The relationship between emotional intelligence and foreign language teaching anxiety in english language teaching

This study aims to investigate the relationship between English Language teachers' emotional intelligence levels and their foreign language teaching anxiety levels. In addition, this study also aims to contribute to foreign language education by examining the effect of emotional intelligence on foreign language teaching anxiety. By convenience sampling, EFL teachers (n=200) working in public and private schools in the provinces and districts of the Western Black Sea region in the 2022-2023 academic year were selected. In this study, the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale adapted into Turkish by Göçet (2006) was used as a data collection tool to determine the emotional intelligence levels of English teachers, and the Foreign Language Teaching Anxiety Scale developed by İpek (2006) was used to determine their FLTA levels. The relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the data collection and analysis stages of the research. The numerical data obtained from the responses given to the scale items were analyzed through SPSS software and confirmatory factor analysis, Spearman correlation, simple linear regression, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, t-test for independent samples, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used. As a result of the findings of the study, it was found that EFL teachers' emotional intelligence levels were high and their foreign language teaching anxiety was at a moderate level. When EFL teachers' emotional intelligence levels were evaluated regarding gender variables, a significant difference was found in favor of women. When the levels of foreign language teaching anxiety were analyzed in terms of age and professional seniority variables, significant differences were found between the groups. A negative and low-level significant relationship was found between EFL teachers' emotional intelligence levels and foreign language teaching anxiety levels. As a result of simple linear regression analysis, it was found that emotional intelligence level was a significant predictor of foreign language teaching anxiety.