Rethinking teaching skills: growth teaching mindsets predict teachers’ positive emotions and effective management in EFL classrooms

Abstract

Positive emotions and effective classroom management are indispensable components of successful teaching. However, the role of teachers’ mindsets about their teaching abilities in their emotions and classroom management has remained understudied. This study investigated whether and how language teachers’ beliefs about the stability and malleability of teaching ability (i.e., fixed and growth teaching mindsets) are linked to their classroom management and emotions. The participants were 212 in-service English-as-a-foreign-language teachers (148 females and 64 males; Mage = 33.88). The results of structural equational modeling showed that growth teaching mindset positively predicted teaching enjoyment and instructional and behavioral management, even after controlling for gender, teaching experiences, and teaching efficacy. In contrast, fixed mindsets positively predicted anger, anxiety, and behavioral management. The study provides insights into applying positive psychology research in language teaching, suggesting that embracing growth mindsets may enhance teachers’ efficacy in classroom management as well as emotional well-being. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2025.