Screening English teachers’ professional identity, autonomy, and creativity and their relations with their success

Abstract

Multiple factors contribute to the success of a teachers in their jobs, and these traits associated with teachers have become essential in the field of teacher education and development. Autonomy is a prominent teacher-related element that has been extensively researched and is considered a fundamental aspect of the educational system. Moreover, creativity has risen to prominence as a crucial talent in the 21st century, slowly gaining more attention from educators. The concept of Professional Identity (PI) holds a significant sway over how teachers perceive their roles, particularly in the modern educational landscape. Consequently, this correlational study aimed to explore whether autonomy, creativity, and PI among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers could serve as predictors of their success. A cohort of 336 EFL educators participated by completing the relevant questionnaires. Through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis, it was established that all three variables could reasonably predict the success of EFL teachers. The model effectively elucidated around 76 % of the variance in teacher creativity, success, autonomy, and PI. These correlations were statistically significant at a confidence level of 95 %. Teacher creativity emerges as a substantial predictor of teacher success which means that as teachers exhibit greater creativity in their teaching approaches, their overall success in the field tends to increase. This finding underscores the importance of fostering creativity among educators, as it directly contributes to their effectiveness. Similarly, teacher autonomy also exerts a significant impact on teacher success which implies that teachers who perceive themselves as having more autonomy in their teaching roles are more likely to experience greater success. The outcomes of this study carry meaningful implications for stakeholders in the realm of EFL education.