The Affective-Cognitive Nexus in Teacher Preparation: Correlating Emotional Competency and Teaching Efficacy among Pre-Service Educators in Odisha

Abstract

This study empirically examined the relationship between the measured Emotional Competency (EC) and Teaching Efficacy (TE) of pre-service secondary school teachers across Odisha. Grounded in Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Framework and Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory, the study investigated whether an educator's emotional regulation capacities significantly correlate with their professional teaching self-belief. A descriptive-correlational survey design was employed with a stratified random sample of N=600 final-semester B.Ed. trainees drawn from government and private self-financing institutions across coastal and tribal districts. Emotional Competency was measured using a standardized adaptation of the Emotional Competence Scale (ECS), while teaching Efficacy was assessed using the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES). The primary null hypothesis posited that there is no significant relationship between the measured emotional competency and teaching efficacy of pre-service teachers belonging to Odisha. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Analysis revealed a strong, positive, and statistically highly significant relationship between the two primary constructs (r=.642,p