Abstract:

Socio-emotional competences have been increasingly recognised as key to the promotion of both students’ learning and teachers’ psychological well-being. At the same time, growing professional demands such as high emotional demands, workload pressure and multiple professional responsibilities have contributed to higher levels of stress and burnout among teachers. Within this context, understanding the role of socio-emotional competences in supporting teachers’ well-being has become particularly relevant. This study explores the relationship between social-emotional competences, burnout indicators, and teacher well-being among lower and upper secondary school teachers in Portugal.

A mixed-method research design, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches was used to analyse the data collected through an online questionnaire applied to 226 teachers between July and December 2025. This survey targeted four main components:
(i) the assessment of social-emotional competences;
(ii) indicators of burnout and psychological stress,
(iii) indicators of well-being and,
(iv) teachers’ perceptions of social-emotional training in initial teacher education programmes.

Results indicate that participants report high levels of socio-emotional competence, particularly in areas such as responsibility, empathy, cooperation and the ability to establish positive interpersonal relationships. These findings suggest that teachers demonstrate strong relational and ethical orientations in their professional practice. However, emotional regulation under pressure, conflict management, assertiveness and creative problem-solving seem to be less consistently mobilized.

Conclusions also reveal moderate but persistent levels of emotional exhaustion and psychological distress, reflecting the cumulative impact of professional demands. Despite this, teachers maintain strong professional commitment and low levels of mental detachment, suggesting the presence of protective factors related to professional purpose and relational engagement.

Teacher well-being appears strongly associated to satisfaction in pedagogical practice and professional autonomy, while institutional support, work–life balance, and recognition emerge as more fragile areas. Overall, the results suggest that although teachers demonstrate significant socio-emotional resources, the sustainability of teacher well-being depends, not only on individual competences, but also on organisational conditions and the integration of socio-emotional training within initial teacher education.

Keywords:

Socio-emotional competences, teacher burnout, well-being.