ABSTRACT
The teachers' working self-efficacy corresponds to teachers' beliefs in their ability to effectively handle challenges related to their professional activity and how they consider themselves capable of solving them. To date, this sense of self-efficacy has been strained by the COVID-19 health emergency, which has led to social distancing with the rise of online teaching and use of digital learning systems. The present study investigates how teachers perceived their self-efficacy and the impact of the emergency on their digital and distance relationships. 21 female teachers (professional seniority M = 20.45 years, DS = 11.47 years;kindergarten = 5, primary school = 11, middle school = 5) filled in a survey, on a 5-points Likert scale and an open-ended questionon the perception of efficacy. Results revealed a positive association between working self-efficacy with the perception of the influence of online teaching and learning in the management of relationships with students and a negative association with colleagues, while it is almost absent related to families. The qualitative analysis revealed three core domains: personal (e.g., creativity), interpersonal (e.g., interactions) and digital (e.g., use of online platforms). Despite the small sample, that prevents us from a generalization of the results, the challenges produced by unpredictable situations and the use of digital devices motivate and encourage teachers to search for adaptive strategies. This should orientate to specific education practices in relationships management for in-service teachers. © 2021 Copyright for this paper by its authors.