The predicting role of EFL teachers’ loving pedagogy practice in the dynamics of emotional literacy and professional development: a longitudinal latent growth curve model (LGCM) analysis

Abstract The role of love-based education has recently received a growing surge of attention among scholars in second/foreign language (L2) contexts. However, there is a shortage of evidence regarding the predictive power of loving pedagogy (LP) practices in English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ affect and professionalism. To fill this lacuna, the present study set out to unveil the dynamics of change, correlation, and predictability of teachers’ emotional literacy (EL) and teacher professional development (TPD) in light of LP practice. A sample comprising 239 Iranian EFL teachers completed a battery of scales over three time periods of a course. Taking these variables as person-centered ones that may change heterogeneously for individuals over time, this longitudinal study used a latent growth curve model (LGCM) approach to analyze the data. Significant growth and correlation between EL and TPD were observed at all stages, with a heterogeneous pattern of change over time. Furthermore, it was found that LP functioned as a significant predictor of both EL and TPD. It could also significantly predict the pattern of change in both variables. The results are discussed separately in light of prior theoretical and empirical foundations, and implications are presented to EFL teachers, teacher educators, policymakers, and language institutes to augment their emotional awareness and literacy in L2 education as triggers of welcoming a love-and-heart-based pedagogy and professionalism.