Intercultural Communicative Competence, Emotional Intelligence, and English Proficiency Among Iraqi Preservice EFL Teachers: An Exploratory Moderation Analysis

Amini, Davoud; Yalsharzeh, Reza; Al-Khafaji, Murtadha Hameed Abdulridha

doi:10.22049/jalda.2026.31988.2075

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

¹ Associate Professor in ELT, Department of English, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran

² Assistant Professor of Translation Studies, Department of English, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran

³ MA in ELT, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22049/jalda.2026.31988.2075

Abstract

Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is widely held to underpin effective English language teaching, yet little is known about whether its association with preservice EFL teachers’ own English proficiency depends on their emotional intelligence (EI). This exploratory study examined whether EI, treated both as a composite construct and through its five competency-based components, moderates this association among Iraqi preservice EFL teachers. A convenience sample of 163 student teachers at the University of Baghdad completed self-report ICC and a teacher-focused EI scale assessing self-awareness, managing emotions, motivating oneself, empathy, and social skills, alongside a free 25-item Cambridge English online general English test. Six simple moderation models were estimated using PROCESS Model 1, with inferences based on heteroscedasticity-consistent (HC3) standard errors and Holm adjustment across the six interaction tests. Participants reported moderate ICC and EI, and ICC was positively associated with proficiency in all models. Composite EI was associated with proficiency additively but did not moderate the ICC–proficiency association. Among the components, only empathy showed a robust interaction, with a stronger ICC–proficiency association among participants reporting higher empathy. A negative interaction for managing emotions did not survive the multiplicity adjustment, the negative interaction for social skills was not significant under robust estimation, and self-awareness and motivating oneself showed no moderating effect. The findings suggest that composite EI scores may mask differences among components and that the role of empathy merits confirmatory, longitudinal research using proctored proficiency measures.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Language teacher education

Article Title [Persian]

شایستگی ارتباطی بین‌فرهنگی، هوش هیجانی و مهارت زبان انگلیسی در میان معلمان عراقیِ در حال آموزشِ زبان انگلیسی: تحلیل تعدیل‌گر اکتشافی

Authors [Persian]

دکتر داود امینی ¹
دکتر رضا یل شرزه ²
مرتضی حمید عبدالرضا الخفاجی ³

¹ دانشیار آموزش زبان انگلیسی، گروه زبان انگلیسی، دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه شهید مدنی آذربایجان، تبریز، ایران

² استادیار مطالعات ترجمه، گروه زبان انگلیسی، دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه شهید مدنی آذربایجان، تبریز، ایران

³ کارشناس ارشد آموزش زبان انگلیسی، دانشگاه شهید مدنی آذربایجان، تبریز، ایران

Abstract [Persian]

شایستگی ارتباطی بین فرهنگی به طور گسترده به عنوان زیربنای آموزش مؤثر زبان انگلیسی در نظر گرفته می‌شود، اما دانش موجود در مورد احتمال وابستگی ارتباط این توانش با مهارت زبان انگلیسی معلمان زبان انگلیسی به عنوان زبان خارجی در دوره پیش از خدمت به هوش هیجانی آنها کامل نیست. این مطالعه اکتشافی به بررسی نقش تعدیل کنندگی هوش هیجانی، هم به عنوان یک سازه مرکب و هم از طریق پنج مؤلفه مبتنی بر شایستگی، در رابطه بین شایستگی ارتباطی بین فرهنگی و مهارت زبان انگلیسی در میان معلمان عراقی زبان انگلیسی به عنوان زبان خارجی در دوره پیش از خدمت پرداحته است. نمونه ای در دسترس از 163 دانشجو-معلم در دانشگاه بغداد، پرسشنامه خودگزارش‌دهی شایستگی ارتباطی بین فرهنگی و یک مقیاس هوش هیجانی متمرکز بر معلم را که پنج مؤلفه خودآگاهی، مدیریت احساسات، انگیزه بخشی به خود، همدلی و مهارت‌های اجتماعی را ارزیابی می کرد، در کنار یک آزمون آنلاین انگلیسی عمومی 25 سؤالی کمبریج تکمیل کردند. شش مدل تعدیل ساده با استفاده از مدل PROCESS 1، با استنتاج‌های مبتنی بر خطاهای استاندارد سازگار با ناهمسانی واریانس (HC3) و تعدیل هولم در شش آزمون تعاملی، تخمین زده شد. شرکت‌کنندگان، شایستگی ارتباطی میان فرهنگی و هوش هیجانی متوسطی را گزارش کردند و شایستگی ارتباطی میان فرهنگی به طور مثبت با مهارت زبان انگلیسی در همه مدل‌ها مرتبط بود. هوش هیجانی کل به طور فزاینده‌ای با مهارت مرتبط بود، اما ارتباط شایستگی ارتباطی میان فرهنگی با مهارت انگلیسی را تعدیل نکرد. در میان مؤلفه‌ها، تنها همدلی تعامل قوی نشان داد، و ارتباط شایستگی ارتباطی میان فرهنگی و مهارت در بین شرکت‌کنندگانی که همدلی بالاتری را گزارش کردند، قوی‌تر بود. تعامل منفی برای مدیریت احساسات تحت تأثیر تعدیل چندگانه قرار نگرفت؛ تعامل منفی برای مهارت‌های اجتماعی نیز تحت تخمین قوی معنی‌دار نشد؛ و خودآگاهی و انگیزه بخشی به خویش هیچ اثر تعدیل‌کننده‌ای نشان ندادند. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد که نمرات هوش هیجانی ترکیبی ممکن است تفاوت‌های بین مؤلفه‌ها را پنهان نماید و نقش همدلی شایسته تحقیقات طولی و تأییدی با استفاده از معیارهای مهارت کنترل‌شده است.

Keywords [Persian]

شایستگی ارتباطی بین‌فرهنگی
هوش هیجانی
مهارت زبان انگلیسی
معلمان زبان انگلیسی پیش از خدمت
تربیت معلم

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Intercultural Communicative Competence, Emotional Intelligence, and English Proficiency Among Iraqi Preservice EFL Teachers: An Exploratory Moderation Analysis

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References

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript Available Online from 12 October 2026

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 12 October 2026