Teachers' Lived Experience of Factors Affecting their Emotional and Social Competencies: A Phenomenological Study

 
Introduction: Emotional and social skills are of particular importance for teachers, to the extent that they can be said to influence their other capabilities as well. If a teacher is unable to control and manage their negative emotions or establish positive and constructive interactions with their students, their professional or technical capabilities may become less relevant. Psychologists and educational specialists posit that motivational and emotional skills are among the primary factors influencing psychological abilities. They assert that teachers with higher levels of emotional regulation and motivation demonstrate significantly greater success in student interactions.Therefore, the aim of the present study was to represent teachers' perceptions and lived experiences regarding factors affecting their emotional and social competences in 2022-2023 academic year. This study employed a qualitative approach using a descriptive-phenomenological method.
Research Question: The main research question of this study is: Based on the perceptions and lived experiences of teachers, what factors influence their emotional and social skills?
Method: The current study is a qualitative investigation conducted to understand and identify factors affecting emotional and social skills from teachers' perspectives in the 2022-2023 academic year. The research population comprised all first-year high school teachers in Yazd city, from which 24 teachers (16 women & 8 men) were selected using purposeful sampling and interviewed. Participation criteria included sufficient knowledge and familiarity with the study subject. Four preliminary interviews were conducted to refine the questions before the main interviewing process. Researchers conducted interviews in school offices, lasting 40 to 60 minutes per teacher. Data collection employed semi-structured interviews, chosen for their flexibility and depth of information. Given the study's aim to understand teachers' lived experiences regarding factors affecting their emotional and social competences, a phenomenological method was adopted.
Results: The text of each interview was analyzed word by word, line by line, and sentence by sentence to generate codes. Initially, approximately 55 codes were extracted. In the subsequent step, similar codes were grouped together, resulting in ten themes. The final analysis of the conducted interviews yielded 10 themes and 32 sub-themes. From the analysis of the obtained data, ten main themes were extracted: emotional intelligence, job attitude, psychological capital, school principal's qualifications, family conditions, educational policy process, issues within the educational organization, perception of injustice, individual-related limitations, and learner-related limitations. Sub-themes were categorized under each of these main themes.
Discussion and Conclusions: Overall, the results of the present study indicate that participants recognize various factors affecting teachers' emotional and social competencies. This suggests that each teacher faces multiple and distinct challenges in their educational and professional activities. Neglecting to address these challenges can negatively impact their emotional and social competencies and, in the near future, pose significant risks to the educational system and, consequently, to the dynamism and development of society. According to teachers' perspectives, creating the necessary conditions to meet their psychological and social needs plays a crucial role in sustaining the vitality of their academic lives. These changes enhance clarity while retaining the original meaning.