A Correlational Predictive Study of Teacher Well-Being and Professional Success in Foreign Language Student Teachers

Abstract

The teaching profession has an important emotional burden that, together with the erosion of different elements that compose it from continuous educational reform to the bad behavior and demotivation of students has led to many teachers experiencing physical and psychological illness or leaving the profession. Nevertheless, studies and interventions in this regard are still insufficient in the Spanish context. This situation also exponentially affects pre-service teachers, which according to numerous studies is the stage during which the diminishing of teacher well-being begins and consolidates. Within this panorama, with this study the authors pursue to determine which dimensions of teacher well-being are capable of predicting the professional success of 88 pre-service primary education teachers who specialize in a foreign language so that they can be addressed in the training process. To this end, an ex post facto study was carried out correlating the following instruments: the Teacher Distress Questionnaire, the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey with an adaptation of the Rueda de la vida escolar sobre el éxito y la satisfacción laboral del docente (Wheel of school life on teacher success and job satisfaction). Multiple linear regression revealed that of all the variables studied for teacher well-being (intrinsic motivation, expectations about good professional performance, professional distress, professional exhaustion, irrational beliefs, emotional intelligence and burnout) only emotional intelligence and intrinsic motivation have the ability to predict the success of teachers in training in their future professional performance. This result is of paramount importance for reconsidering the training that teachers receive during their university stage, which currently and substantially prioritizes the cognitive component over psychosocial and emotional components.

1. Introduction

In this work, the authors intend to advance the study of teacher well-being in foreign language student teachers, both for its capital importance in personal and professional development and for the positive correlation between teacher satisfaction and the objectives achieved by students [1].

It is known that education is a profession with a marked emotional character with high rates of work stress that usually results in dissatisfaction with work, mental and physical health problems and permanent abandonment of the profession [2]. Such is the magnitude of the phenomenon that Johnson et al. [3] point out that teachers only score half of the rest of the professions in psychological health, physical health and job satisfaction.

The erosion of teacher well-being begins during the period of teacher training, as indicated by MacIntyre et al. [4]. Hence, the importance of researching pre-service teachers and intervening in their training process in teacher well-being, since, as pointed out by Byrne, Rietdijk and Pickkett [5], academic subjects and achievements have gained ground in the field of training in key aspects such as health or well-being.

In consideration of these premises and following the vein of previous studies [6,7,8,9], this research pursues the objective of examining the predictive capacity of the variables of the construct of teacher well-being (professional distress—motivation, professional expectations, distress, exhaustion and irrational beliefs—emotional intelligence and burnout syndrome) on success in future professional life of foreign language pre-service teachers. The results of this study will open paths to rethink the training program we offer to them at the university level, where currently the cognitive component seems to prevail over the affective and social components in a substantial manner.

The concept of well-being has been the subject of prolific study since the 1960s. Even so, the complexity of the construct has not led to a definitive architecture that could have universal validity, since it is usually obstructed by the culture itself and by the levels of perception of this construct by individuals [1]. It is a term with two well-defined planes: the objective and the subjective. Objective well-being refers to conditions external to the individual such as economic resources, health, political conditions or education. Subjective well-being makes reference to internal human conditions such as objectives, happiness, emotions, life satisfaction, social relationships, competence or commitment [10,11].

In the field of education, the formative and research importance of well-being lies in the positive correlation that exists between the teaching well-being of teachers, the academic success of students and, in general, the quality of teaching [1,12].

Teacher well-being is a positive concept evolved from the traditional burnout or burnout syndrome, which seems to be in continuous cultural evolution and change as it is a culturally obstructed psycho-sociological construct. Aelterman, Engels, van Petegem and Verhaeghe [13] state that one of the most prominent definitions of teacher wellbeing is “… a positive emotional state, which is the result of harmony between the sum of specific environmental factors on the one hand, and the personal needs and expectations of teachers on the other hand” (p. 286).

