Measuring Teachers' Social-Emotional Competence: Development and Validation of a Situational Judgment Test

An intervention to address nurse educators' occupational well-being: A process evaluation

BACKGROUND

There is a global need for more support for the occupational well-being of educators working in nurse education, where nurse educators experience challenges when managing their own occupational well-being. However, there is a lack of research studies into occupational well-being interventions. Aim To evaluate the usability and utility of the Self-Help INtervention for Educators in nurse education.

DESIGN

A process evaluation was conducted after the intervention in Spring 2022.

SETTINGS

Educational organisations providing national regulated practical nurse education in Finland.

PARTICIPANTS

Nurse educators (n = 37), completing the 8-workweek intervention.

METHODS

Data were collected with the self-reported electronic feedback questionnaire consisting of three sections: 1) 10-item System Usability Scale, 2) 7-item Utility scale developed for this study and 3) 4 open ended questions. The data were analysed statistically and with content analysis.

RESULTS

The intervention was found to be usable; especially the easy learnability and usage of the digital Smart Break-SHINE program and the applicable exercises. It was estimated to be moderately useful as a well-being and break promoter at work. The utility of the intervention to promote physical activity and recovery during working hours was statistically more positive for educators with <5 years of work experience than those with over 15 years. Usability and utility barriers were found especially regarding workload issues.

CONCLUSIONS

The Self-Help INtervention for Educators supports the occupational well-being of nurse educators and includes well-being actions suitable for different work surroundings (e.g., remote working) without the need for constant facilitating. The intervention was found to be most beneficial for early career nurse educators. The Self-Help INtervention for Educators needs more development to overcome the usability and utility barriers related to workload issues.

Broad vs. narrow traits: a scoping review of measuring personality traits in teacher selection using the situational judgment test

Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) have gained popularity and are commonly used as a measurement technique in a variety of professions, particularly those that include hiring, promoting, and professional development. In various educational sectors around the world, SJTs are being utilized as a measure by which to choose individuals who possess the requisite non-academic attributes for the profession. The objective of this review is to identify and analyze the traits that are measured in teacher selection using SJTs, in terms of both broad and narrow traits. This review uses a scoping review approach comprising five stages which are: identifying the research question, identifying relevant studies, selecting the studies, charting the data and reporting the results. Seven empirical research studies on teacher selection using SJTs were identified in which broad and narrow traits are used differently in selection. In the studies, a broad trait-conscientiousness-and seven narrow traits-organization and planning; empathy and communication; adaptability and resilience; mindset; emotional regulation; professional ethics; and enthusiasm and motivation-were recognized. Analysis revealed, in line with other prior studies, that the traits discovered tended to be used as the foundation for teacher selection criteria. The use of broad and narrow traits as the basis for teacher selection criteria has implications for the selection of the "best" teacher candidates because both broad and narrow traits generally do not accurately measure the precise characteristics needed. Future studies should focus on measuring more precise characteristics without overlap between the targeted characteristics, in light of the conclusions from this review.

The relationship between effective personality and occupational health of lecturers: An empirical assessment in vietnam

There are gaps in research on the relationship between effective personality and occupational health of lecturers that need to be addressed. This study, therefore, explores the relationship between effective personality and occupational health of lecturers of provincial/city political schools in Vietnam. The survey is carried out in a convenient sampling method with 365 lecturers of provincial/city political schools in Vietnam. The questionnaires are provided to the participants of professional training courses at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics. The lecturers are willing to fill in the questionnaires at the same time. Descriptive, correlative, and linear regressive analyses are applied. The findings show that all elements of the effective personality structure have positive significant statistical impacts on enhancing self-efficacy, satisfaction, and cognitive affections while negatively causing exhaustion, musculoskeletal disorders, and voice disturbance of the lecturers' occupational health. Recommendations for promoting the effective personality of lecturers are provided. However, the study results are limited to the survey participants, who are lecturers of provincial political schools. Future research could expand the survey participants as well as elements of the effective personality structure and occupational health.

