The Interplay Between EFL Teacher Leadership, Teacher Immunity and Teachers’ Meta-emotions

Abstract

To date, research has identified the predictive role of teacher immunity (TI) and meta-emotions in student outcomes. However, nothing is known yet about the antecedent role of teacher leadership (TL) in TI and metaemotions. This research investigated the relationship between TL and TI, and examined whether TL can predict teachers’ meta-emotions. To do so, 389 Iranian EFL teachers were asked to complete three electronic surveys on TL, TI and teachers’ meta-emotions. The language teacher immunity Scale, TL Scale, and Meta-emotions Scale were adopted to gather the data. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that EFL teachers who exhibited higher levels of leadership were inclined to be more immune. Besides, TL could positively predict interest and compassion care, while it could negatively predict contempt, tough control, and suppression. The findings contribute to our comprehension of the antecedents of TI and teacher’s meta-emotions in EFL contexts and provide implications for educational cultural reform and teacher education programs.