Taking into account these premises, we can deduce that teacher well-being is a personal construct of a positive, proactive and changing nature. It can, therefore, be influenced by any area of the individual and social identity of a person from their gender, labor specialization or economic level.

Aelterman et al. [13] develop a model of teacher well-being with three categories: personal, professional and social aspects. Its objective is to create a framework that allows to overcome studies focused on burnout, stress and depression and to identify, on the contrary, what factors positively influence school well-being to enhance the spirit and teacher mood. With this in mind, they declare that social support in the school and the exchange of personal teaching experiences are vital to achieve a psychological and physical balance that permeates good professional performance.

This complexity of factors that affect teacher well-being has been perfected by McCallum and Price [14] in an ecological model of five dimensions that include the microsystem (teacher capabilities, self-control, sense of self, social capital and declared learning); the mesosystem (sense of belonging, interrelationships, labor networks and connection with family and friends); the exosystem (organizational and contextual influences); the macrosystem (beliefs about the system, social issues, values, legislation); and the chronosystem (sequencing of important life events and other events). All of them play a pivotal role in teacher well-being, where teachers also have an active and central one.

In terms of in-service foreign language teachers, Piechurska-Kuciel [15] notes that their risk to suffer stress and burnout syndrome is higher compared with other subject teachers. Oftentimes, this is due to the factor of linguistic anxiety, since many teach a language that they are in the process of learning, which generates great anxiety. We know from the study by MacIntyre et al. [4] that personality and stress correlate consistently with teacher well-being in teachers of languages of varied international origin. Among the personality factors that help well-being are those that predispose teachers to be kind and emotionally serene, feel significant, have self-perception of good health and a level of awareness and openness to new experiences. The elements of stress that prevent well-being integrate factors such as the large number of tasks, poor wages, irregular schedules, changes in living conditions and in the professional field. Mercer, Oberdorfer and Saleem [16] point out as a powerful disruptive element the fact that language teachers believe that they are not a source of knowledge and information on the subject. The Internet, social networks, audiovisual platforms, academies, etc., play a strong role in this regard and compete directly with the prestige of these teachers. King and Ng [17] add to the debate that the field of languages is especially emotional because there is a very important focus on interpersonal and intercultural relationships and the integration of meaningful personal content and identity.

Albeit scarce, the research carried out so far on well-being with foreign language teachers in training sheds some light on the specific conditions of this area of knowledge in different cultural contexts and confirms that it is a stage of the teaching career where well-being erosions begin to be forged.

In Colombia, González, Montoya and Sierra [18] research teacher well-being in English student teachers and highlight the following variables that negatively interfere with teacher well-being: poor salaries, high workload, lack of autonomy to make academic decisions, poor classroom resources, school violence, very high student–teacher ratio, lack of specialized didactic training and low level of communicative competence. The creation of spaces to share ideas with colleagues, promote coordinated interdisciplinary work, improve continuous training and promote holistic, reflective and humanistic education are demanded.

Merc [19] studies the level of teacher self-efficacy and anxiety in foreign language student teachers in Turkey. Although the results reveal that the general level of professional anxiety is low, in the dissection of the different components it is revealed that the relationship of the students with their mentors does produce a high level of anxiety due to the fear of committing communicative errors in front of them and by the high level of expectations placed on them about how to plan a class or control the students. They also feel especially ineffective on how to manage behavior in class, but they perceive themselves as effective in their professional growth to understand and internalize the improvement proposals of the mentors or to develop their own learning strategies and transfer them to their students. The lack of professional competence, communicative competence in English and the students they are teaching are sources of professional anxiety in the Turkish context.

Additionally, in Turkey, Inozu and Sahinkarakas [20] study the correlation between psychological and social well-being and the establishment of a positive classroom environment in English teachers in training, since it is a duty of teachers to promote motivation in students and quality in the teaching of languages, where the emotional and interpersonal traits are highly relevant. The results reveal that having a positive attitude towards oneself, continually exploring one’s own skills and establishing relationships of trust and quality are indicators for creating an effective classroom environment. On the social level, the belief of having something valuable to offer to society was positive.

