ABSTRACT
In order to shed light on the intrapersonal mechanisms that underlie the teaching in the blended learning environment, which implies the integration of complementary face-to-face and online approaches, we focused on the relationship between teachers' self-efficacy and motivation for teaching, with reference to the mediating role of teachers' emotional experiences. The sample included 341 subject teachers from Serbian primary schools, who use the blended learning model in teaching (84% female;average age 43.97 years). The Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale, Emotions in Teaching Inventory - Revised, and Autonomous Motivation for Teaching Scale were used to examine the variables of interest. The overall fit of the mediated model to the data was adequate, confirming the mediating role of teachers' emotions in the relationship between the studied motivational constructs. The results indicate that the motivation for teaching in a blended learning environment relies on self-efficacy in instructional strategies and self-efficacy in classroom management, which partially act through the emotions concerning the experience of tension.
ABSTRACT
The current COVID-19 pandemic represents an accidental crisis of global proportions that requires humanity to adaptively cope with unknown and low-control stressors. This research aimed to explore coping mechanisms by first considering them in the domain of their factor structure and then examining their mediating role in the relationship between stress perception and precautionary measures in the context of a pandemic. The sample included a total of 582 adult respondents from Serbia (75.7% female), with an average age of 38.74 years (SD = 10.48). The Brief COPE (Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced) scale was used to measure coping mechanisms, the Perceived Stress Scale was used to assess the perception of the stress level, and the propensity to adhere to the prescribed precautions was examined with a scale constructed for the purpose of this study. The exploratory factor analysis extracted seven coping strategies. The first corresponded to problem-focused confrontation, the second referred to emotion-focused confrontation, three isolated dimensions were associated with avoidance coping strategies, while the functions of Humor and Religion could not be clearly defined. After conducting a higher-order factor analysis, two factors were singled out: The first, which combined problem-focused and emotion-focused coping, Humor, and Religion, and the second, which brought together mechanisms aimed at avoidance coping. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis suggested significant partial mediating effects of coping mechanisms. The first higherorder factor enhanced the effects of stress perception on the practice of precautionary behavior, while the second higherorder factor reduced these effects. The obtained results raise the question of adequacy of the standard coping mechanism measuring instruments in the assessment of stress caused by an accidental crisis and further question the possibility of an adequate response to stressors that are unknown and poorly controllable. © 2020 Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Serbia. All rights reserved.