Page 123 - Vseživljenjsko učenje kot temelj trajnostne družbe

Emotional Intelligence and Self-Efficacy

of Physical Education Teachers

Vita Jeraj Petra Dolenc
Grammar, Electrical and Maritime University of Primorska,
School Piran Faculty of Education
vita.jeraj@geps.si petra.dolenc@upr.si

Teaching is recognized as a highly emotionally demanding profession. As a
result, emotional competence is a crucial factor that influences teachers’ pro-
fessional development and the quality of their instruction. Given that physical
education (PE) teachers play a crucial role in encouraging optimal motor de-
velopment in children and adolescents and promoting a healthy lifestyle, this
study aimed to examine perceived emotional intelligence and self-efficacy
among PE teachers (N = 210) from Slovenian primary and secondary schools.
The Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue-SF) and the Norwegian
Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (NTSES) were used to assess these psychological
variables. The Slovenian versions of the TEIQue-SF and NTSES demonstrated
adequate psychometric properties. Overall, PE teachers reported relatively
high levels of self-efficacy and perceived emotional intelligence. Gender dif-
ferences emerged in the emotionality dimension of emotional intelligence,
with female PE teachers scoring significantly higher than their male counter-
parts (p < 0.01). However, no significant gender differences were observed in
self-efficacy dimensions. Additionally, emotional intelligence and self-efficacy
scores did not vary significantly among teachers of different educational lev-
els. The length of service showed a weak but positive correlation (p <0.05)
with the self-control and sociability dimensions of emotional intelligence, as
well as with several aspects of self-efficacy, including adapting education to
meet individual student needs, motivating students, maintaining discipline,
and collaborating with colleagues and parents. Finally, regression analysis re-
vealed that emotional intelligence accounted for 50 of the variance in the
2
self-efficacy of PE teachers (R =0.50; F (5, 204) = 40.86; p < 0.001).
Keywords: physical education, emotional competences, self-efficacy, teachers
© 2025 Vita Jeraj and Petra Dolenc
https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-538-2.7

Introduction
Teaching is a multifaceted and demanding profession. The role of teachers
extends beyond the provision of a supportive learning environment that fa-
cilitates knowledge acquisition. It also involves fostering social-emotional

Hudovernik, S., Lepičnik Vodopivec, J., Drljić, K., Birsa, E., Mezgec, M., Cotič, N.,
Dolenc, P., Ferbežar, N., Hozjan, D., in Štemberger, T. (ur.). (2025). Vseživljenjsko učenje
kot temelj trajnostne družbe. Založba Univerze na Primorskem.