Exploring the relationship between emotional intelligence and emotion regulation: Evidence from junior high school EFL teachers in China

Abstract

Teachers’ emotional intelligence (EI) and emotion regulation (ER), as protective factors against stressful situations, play active roles in promoting teachers’ well-being and sense of teaching self-efficacy. However, few studies have touched on the linkage between these two variables, which, to some extent, has hindered the in-depth exploration of their functions in teachers’ professional development. To address this gap, the current study examined the EI and ER of 474 junior high school English as foreign language (EFL) teachers in China via a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. With the aid of SPSS 26.0, the data collected through the questionnaire were coded, computed, and analysed. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to report the levels of EFL teachers’ EI and ER and the correlation between them. The semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed, and the data were subsequently analysed. The results indicate a positive correlation between EFL teachers’ EI and ER. The detailed statistics display that all dimensions of EI were positively and significantly correlated with all dimensions of ER. The results further explain the relationship between teachers’ EI and ER in an EFL context. Practical implications are put forward concerning the development of EI and ER competencies.