An Investigation of Turkish EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Social-Emotional Learning and School Climate

Abstract

The issues of teacher stress, fulfillment from the teaching practices, and efficacy have been regarded as one of the keystones of teacher development. However, limited studies in the language teaching context have associated all these factors with social-emotional learning (SEL) and school climate. Moreover, particularly after the outbreak of the pandemic, studies focusing on their relations through the lens of teachers were underrepresented in the field. Thus, this research will examine the interplays between English language teachers' SEL beliefs, perceptions of school climate, and the three foregoing teacher outcomes. To that end, 111 Turkish EFL teachers affiliated with schools in diverse districts and tutoring at different education levels were incorporated into the study. After meticulous analysis, a significant difference was detected between the teachers with nearly two decades of experience and their job satisfaction. However, no significant correlations were noted either between SEL beliefs and teachers' sense of occupational stress or school climate and SEL beliefs.