Teachers’ confidence in their teaching skills is widely recognised as essential for effective practice and professional wellbeing. When teachers feel capable in their instructional abilities, they are more engaged and experience greater satisfaction at work. While this type of confidence has been well studied, much less attention has been given to teachers’ confidence in handling the social and emotional aspects of their role (Collie et al., 2025).
This is important because teaching is not only about delivering lessons – it also involves managing emotions and relationships every day. Teachers need to respond to their own emotional reactions, support students’ emotional needs, and navigate complex social dynamics in classrooms, staffrooms, and across the school community. Confidence in these social-emotional areas may be critical for maintaining wellbeing, which often declines as the school term progresses.
In a recently published study in Teaching and Teacher Education (Collie, 2025), I set out to examine teachers’ social-emotional confidence, the role of school leader support in fostering it, and how this confidence is associated with wellbeing later on in the school term.
What did the study examine?
The study included 368 Australian teachers who completed an online survey twice: once at the beginning of a school term and again at its end.
‘Social-emotional confidence’, referred to in academic literature as perceived social-emotional competence, reflects teachers’ beliefs in their ability to effectively manage their social interactions and emotional responses. For instance, this might involve a teacher feeling confident to mediate a disagreement between students in a way that maintains a positive classroom climate, feeling assured when requesting additional resources from a supervisor, or feeling capable of initiating a constructive conversation with a colleague to resolve a misunderstanding. This type of confidence is relevant to all social and emotional aspects of teaching.
‘Autonomy-supportive leadership’ involves actions by school leaders that take teachers’ perspectives into account such as explaining the rationale behind school policies or decisions, communicating in an encouraging and respectful manner, and showing patience as teachers develop and refine their practice.
In the study, social-emotional confidence was explored in relation to leadership support and 3 dimensions of teacher wellbeing.
The 3 wellbeing dimensions were:
- Vitality: The sense of energy and enthusiasm teachers feel toward their work.
- Engagement: The effort and preparation teachers invest in their professional tasks.
- Professional growth: Teachers’ ongoing dedication to enhancing their skills and knowledge.
What were the study’s findings?
Study results showed that teachers who perceived greater autonomy-supportive leadership support at the start of the school term experienced positive gains in their social-emotional confidence at the end of the term.
This means that teachers who felt more supported by school leaders when the term started went on to report greater social-emotional confidence several weeks later. For instance, teachers who felt supported through practices, such as receiving clear explanations for school-wide decisions, or being offered choices in professional development opportunities, were more likely to report increased confidence in managing social-emotional experiences by the end of the term.
Another key finding was that social-emotional confidence was in turn linked with positive gains in all 3 dimensions of wellbeing at the end of the term.
This finding suggests that teachers with high social-emotional confidence may be better equipped to manage the inevitable challenges that arise during a school term. For instance, feeling confident to stay calm and solution-focused when a parent raises concerns during a challenging conversation, or feeling capable to regulate frustration when faced with disruptive classroom behaviour, appear central for maintaining higher levels of wellbeing by term’s end.
These results are significant given prior research indicating that teachers’ wellbeing typically declines over the course of a school term. Providing autonomy-supportive leadership and fostering social-emotional confidence may offer a way to mitigate these declines.
What do the findings mean for practice?
School leaders can help strengthen teachers’ social-emotional confidence – and in turn their wellbeing – by using autonomy-supportive practices (Reeve & Cheon, 2021; Slemp et al., 2018). Here are a few practical ways to do this:
Explain the ‘why’ behind decisions
Provide clear reasons for policies or expectations so teachers understand their purpose. For example:
- ‘We’re introducing this new approach because research shows it helps to improve student engagement.’
Tune in to teachers’ needs
Be attentive to what teachers may require to feel supported. For example:
- ‘We have had a heavy workload this week – would it help if we adjusted next week’s deadlines?’
Acknowledge teachers’ feelings
Recognise and validate any concerns or emotions teachers may express. For example:
- ‘It’s understandable to feel unsure about the curriculum change – what can we do to make the transition easier?’
Teaching is filled with social and emotional interactions. Supporting teachers to feel more confident in managing these situations appears to be vital for their wellbeing – and may also contribute to retaining them in the profession.
References
Collie, R. J. (2025). Predictors and outcomes of teachers’ perceived social-emotional competence. Teaching and Teacher Education, 168, 105255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.105255
Collie, R. J., Sáez-Delgado, F. M., & Granziera, H. (2025). Teachers’ perceived social-emotional competence as a vital mechanism of adult SEL. Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy, 5, 100117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sel.2025.100117
Reeve, J., & Cheon, S. H. (2021). Autonomy-supportive teaching: Its malleability, benefits, and potential to improve educational practice. Educational Psychologist, 56(1), 54–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2020.1862657
Slemp, G. R., Kern, M. L., Patrick, K. J., & Ryan, R. M. (2018). Leader autonomy support in the workplace: A meta-analytic review. Motivation and Emotion, 42(5), 706–724. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-018-9698-y
As a school leader, do you provide clear reasons for implementing new policies or expectations, so teachers understand their purpose? Can you think of an instance where this has worked well? What impact did this have on the teachers’ social-emotional confidence?
As a teacher, think of a time where you experienced autonomy‑supportive leadership. How did this influence your confidence and overall wellbeing? What impact did this have on your energy, engagement or enthusiasm for your work?
