Teaching Style Preferences as a Function of Self-Efficacy, Emotion Regulation, Reflective Teaching, and Mindfulness in Teaching: A Voice from an EFL Context

The mental health of teachers is an important issue in education. However, few studies have examined how self-efficacy (S-E), emotion regulation (ER), reflective teaching (RT), and mindfulness in teaching (MT) affect teachers’ teaching style (TS). This study aimed to explore the correlation between S-E, ER, RT, and MT with TS in EFL teachers in Iran. The Teaching Style Inventory (TSI), the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), the Language Teacher Emotion Regulation Inventory (LTERI), the English Language Teacher Reflective Inventory (ELTRI), and the Mindfulness in Teaching Scale (MTS) were used to measure S-E, ER, RT, MT, and TS. The results showed that S-E, ER, RT, and MT were positively correlated with TS. The findings indicated that EFL teachers who had high S-E, high ER skills, high RT practices, and high MT awareness were able to use more effective TS strategies to facilitate students’ learning. The study suggests that enhancing S-E, ER skills, RT practices, and MT awareness among EFL teachers can improve their TS preferences and outcomes. The study also provides some pedagogical implications for relevant stakeholders and opens up new avenues for further research.