Effects of the A+ intervention on elementary-school teachers' social and emotional competence and occupational health

Teaching is, to date, one of the most prone jobs to experiencing occupational stress and burnout. Owing to burnout's negative personal, social, organizational and economic impacts, researchers, practitioners and education policy leaders are interested in developing practices and interventions aimed at preventing/reducing its prevalence. With teachers' main professional demands to be of a social and emotional nature, interventions designed with a view to promote teachers' social and emotional competence appears to be particularly promising, positively impacting teachers' well-being and personal accomplishment and contributing to a decrease in their psychological distress, namely emotional exhaustion. However, theoretical and empirically grounded interventions with ecological validity and specifically targeting teachers are still scarce. Thus, to bridge the previously identified gaps, the present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and the quality of the intervention's implementation of the A+, an online social and emotional learning intervention for elementary-school teachers. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with a total of 81 participants (96.3% female, MAge = 46.21, SDAge  = 4.82, n = 42 assigned to the experimental group) from three different school contexts. School clusters were similar in size, organizational structure and socioeconomic level, and as regards previous attendance at social and emotional learning interventions; however, they differed with regards to perceived organizational climate. Data on the efficacy of the A+ was collected across four waves using a set of self-report questionnaires that assessed proximal variables (i.e., social and emotional skills) and distal variables (e.g., well-being, burnout symptoms), and analyzed through Robust Linear Mixed-Effects Models. Coefficient omegas suggested adequate reliability of the measures. Additionally, two trained observers completed an observation grid to evaluate the quality of the A+ implementation (e.g., participant responsiveness, fidelity), with excellent inter-rater reliability. Results suggested that, over time, the A+ had positive impacts across proximal (e.g., increased self-regulation, positive relationship, conflict management skills) and distal variables (e.g., increased emotional well-being, decreased occupational stress and emotional exhaustion symptoms) favoring the experimental group. However, results differed across the school contexts. These findings were accompanied by good implementation quality indicators, namely high fidelity in the delivery of the A+ contents and high participants' responsiveness. Despite its limitations, this study contributes to a growing body of research which reinforces the importance of investing in social and emotional learning interventions to prevent teachers' burnout and improve their occupational health. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of implementation quality research as a component of program planning with a view to enhancing programs' efficacy, as well as the need to adapt and consider context variables in research and practice.

Is Empathy the Key to Effective Teaching? A Systematic Review of Its Association with Teacher-Student Interactions and Student Outcomes

Teachers’ social-emotional competence has received increasing attention in educational psychology for about a decade and has been suggested to be an important prerequisite for the quality of teacher-student interactions and student outcomes. In this review, we will summarize the current state of knowledge about the association between one central component of teachers’ social-emotional competence—their empathy—with these indicators of teaching effectiveness. After all, empathy appears to be a particularly promising determinant for explaining high-quality teacher-student interactions, especially emotional support for students and, in turn, positive student development from a theoretical perspective. A systematic literature research yielded 41 records relevant for our article. Results indicated that teachers reporting more empathy with victims of bullying in hypothetical scenarios indicated a greater likelihood to intervene. However, there was neither consistent evidence for a relationship between teachers’ empathy and the degree to which they supported students emotionally in general, nor with classroom management, instructional support, or student outcomes. Notably, most studies asked teachers for a self-evaluation of their empathy, whereas assessments based on objective criteria were underrepresented. We discuss how these methodological decisions limit the conclusions we can draw from prior studies and outline perspective for future research in teachers’ empathy.

