Exploring Relations between Pre-Service English Teachers’ Psychological and Social Well-Being and their Perceptions of Positive Classroom Environment

This paper reports on findings of a research study that sought to investigate the relationship between classroom environment and candidate teachers’ social and psychological wellbeing. Dimensions of psychological and social well-being models include constructs such as personal growth, positive relations with others, and social contribution. Such constructs have impacts on teachers’ creating a positive classroom environment, which is a predictor of students’ academic achievement. Therefore, this study aims at exploring whether and how psychological and social well-being shape candidate teachers’ perceptions of positive classroom environment. To address the focus of this study, the data were collected from 157 senior students at the English Language Teaching department through three questionnaires. The questionnaires measured mainly three variables: Participants’ perceptions of positive classroom environment and their psychological and social well-being. The relationships between these variables were tested through Structural Equation Model (SEM) using AMOS (22.0). The results of the study revealed some significant relationships between some of the dimensions only, which may indicate that the participant pre-service teachers are expected to promote positive classroom environment in some aspects, but not all. Regarding this, the study provides valuable suggestions to be included in teacher development programs.