Modeling the associations among language teachers’ engagement, self-efficacy, and dispositions toward loving pedagogy

Teacher engagement is a critical factor in educational quality, yet the predictive role of recently introduced constructs like loving pedagogy remains underexplored. Grounded in self-determination theory, this study employs structural equation modeling to investigate the associations among English-as-a-foreign-language teachers’ work engagement, self-efficacy, and their dispositions toward loving pedagogy. Data were collected via electronic surveys from 289 Iranian English-as-a-foreign-language teachers. The findings demonstrated that both loving pedagogy and self-efficacy are significant determinants of teacher engagement. Notably, loving pedagogy was found to be a stronger predictor of engagement than self-efficacy. The results also revealed a significant positive relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and their tendency toward loving pedagogy. This suggests that English-as-a-foreign-language teachers who adopt a pedagogy characterized by kindness, empathy, and acceptance, and who concurrently possess a strong belief in their teaching capabilities, are more likely to exhibit higher levels of cognitive, emotional, and social engagement. The study concludes with pedagogical implications for enhancing teacher engagement through professional development that fosters both self-efficacy and loving pedagogical practices.