Modelling the contribution of teachers’ perceived school climate to foreign language teaching enjoyment

Tong Chu (), Chentian Lv and Wanyong Wang
Additional contact information
Tong Chu: Jilin University
Chentian Lv: Jilin University
Wanyong Wang: Jilin University

Palgrave Communications, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract The increasing prevalence of language teacher depression and burnout has highlighted the urgent need to examine factors that support educators’ psychological well-being. Given this situation, Foreign Language Teaching Enjoyment (FLTE) has gained recognition as a key protective factor, shedding light on how emotional experiences can help improve teachers’ work performance. Grounded in an ecological perspective, this study focused on the investigation of a crucial influencing factor that shapes FLTE—perceived school climate—among 365 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in China. Using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), the research evaluated the differential contributions of three dimensions of school climate: Teacher-Student Relationship, Instructional Innovation, and Decision Making. Findings indicated that both Teacher-Student Relationship and Instructional Innovation were significant predictors of FLTE, with Teacher-Student Relationship demonstrating the strongest predictive power. In contrast, Decision Making was not found to remarkably predict FLTE. These results highlighted the role of immediate, micro-level interactions in shaping teachers’ emotional experiences, while deemphasising the influence of the macro-level institutional factors. This study provided further practical implications to advocate for prioritising teacher-student rapport and innovative pedagogical practices. It also called for effective administrative strategies that can cultivate supportive, emotionally sustainable school environments.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-025-05091-5 Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-05091-5

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/palcomms/about

DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-05091-5

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Palgrave Communications from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().