Wieczorek [21] studies the interrupting elements of teacher well-being in foreign language teachers in Poland. Among the factors pinpointed, it is worth highlighting the multilevel groups with the difficulties that this entails, the teaching of oral competence due to the difficulty that students have in communicating orally since it generates much anxiety, bridging the differences between the grammatical system of the foreign language and the mother tongue and the lack of permanent didactic training to face the continuous innovations of the subject. To all these issues is added the feeling of low self-esteem, because the level of own communicative competence is considered much lower than the still persistent native model. As contextual factors, we should add precarious social consideration towards the teaching profession and towards this subject in particular.

Cardoso-Pulido and Guijarro-Ojeda [6] study the well-being of foreign language teachers in training in a Spanish context and conclude that among the sources of teacher discomfort are the lack of training in practical cases and affectivity in the schools of education, the initial ignorance of the internal functioning of schools, the lack of quality in bilingual schools by not teaching in English and the low social prestige of the teaching profession in Spain. Among the factors that would increase their teacher well-being are self-efficacy, the perception of privilege of the foreign language specialty compared with other specialties and the comprehensive development of students in the cognitive and emotional planes. In these statements, the students make clear the need for comprehensive coordinated training between the school and the practice centers, where not only the cognitive aspect but also affectivity and the other areas of teacher well-being are considered.

The map on teacher well-being in language trainee teachers has common elements with studies with teachers in general training or other specialties. On the horizon, we always find the difficulties of maintaining classroom discipline, the pressure of being evaluated by mentors, personal and professional relationships with school colleagues and their managers where they need to be treated as equals [22,23]. The study of Valdieso-León, Lucas-Mangas, Tous-Pallarés and Espinosa-Díaz [24] already shows that Spanish student teachers in the Degrees of Infant and Primary Education present significant stress indices in the areas of relationships with the classroom and in processes related to organization, with negative results in academic performance and well-being in its psychological, physical and social dimensions. Stressors stand out, such as the lack of personal competence to adapt to the context of the university, problems in communicating with teachers, personal problems, the classroom environment or the prioritization of tasks.

However, as Turner and Braine [25] argue, student teachers consider, in general terms, the school practice period as transitory and tiring yet satisfactory, projecting the real future work to be different and definitely more complicated.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Participants

The participants were the trainees of the 4th and final year of the Degree in Education (Mention in Foreign Language) of the University of Granada [eliminated for anonymity in the review], forming a final cohort of 88 people. Regarding their gender, 71.6% were women and 28.4% were men. The mean age of the group was 22.82 years. Of the informants, 64.8% do not have a family teaching tradition and 35.2% do. The choice to be a primary teacher is in 89.8% of cases vocational, and functional or instrumental in 10.2%. Regarding the type of center where they do their internships, 60.2% are in public centers, 30.7% in public schools and the remaining 9.1% in private schools. The location of these centers can be considered as areas without social difficulty in 78.4% of cases and as areas with social difficulty in the remaining 21.6%.

2.2. Instruments

For data collection, we used four different scales from those traditionally applied for the study of teacher well-being:

The Teacher Distress Questionnaire [26] is a scale in Likert format developed for the measurement of the professional distress of the teacher, with a total of 40 items and consisting of five subscales: intrinsic motivation; expectations about good professional performance; professional distress; professional exhaustion and irrational beliefs. In Cronbach’s alpha analysis, a high value of 0.82 is obtained.

The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-sf) [27] is a questionnaire that presents a Likert scale with 30 items that aims to measure emotional intelligence in six dimensions: emotionality, self-control, well-being, sociability, self-motivation and adaptability. The Cronbach’s alpha value is 0.81.

