The role of teacher concern in teacher emotions and grit

Teaching is a cognitively and emotionally demanding profession, especially in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts. While traits like grit are known to influence teacher performance, their interaction with emotional constructs such as teacher concern and emotions remains underexplored. This study investigates how teacher concern is associated with positive and negative emotions and grit among teachers. Participants were 499 EFL teachers from various cities in Iran who completed three validated measures: the Teacher Concern Scale (TCS), the Teacher Academic Emotions (TAE) scale, and the L2 Teacher Grit Scale (L2TGS). Data were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), correlation analysis, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Two models were tested: a direct model examining the associations of variables with grit, and an indirect model testing the mediating roles of emotions. Results showed that teacher concern and positive emotions were positively associated with grit, whereas negative emotions showed a negative association. The indirect model revealed a significant indirect association from concern to grit through positive emotions. The validated TCS identified three subcomponents: apathy, sympathy/empathy, and metapathy. These findings highlight the importance of both emotional and cognitive factors in sustaining teacher perseverance. Implications include incorporating emotion regulation training into teacher education programs .