The Relationship Between Teachers’ Academic Optimism and Students’ Academic Achievement: The Mediating Role of Teachers’ Emotional Intelligence in Public Boys’ Secondary Schools in Karaj
Keywords:
Academic optimism, Emotional intelligence, Academic achievement, Teachers, StudentsAbstract
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between teachers’ academic optimism and students’ academic achievement, focusing on the mediating role of teachers’ emotional intelligence. This applied, descriptive–correlational study targeted all 1,425 teachers in boys’ secondary public schools in Karaj. Using multistage cluster sampling, 220 teachers and 1,100 students were selected. Data were collected through the Academic Optimism Questionnaire (Beard et al., 2010) and the Emotional Intelligence Scale (Schutte et al., 1998), both demonstrating strong reliability (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.879 and 0.916). Students’ academic achievement was assessed through their annual grade point averages. Data analysis was conducted in SPSS using Pearson correlations, regression modeling, and mediation testing within a structural framework. Results indicated a significant positive relationship between teachers’ academic optimism and students’ academic achievement. Academic optimism was also significantly associated with emotional intelligence. Structural mediation analyses demonstrated that emotional utilization and emotional perception significantly mediated the relationship between academic optimism and student achievement, whereas emotional regulation did not. In examining the link between teachers’ sense of efficacy and student achievement, only overall emotional intelligence served as a mediator. For the relationship between trust in students/parents and academic achievement, emotional utilization acted as a mediator, while other emotional intelligence components showed no mediating effect. Most interaction terms testing moderation effects were not significant. The findings highlight academic optimism as a meaningful predictor of student achievement and suggest that emotional intelligence strengthens this relationship in specific pathways. These results emphasize the importance of developing teachers’ emotional competencies and fostering positive academic beliefs within school environments.
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