Teacher wellbeing as the determiner of teacher-student interaction in efl context

The aim of this study is to ascertain how the wellbeing of EFL teachers has influenced teacher-student interaction at Kapadokya University. On this basis, three data collection tools were used. After collecting teachers' demographic information (their gender, length of experience and undergraduate programmes), a teacher wellbeing questionnaire (TWBS) which was developed by Collie, Shapka, Perry, and Martin (2015), Verbal Immediacy Observation Framework (VIF) adapted from Gorham's Verbal Immediacy Items (1988), and interviews with the teachers were used as the instruments to collect data from the participants. The TWBS was applied to 15 instructors of English in foreign languages department of the university. Thereafter, to conduct the classroom observations and interviews, six teachers who scored the highest and lowest were selected. VIF was used over a period of four weeks for classroom observations in order to record the verbal immediacy behaviour data between teacher and the learners. The observed verbal immediacy themes were sharing personal examples and experiences, asking questions, use of humour, praising and criticising students' actions. Interviews were implemented to gather supportive data about verbal immediacy themes as the final step of data collection. The data collected from the Teacher Wellbeing Scale (TWBS) and demographic information of 15 participant teachers were analysed by using SPSS while the recorded data from the interviews and classroom observations were analysed by using Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis. The findings of this study revealed that the majority of the participants felt positive about their relations at home, the confidence in their knowledge of subject-matter, their ability to control what or how they teach and relations with students in the class, their commute to school and teachers' responsibility for student success. On the other hand, a larger number of respondents scored the lowest to the items which were related to the standardised testing, using the Oxford Online Placement Test (OOPT), students' use of cell phone during the lessons and the adequacy of rest periods during the day. The findings of the study also demonstrated that there was a significant difference between the level of teacher wellbeing and undergraduate programmes, that is, the level of teacher wellbeing has been influenced by the participants' departments at university. The results of the qualitative data showed that the participants with higher wellbeing shared more personal examples and experiences, asked more and diversified questions, and used less criticism in their classes. In comparison, the participants with lower wellbeing level criticised their students more. Besides, the sample incidences related to sharing personal examples and experiences were quite limited, and the number of the questions they asked in their classes were fewer. The discussions regarding the findings of the study were made within the scope of related studies in the literature.