The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES) [28] measures the level of burnout syndrome in the teaching profession through 22 items in three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal fulfillment. This is a very reliable questionnaire with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.84.

Rueda de la vida escolar sobre el éxito y la satisfacción laboral del docente [29]. In this adaptation, there are no subscales, but 12 global dimensions that affect the success and job satisfaction of the teacher. These are: relationship with coworkers, relationship with students, participation in class, leadership, attention span and concentration, organizational ability, emotions and assertiveness, ability to disagree on its own, ability to overcome difficulties, strength of will and constancy and creativity. Cronbach’s alpha analysis achieves a high reliability of 0.85.

Another quality indicator that informs about the goodness of the results obtained in the reliability of the scales is that the suppression of the items individually in each of the four administered scales does not improve the reliability results obtained overall in the scales.

As typologies of validity, we have considered concurrent criterial validity given that content validity is widely contrasted by the use of four previously validated standardized scales. It should be noted that corrected item-total correlation coefficients above r > 0.30 have been achieved (in some cases with a negative sign given the inverse nature of these items) in the majority of the cases evaluated. This means that the items measure individually that which the total of each scale contributes adequately to the measurement of the evaluated construct.

2.3. Research Variables

This research can be described as an ex post facto study. The correlation predictive design tries to determine the relationship between each of the constructs evaluated and the possibility of prediction of the dependent variable or criterion from the independent or predictor variables:

• Dependent or criterion variable: success in school life
• Independent or predictor variable:

  ○

  Professional distress of teachers broken down into its five subscales: intrinsic motivation, expectations about good professional performance, professional distress, professional exhaustion and irrational beliefs.

  ○

  Emotional intelligence of the teacher.

  ○

  Burnout syndrome in the teaching profession.

2.4. Data Analysis

For the analysis of the quantitative information collected, we used the quantitative data analysis program IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 24 (Armonk, New York, NY, USA), and the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Through them, descriptive, inferential and multivariate analyses have been implemented that have tried to respond to the proposed research objective. We must highlight the fact that the analyses take as an object of calculation the various factors or dimensions that make up the administered scales and not the items individually, except in the case of the scale on success in school life.

2.5. Research Process and Ethical Aspects

The research process begins with the information to the faculty and to the participants of the research that will be carried out, as well as the explanation of the procedures, general and specific objectives and training implications of the R&D project in which the present research is framed. The students are invited to participate freely in the study and 100% of them accept the invitation. Together with the administration of the questionnaires, the students gave their express consent to participate in this research and were informed that the data would be treated under strict confidentiality according to current regulations.

The first meeting in which we discussed the questionnaires that we were going to use was held in December 2016. After dismissing those which were not related to the scope of our research, we had the final version in February 2017. Later on, the questionnaires were completed by the teacher trainees while doing their teaching praxis at schools in May 2017. Additionally, the following academic year, in May 2018, we administered the same questionnaires to another cohort in order to obtain more participants and significant data. This month was chosen because it is when they finish the practicum of foreign language specialty and in this way the students have a general and complete vision of their formative period both at the faculty and in schools. They were conducted during two academic years, because in the context where the research is carried out the annual graduates do not exceed 40 and the study required a minimum number of informants.

To conduct this research we have followed major ethical issues, since we are dealing with people and their personal and private data [30]. First, all the participants signed an informed consent wherein they agreed to participate freely in the study. In addition, data have been treated with strict respect for anonymity and confidentiality, for which all the questionnaires were anonymized. Both administration teams at the Faculty of Education (eliminated for anonymity in the review) and the schools involved were informed about the objectives and processes related to this study.

