PERCEIVED EMOTIONAL VIOLENCE AS A PREDICTOR OF TEACHER MOTIVATION

Teachers’ motivation plays a critical role in ensuring the quality and sustainability of educational processes; however, negative interpersonal dynamics within the school environment can adversely affect this motivation. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teachers’ motivation levels and the emotional violence they experience in the workplace. Employing a predictive correlational design within the quantitative research model, the study sample consists of 360 teachers working in public and private schools in two southeastern provinces of Türkiye during the 2024-2025 academic year. Data were collected using the “Emotional Violence Scale” and the “Motivation Scale.” Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient, and regression analyses were used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that teachers’ perceived levels of emotional violence are low, while their motivation levels are relatively high. The correlation analysis revealed a significant negative relationship between emotional violence and motivation. Furthermore, regression analyses demonstrated that emotional violence is a significant predictor of teachers’ motivation levels, with communication-based attacks emerging as the most influential subdimension negatively affecting motivation. Based on these results, it is recommended that schools implement awareness-raising programs to prevent emotional violence, conduct communication-enhancing professional development activities, and adopt institutional policies aimed at strengthening teacher motivation. Keywords: emotional violence, teacher motivation, correlational model