The Effect of Emotional Well-being on Polite Behavior and Teaching Effectiveness of English Teachers in Government Schools of Badulla District in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Many empirical studies agree that emotional well-being plays a critical role in influencing individual behavior, and the impact can directly affect work efficacy. However, the correlation between emotional well-being, behavior, and effectiveness has not been previously explored. Similarly, teachers’ emotional well-being can also influence their behavior, leading to varying levels of teaching effectiveness. This study attempted to examine empirically how emotional well-being affects polite behavior and teaching effectiveness among English teachers in government schools of the Badulla District in Sri Lanka. Primary data collection was conducted using a quantitative method, involving a structured questionnaire administered to 297 randomly selected government English teachers. The study used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data. The results revealed that emotional well-being has a significant effect on polite behavior, which in turn has a substantial influence onteaching effectiveness. Supported by empirical evidence, this study concluded that the emotional well-being of English teachers directly influences polite behavior and teaching effectiveness. Furthermore, polite behavior plays a partial mediating role, implying that emotional well-being improves teaching effectiveness by fostering polite behavior. The findings of this study provide important insights for policymakers to enhance teachers' emotional well-being to improve the teaching effectiveness of English teachers by focusing on their polite behavior.