3. Results

First, we will consider as a criterion or response variable the success in school life and as predictor variables or regressors the emotional intelligence (the mean total of the test is taken), the burnout syndrome (total mean of the test) as well as the distress of the teaching profession (the mean totals of each subscale are considered individually: intrinsic motivation, expectations of good professional performance, professional distress, professional exhaustion and irrational beliefs, since they do not have similar scalar alternatives). In any case, before implementing the multiple linear regression analysis, we will check if it is convenient to develop it. For this, we will calculate a correlation matrix of all the variables with the others. The results in this regard can be seen in the following

Table 1. Correlation matrix of the criterion variable with all the regressors or predictors considered. Source: own elaboration.

Success in School Life (CRITERION) Title 2		Correlations, Associated Statistical Significance and Sample Size
Correlated with the Following PREDICTORS	Pearson Correlation	Sig. (Bilateral)	n
Intrinsic motivation (distress)	0.428 ***	0.000	88
Expec. good professional performance (distress)	0.210 *	0.049	88
Professional distress (distress)	−0.136	0.208	88
Professional exhaustion (distress)	−0.235 *	0.028	88
Irrational beliefs (distress)	−0.113	0.296	88
Emotional intelligence	0.449 ***	0.000	88
Burnout syndrome	−0.403 ***	0.000	88

Statistically significant: * p < 0.05, *** p < 0.001.

:

Based on the results obtained, we will try to interpret them to determine whether the multiple linear regression analysis is plausible. First, we must note that many of the calculated coefficients are close to r = ±0.5. If we adhere to the strict indications of the quantitative data analysis manuals, we would be facing moderately weak correlations. However, the reality is different and a correlation is important enough when it is associated with significance levels, at least p < 0.05, since we can reject the null hypothesis that the correlation is equal to or close to 0 (Ho: r = 0). As we can see, five of the seven correlations are associated with p < 0.05 levels (except for professional distress and irrational beliefs); that is, they can be considered correlations important enough to be able to carry out a multiple linear regression analysis with guarantees of success. In any case, we can observe the predictors related to success in school life from highest to lowest importance in this order: emotional intelligence (+) > intrinsic motivation (+) > burnout syndrome (–) > professional exhaustion (–) > expectations of good professional performance (+) > professional distress (–) > irrational beliefs (–).

Regarding the sign or direction of the correlations obtained, we can see how those predictors with positive connotations also obtain positive correlations, that is, that when their levels increase so does success in school life and vice versa. Those with negative connotations obtain negative correlations, that is, when their levels increase those of success in school life decrease and vice versa.

With all these precedents, we find sufficient guarantees to implement a multiple linear regression analysis with the following characteristics:

• Method: Stepwise.
• Probability criteria of F to enter the model ≤0.05.
• Probability criteria of F to leave or be eliminated from the model ≥0.01.

Next, we present the main results of the multiple linear regression analysis (

Table 2. Predictors eliminated in the model in each step (steps 1 and 2). Source: own elaboration.

Predictors Removed at Each Step		Coefficients β	T	Sig.	Partial Correlation	Collinearity Statistics
						Tolerance
1.	Intrinsic motivation (distress)	0.296 b	2.937	0.004	0.303	0.841
	Burnout syndrome	−0.219 b	−1.900	0.061	−0.202	0.680
	Expec. good professional performance (distress)	0.083 b	0.826	0.411	0.089	0.912
	Professional distress (distress)	−0.042 b	−0.420	0.675	−0.046	0.954
	Professional exhaustion (distress)	−0.108 b	−1.072	0.287	−0.116	0.908
	Irrational beliefs (distress)	−0.052 b	−0.529	0.598	−0.057	0.981
2.	Burnout syndrome	−0.162 c	−1.427	0.157	−0.154	0.655
	Expec. good professional performance (distress)		−0.617	0.539	−0.067	0.702
	Professional distress (distress)	−0.073 c	−0.763	0.448	−0.083	0.943
	Professional exhaustion (distress)	−0.094 c	−0.967	0.337	−0.105	0.905
	Irrational beliefs (distress)	−0.150 c	−1.547	0.126	−0.166	0.888

^a—dependent variable: success in school life; ^b—predictors in the model: a + b₁ emotional intelligence; ^c—predictors in the model: a + b₁ intrinsic motivation + b₂ emotional intelligence.

