“The More, the Merrier; the More Ideas, the Better Feeling”: Examining the Role of Creativity in Regulating Emotions among EFL Teachers

Abstract

Abstract Knowing how teachers’ creativity can help them regulate their emotions is critical. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the role of creativity in how novice and experienced english as a foreign language (EFL) teachers regulate their emotions in their classes. To such end, a descriptive narrative design was used through which we conducted a thematic analysis of the autobiographical narratives of eight EFL teachers, including five novice and three experienced teachers, who utilized their creativity while managing their emotions. The findings showed that teachers’ creativity has a constructive role in helping novice and experienced EFL teachers regulate their emotions. According to the findings of Code Map, novice EFL teachers asserted that a detailed context helped improve their emotional state. They also felt better when they had access to a variety of different ideas and used both proactive and reactive emotion regulation strategies. Experienced EFL teachers, on the other hand, believed that using a variety of teaching and assessment methods helped them feel better about their work. They also felt that having access to many elaborated ideas was helpful in promoting positive emotions. We concluded that integrating creativity into teaching enables teachers to regulate their emotions more effectively. This outcome may be attributable to creativity, which discourages repetition, allowing teachers to adopt diverse approaches toward emotion regulation.