Identifying the Dimensions of Emotional Creativity with a Self-Awareness Approach among Teachers of the Mazandaran Province Department of Education

Abstract

 The present study aimed to identify and validate the dimensions of emotional creativity with a self-awareness approach among teachers of the Mazandaran Province Department of Education. This applied study employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design and was cross-sectional in terms of data collection. The qualitative phase was conducted using grounded theory, whereas the quantitative phase followed a descriptive-survey design. In the qualitative phase, senior educational managers and experts in Mazandaran Province were selected through purposive sampling, and semi-structured interviews continued until theoretical saturation was reached. Twelve interviews formed the main basis of analysis, while interviews 13 and 14 yielded no new codes. Qualitative data were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding using MAXQDA 2024. In the quantitative phase, the statistical population consisted of 3,672 teachers, of whom 348 were selected using Cochran’s formula and proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-made 40-item Emotional Creativity with a Self-Awareness Approach Questionnaire. Quantitative analyses were conducted using SPSS 27 and LISREL 8.5 through confirmatory factor analysis, the Friedman test, and structural equation modeling. Qualitative analysis generated 122 open codes and six dimensions: emotional self-awareness, emotional acceptance, emotional preparedness, emotional innovation and flexibility, creative emotion regulation, and creative empathy. Confirmatory factor analysis supported this six-dimensional structure, with standardized coefficients ranging from 0.71 to 0.90 and all t-values being statistically significant. The Friedman test showed significant differences among the dimensions (χ²=205.673, df=5, p<0.001). Emotional self-awareness ranked first with a mean rank of 4.69, whereas emotional acceptance ranked last with a mean rank of 2.99. Emotional creativity with a self-awareness approach also showed a positive and significant relationship with cognitive creativity with a self-awareness approach (β=0.60, t=11.73). Model fit indices, including χ²/df=2.91, RMSEA=0.074, GFI=0.93, NFI=0.91, CFI=0.92, AGFI=0.92, IFI=0.91, and RFI=0.94, indicated an acceptable model fit. The findings demonstrated that emotional creativity with a self-awareness approach is a multidimensional construct comprising six distinct but interrelated dimensions, with emotional self-awareness occupying a particularly prominent position. The final model showed satisfactory empirical fit and may provide a useful framework for assessing, training, and developing teachers’ emotional creativity and for designing self-awareness-based professional development programs.