):

As seen in the previous table, the multiple linear regression model calculated by the stepwise method has resulted in the presence of two stages. In the first, it can be seen how six (all with p ≥ 0.01) of the seven predictors have been eliminated, with the only exception being emotional intelligence. In the second and final step, five (all with p ≥ 0.01) of the seven predictors were eliminated, leaving emotional intelligence and intrinsic motivation as the only two predictors of success in school life.

Interesting is also the information provided by the partial correlation coefficients of the regressor (predictor variables) as well as the tolerance indices of each of them.

Regarding the partial correlation coefficients of each predictor, we must emphasize that they allow determining the specific contributions of each of them apart from what they share with the other predictors. Given that frequently the regressors are correlated with each other, this type of correlation is helpful to discern what they contribute individually.

In our particular case, it is the intrinsic motivation predictor or regressor variable that obtains the highest R_p = 0.303 in step 1, which can be interpreted as an individual contribution to the explained variance of success in school life close to 10% ((0.303)² × 100), while it is the variable of professional distress, in the same step (step 1), which obtains the lowest R_p = −0.046, with an individual contribution to the explained variance of success in school life close to 2% ((0.303)² × 100).

For the collinearity statistics (linear dependence between them and which is not desirable for the calculation of a multiple linear regression analysis), tolerance indices close to unity have been achieved in almost all cases. We can consider, therefore, that the collinearity of the different predictors indicates the low collinearity between them, which is why it is easier to distinguish the influence of each regressor.

Regarding the summary of the inferred model (model 2 or final), it can be seen in the immediately following

Table 3. Summary of the model. Source: own elaboration.

Summary of the Model
Model	R	R Squared	R Squared Fit	Standard Error of the Estimate
1	0.449 a	0.202	0.193	0.785
2	0.525 b	0.275	0.258	0.783

^a—predictors in the model: a + b₁ emotional intelligence. ^b—predictors in the model: a + b₁ intrinsic motivation + b₂ emotional intelligence.

how a multiple correlation coefficient R = 0.525 has been achieved. This was considered variance explained by the multiple coefficients of determination or adjusted quadratic R (adjusted R² = 0.258), an explained variance of the model close to 26%, associated with a standard error of the estimate SEE = 0.753. It is a very low value that indicates, beforehand, that we are dealing with a model with a good fit and therefore with good predictive power.

Regarding the values of the constant (a) and the coefficients (b), as seen in

Table 4. Values of the constant (a) and of the coefficients (b) in the inferred multiple regression equation. Source: own elaboration.

Predictors of the Model in Each Step		Nonstandardized Coefficients (a and b)		Standardized Coefficients	T	Sig.
		B	Standard Error	Beta
1.	(Constant) (a)	4.357	0.794		5.485	0.000 ***
	Intrinsic motivation (distress) b1	0.701	0.150	0.449	4.665	0.000 ***
2.	(Constant)	3.260	0.848		3.843	0.000 ***
	Emotional intelligence b1	0.517	0.157	0.332	3.293	0.001 ***
	Intrinsic motivation (distress) b2	0.325	0.111	0.296	2.937	0.004 **
a. Dependent variable: success in school life

Statistically significant: ** p < 0.01 *** p < 0.001.

, in the inferred multiple regression equation, we can see that all have been statistically significant at levels p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, being as follows in statistics notation:

Y _{Success in school life} = 3.260 + 0.517 _{Emotional intellig.} X₁ + 0.325 _{Intrinsic motiv.} X₂ ± 0.753

As we can see, the regression equation, after eliminating five predictors in step 2, has been made up of only two regressors. These two predictors are emotional intelligence and intrinsic motivation, which can be considered in the particular case of the sample under investigation as the most accurate predictors (with a tolerable degree of uncertainty) to predict future success in school life.

