instruments, the demographic characteristics of the participants were gathered to analyse their effects on their stress levels and SEC levels. As the data was collected, it was analysed by using SPSS. The finding indicated that teachers’ stress levels ranged between ―Mild to Moderate‖ while SEC levels revealed that it was between ―Moderate to High‖. Following that, the correlation analysis revealed that there was no significant relationship between teachers' overall stress levels and SEC levels; however, regarding the sub-factors, there were several significant relationships. Consequently, for the benefit of both teachers and their students, it is crucial to continue exploring personality characteristics that may reduce stress and increase SEC levels of teachers. The study's conclusions are meant to draw attention to and reevaluate working conditions while also highlighting the value of SEC and SEL.