This review explores the impact of teachers’ emotional competence on students’ psychological and social well-being, based on peer-reviewed research from 2015 to 2025. The review examines various aspects of teachers’ emotional competence, including awareness, regulation, empathy and interpersonal sensitivity, and synthesises findings from school research to explore their impact on students. The results consistently highlight that emotionally skilled teachers foster a safe, respectful and supportive learning environment that promotes students’ emotional wellbeing and social adjustment. These environments promote higher self-esteem, lower levels of anxiety, better peer relations and greater engagement in learning. Moreover, emotionally skilled teachers are more likely to notice and address student emotional distress, thus addressing problems like bullying, peer rejection and student burnout. The review also found that training and institutional supports are key to enhancing teachers’ emotional competence, though inequities and cultural variations in emotional skills need to be addressed. In summary, the review emphasises the importance of focusing on emotional skills in teacher training and development. It also suggests longitudinal studies and culturally sensitive approaches to enhance education strategies and policy, as well as students’ well-being.
Olayiwola-Adedoja et al. (2026) studied this question.