Regarding our regression equation, each of the coefficients can be interpreted as follows. In relation to the constant or intercept (a = 3.260), we must clarify that it is the value of success in school life when each of the predictors (X₁ and X₂) are equal to 0.

In reference to the slopes or tangents (b₁ = 0.517 and b₂ = 0.325), we can interpret that they are the incremental units of success in school life when both emotional intelligence and intrinsic motivation grow by one unit.

Finally, an analysis of variance was calculated to determine the contributions of the regression (which is capable of explaining the model) and the residuals (which are not capable of explaining the model). If we look at

Table 5. ANOVA between regression and residuals of the multiple linear regression analysis. Source: own elaboration.

ANOVA a
Model		Sum of Squares	Gl	Root Mean Square	F	Sig.
1	Regression	13.441	1	13.441	21.764	0.000 b
	Residual	53.114	86	0.618
	Total	66.555	87
2	Regression	18.334	2	9.167	16.158	0.000 c
	Residual	48.222	85	0.567
	Total	66.555	87

^a—dependent variable: success in school life; ^b—predictors in the model: a + b₁ emotional intelligence; ^c—predictors in the model: a + b₁ intrinsic motivation + b₂ emotional intelligence.

, it can be seen how in model 2 (the definitive model) that although the amount of explanation is less than what it cannot explain the differences between the two are statistically significant (p < 0.001). For this reason, we can state that it is a well-adjusted model with good predictive power.

Finally, the supporting information about the level of means and standard deviations can be found in Appendix A in order not to exceed the extension of this paper.

4. Discussion

The statistical study has shown that the two factors of teacher well-being that are capable of predicting the success in the future school life of foreign language trainee teachers are intrinsic motivation and emotional intelligence.

These data agree with the studies of Agezo [31] and Dolton and Marcenaro-Gutierrez [32], who substantiated that intrinsic motivation is a capital factor associated with teacher well-being. The intrinsic motivation towards teaching, closely related to vocational motivation to be teachers, as indicated by 89.8% of the informants, makes them show interest in the teaching processes, get excited and develop confidence in performing the tasks. Additionally, as these authors indicate, it is directly related to a better performance and motivation of students, more perseverance and commitment, more creativity, more ability to develop activities, more ability to create opportunities for autonomous learning and, consequently, the well-being of teachers and their own self-esteem are greater, creating positive emotions. If we consider this motivational system bidirectional, a more motivated student body will, in turn, cause teachers to increase their teaching well-being. In this sense, recent research has shown that high levels of well-being will increase teachers’ creativity as well as it will enhance personal and professional well-being in both agents involved, that is, teachers and students [33,34]. Furthermore, Gregensen et al. [35] agree, after studying teachers’ stressors, that developing teachers’ educational well-being will lead to gaining positive classroom atmospheres, earning trust with the various participants involved, rising motivation and lessening misbehavior; therefore, maintaining mental and physical health will lead to teaching to the maximum of their potential [6,35,36].

Mercer, Oberdorfer and Saleem [16] contend that studies on the motivation of language teachers are very scarce mainly due to the emphasis placed on student motivation since the advent of learner-centered teaching. However, there are issues such as linguistic competence, power, status dynamics and policies of the native–nonnative binomial that deserve to be studied in depth from the social psychology of motivation.

The other great pillar with predictive power comes from the hands of emotional intelligence, which, as Aelterman et al. [13] describe their definition of well-being, is a positive emotional state. In this sense, it has been worked extensively on programs of emotional intelligence and socioemotional competence to reduce stress and promote physical and psychological well-being to achieve success in the school life of teachers, improve teacher–student relationships, achieve social success and manage the correct behavior of a class (Vesely, Saklofske and Nordstokke [37]; Hansen [38]; Palomera, Fernández-Berrocal and Brackett [39]; Talbot and Mercer [40]; Guijarro-Ojeda and Cardoso-Pulido [8]). This importance of emotional intelligence is also shown by Yin, Huang and Wang [41] in the Chinese context, where teachers claim the need to be able to freely express their emotions and to not be continually subjected to controlling them through their silencing. This strategy of emotional expression to combat academic stress is also highlighted by early childhood education pre-service teachers (Valdivieso-León et al. [24]).

