Preschool teachers’ ability to manage problem behaviours in their classroom: can it be predicted by teacher self-efficacy and emotional literacy

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Objective: Management of problematic behaviors (MPB) in the classroom is one of the important components of the teaching process and it is among the issues that teachers worry about in the education process. Preschool teachers often encounter problematic behaviors as the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development processes of children in their classrooms are still incomplete. Therefore, it is important to examine preschool teachers' ability to MPB and to determine the related factors. The aim of this descriptive study determined the relationship of preschool teachers' ability to MPB in their classrooms to teacher self-efficacy and emotional literacy. Method: The sample of the study consists of 381 preschool teachers (working in schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in different cities of Turkey. Preschool Classroom Management Scale, Emotional Literacy Scale and Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis techniques were used to analyse the data. Results: This study confirms that preschool teachers' ability in MPB in their classrooms are moderately related to emotional literacy skills. In addition, it was determined that there is a moderate relationship between the ability of preschool teachers to MPB in their classrooms and their teacher self-efficacy. Conclusion: The findings draw our attention to the importance of teachers' efficacies and emotional abilities in improving schools and the general teaching environment.