Affective Support and EFL Teacher Professional Identity: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy in an Iranian Context

This mixed-methods study examined the relationships among affective support, teacher self-efficacy, and teacher professional identity (TPI) among Iranian EFL teachers, with particular attention to the mediating role of self-efficacy. In the quantitative phase, data were collected from ۴۵۸ Iranian EFL teachers working in schools and language institutes across different regions of Iran using three instruments: an adapted Affective Support Scale, the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, and a Teacher Professional Identity questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, independent-samples t-tests, regression analysis, and mediation analysis with Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Model ۴) with bootstrapping. In the qualitative phase, reflective written responses from ۱۷ teachers were analyzed thematically to explore how affective support shapes teachers’ self-efficacy and professional identity. The quantitative findings revealed strong positive relationships among affective support, self-efficacy, and TPI, with self-efficacy significantly predicting TPI and fully mediating the relationship between affective support and professional identity. The qualitative findings identified four interconnected themes: institutional affective support, emotional demands and workload, collegial support, and coping strategies and professional agency.

کلیدواژه ها:

Affective Support ، Iranian EFL teacher ، teacher professional identity ، Teacher self-efficacy