Specifically, programs such as emotional intelligence in the classroom managed to increase the emotional intelligence of teachers, reduce occupational stress and increase physical and psychological well-being [38]. In Canada, the study by Vesely et al. [37], after five weeks of intervention in emotional intelligence with teachers in training, showed a significant increase in emotionality, resilience, effectiveness, well-being and, alternatively, a decrease in the levels of declared stress and anxiety. The Advanced Training in Emotional Competence program implemented by Gilar-Corbi, Pozo-Rico and Castejón-Costa [42] in Spain, Moldova and Argentina also reports positive results in university students of multiple specialties where in the Spanish context, it is carried out in the Degree of Primary Education.

Another line of work, closely related to emotional intelligence, has been to implement programs to create resilience in teachers based on learning communities. They follow a relational resilience model based on the development of empowerment, mutuality and courage. It focuses on the complexities of personal and professional dynamics in the interaction of individuals in their contexts of trainee teachers (McKay and Barton [43]; Cook et al. [44]). In this regard, Hiver and Dörnyei [45] coin the concept of ‘teacher immunity’, referring to the creation of a shell in the process of resilience that helps them manage their occupational lives. This may result in a double-edged sword since it can lead to innovation and creativity to overcome or, on the contrary, it can hide continuous professional progress leading to stiffness and conservative positions.

In this line, the work of Nguyen [46] in the Australian context examines during the internship the work with peers as a means of emotional and collaborative support. In this way, stress and the feeling of isolation are reduced, helping to build and strengthen their self-esteem as well as their identity as teachers. The creation of spaces to debate and share personal experiences without being judged is also of paramount importance, which has proven to be effective in raising their sense of well-being.

As indicated by the studies of Palomera et al. [39] or Thieman, Henry and Kitchel [47], teacher well-being has a strong and consistent internal structure, whose identification can greatly help improve teacher training programs, where the political powers, universities and educational centers must deliberately and efficiently intervene.

5. Conclusions

This study pursued the objective of knowing which factors of the complex construct of teacher well-being had the ability to predict professional success in the professional career of foreign language teachers in training. Nonetheless, this research has two main limitations: (1) the cultural background homogeneity of the cohort; and (2) the scarcity of scientific literature devoted to foreign language student–teacher well-being, which limits the discussion of the results. Notwithstanding, these features play an important role in developing further research.

Within the variables that encompass teacher well-being, intrinsic motivation, expectations about good professional performance, professional distress, professional exhaustion, irrational beliefs, emotional intelligence and burnout were analyzed. Within the framework of success in school life, the following variables have been studied: relationship with classmates, relationship with students, participation in class, leadership, attention and concentration ability, organization ability, emotions—assertiveness, reasoned discrepancy ability, ability to think about oneself, ability to overcome difficulties, willpower and perseverance and creativity.

When the predictors are correlated with the total values of success in school life through multiple linear regression, the main result is that the only two factors capable of predicting success in school life are the intrinsic motivation and emotional intelligence of the foreign language student teachers.

This result has capital value when reviewing the training that these teachers receive at the faculty and in the schools during their internship, because it is at this stage where studies indicate that the well-being of teachers begins to consolidate or erode. This confirms, in line with numerous international studies, the need to return to training in teacher well-being and affectivity that have been forgotten in teacher training curricula to a great extent where academic content predominates. All this, in a profession that has a marked emotional character and in numerous contexts a strong abandonment of it in its different stages as well as a high rate of loss of physical and mental balance during its development.