Interaction of Creativity, Mindfulness, and Educational Competence in TEFL and Non-TEFL Graduates

Abstract

Background and Aim: The official international language is English, which is a means of communication between different nations to achieve communication and academic goals, and it is mainly involved in creating communication between people. Students' progress in learning English is directly affected by the quality and expertise of teachers. Teachers' educational competence can be affected by various factors, including creativity and mindfulness. Accordingly, this study was conducted to examine the interaction between creativity, mindfulness, educational competence in TEFL and non-TEFL graduates. Methods: This was a correlational study for which 318 teachers were selected by simple random sampling. Data were collected using the Ryan (2014) Creativity Skills Training Questionnaire and the Bauer et al. (2004) Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients and simple regression. Results: The results indicated that there was a significant relationship between creativity and educational competence in TEFL and non-TEFL graduates (P = 0.05). Moreover, there was a significant positive relationship between mindfulness and educational competence in the TEFL group (P = 0.01). However, there was no significant difference between these factors in the non-TEFL group (P <0.05). The results also suggested that there was a significant positive relationship between mindfulness and creativity in TEFL and non-TEFL groups (P = 0.01) and that there was a significant difference between the two groups (TEFL and non-TEFL teachers) in terms of educational competence (P = 0.01). Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be concluded that educational background directly affects mindfulness. This study can help TEFL and non-TEFL teachers in different ways and update their knowledge. It also makes teachers think that creativity in teaching, mindfulness, and educational competence can help the class progress