Effective Personality as a Protective Factor in Teachers' Occupational Health

In recent decades, there has been a growing body of research showing the relationship between teaching work and several health problems, both physical and psychological. Some of these studies relate personal competencies and resources to teachers' occupational health. Based on the construct of Effective Personality, proposed by Martin del Buey, Martín Palacio, and Di Giusto, the aim was to analyse the relationship between the dimensions of the construct and Teachers' Occupational Health. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. It was based on the application of the Teacher Health Questionnaire (CSD) and the Efficacy Personality Questionnaire-Adults (CPE-A). The sample consisted of 700 non-university teachers aged between 26 and 66 years, M = 47.65 SD = 8.68. Descriptive, correlational, linear regression, and structural equation analyses were carried out. The results confirmed the relationship between the Efficacy Personality construct and Teachers' Occupational Health (r = 0.45 **). In addition, the regression analysis indicated the relevance of each factor of Efficacy Personality in the factors of Teachers' Occupational Health. The variance of Self-efficacy is the most explained by the dimensions of Efficacy Personality (40.2%), with positive relationships. The structural equation analysis confirmed the influence between Efficacy Personality and the factors of Self-Efficacy and Satisfaction, explaining 55.0% of the variance. It is concluded, therefore, that Efficacy Personality has a protective function on Teacher Occupational Health; the higher the Efficacy Personality scores are, the better the results in health gain-Self-efficacy and satisfaction-and the lower the result in health loss-burnout, cognitive affections, musculoskeletal affections, and voice alterations. These results facilitate the design of prevention and intervention programmes for teachers' occupational health, which strengthen and improve personal and socio-affective competencies.

Teachers’ Social–Emotional Competence: History, Concept, Models, Instruments, and Recommendations for Educational Quality

Teachers’ social–emotional competencies are essential to educational quality. This study aimed to describe the theoretical background and relevance of teachers’ social–emotional competencies. We conducted a systematic review with a critical, theoretical review approach. The results showed that the concept has an increasingly complex history and followed a structured course from 1920 to present. Five main models have been identified: emotional regulation, prosocial classroom, Collaborative Association of Social Emotional Learning, Bar-On emotional intelligence, and emotional intelligence. There are measurement instruments consistent with four of the identified models; however, the model that does not have its own instrument uses different available scales. Specific recommendations are proposed to develop social and emotional competencies in educational public policies, which include school leadership, assessment, and teacher professional training. In conclusion, it is relevant to have clear guidelines that conceive and conceptualize social–emotional competence univocally. These guidelines would allow the design of instruments with a comprehensive and sufficient theoretical base that reflect the multidimensionality of the concept, provide a precise measure to assess the effectiveness of intervention programs, and enlist teachers who seek the development of the different skills that involve social–emotional competencies.

Linking Self- and Other-Focused Emotion Regulation Abilities and Occupational Commitment among Pre-Service Teachers: Testing the Mediating Role of Study Engagement

This investigation aimed to explore the mediator role of study engagement (i.e., study vigor and dedication) in the association between self- and other-focused emotion regulation abilities and occupational commitment in a sample of pre-service teachers. The sample was comprised of 249 students (65.5% female; Mage = 27 years) of a master’s degree in teacher training for secondary education. Results showed the relationship between self-focused emotion regulation ability and occupational commitment to be fully mediated by levels of vigor. No significant results were found regarding a mediator model involving other-focused emotion regulation as predictor. Although these findings warrant prospective replication, they provide evidence that development of self-focused emotion regulation skills (rather than other-focused skills) may facilitate occupational commitment among beginning teachers through desirable states that facilitate energy and reduce the likelihood of fatigue at work. These results are discussed in terms of their practical implications for developing interventions to improve pre-service teachers’ well-being and commitment.

The Interplay of Emotional Intelligence Abilities and Work Engagement on Job and Life Satisfaction: Which Emotional Abilities Matter Most for Secondary-School Teachers?

Emotional intelligence has been underscored as a helpful personal resource in explaining life and job attitudes in human services employees. However, the joint interaction of emotional intelligence (EI) abilities with work engagement to explain life and job attitudes has not been tested. The present study aimed to explore the interactive role of EI abilities with work engagement in the prediction of job and life satisfaction in a sample of Spanish secondary-school teachers. A total of 190 teachers (125 females) participated in the study. Notably, the results showed that only emotion regulation ability (ERA) was significantly associated with work engagement, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Furthermore, ERA moderated the relationship between work engagement and job and life satisfaction. The present findings contribute to current knowledge on EI abilities and personal and job-related correlates of teachers’ work engagement.