Transnational English language teacher wellbeing: An ecological perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.viIX.29881Keywords:
EFL teachers; ecology; private high schools (colleges); positive psychology; transnational teachers; wellbeingAbstract
Teacher wellbeing has recently received enormous research attention, especially post-pandemic after teachers functioned as stress absorbers in society. However, there is a group of teachers who have escaped the scrutinizing lens of researchers. Transnational teachers who leave their homeland with the hopes of a better job opportunity are an under-researched group of teachers, whose wellbeing is potentially affected by diverse factors. This article aims to uncover how major changes in expatriate teachers’ professional lives such as immigration can influence their wellbeing from an ecological perspective drawing on Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecology of human development theory. To this end, online interviews were conducted with a group of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers (N = 6) who have immigrated to Türkiye and work in Turkish private high schools. Thematic analysis of the interview data highlighted more satisfactory levels of wellbeing in these teachers compared to their counterparts residing in Iran. However, minute levels of stress were identified in these teachers that could be handled through proper planning, and techniques like finding silver linings from positive psychology. Further findings that have implications for policymakers are discussed in light of positive psychology.
Downloads
References
Alves, R., Lopes, T., & Precioso, J. (2021). Teachers’ well-being in times of Covid-19 pandemic: Factors that explain professional well-being. International Journal of Educational Research and Innovation, 15, 203–217. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.46661/ijeri.5120
Barbieri, B., Sulis, I., Porcu, M., & Toland, M. D. (2019). Italian teachers’ well-being within the high school context: Evidence from a large scale survey. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01926
Barkhuizen, G., Benson, P., & Chik, A. (2013). Narrative inquiry in language teaching and learning research. Routledge.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
Büro, G. (2022). Applications for Extension of Work Permits of Foreigners. Göçmen Büro. Retrieved June 22, 2023 from https://gocmenburo.com/en/applications-for-extension-of-work-permits-of-foreigners/
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2004). Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research. John Wiley & Sons.
Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Csikszentmihalyi, I. S. (2006). A life worth living: Contributions to positive psychology. Oxford University Press.
Dewaele, J. M., Chen, X., Padilla, A. M., & Lake, J. (2019). The flowering of positive psychology in foreign language teaching and acquisition research. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(SEP), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02128
Dörnyei, Z. (2018). Foreword. In S. Mercer & A. Kostoulas (Eds.), Language teacher psychology. Multilingual Matters.
Dreer, B. (2022). Teacher well-being: Investigating the contributions of school climate and job crafting. Cogent Education, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2044583
Ebadijalal, M., & Moradkhani, S. (2022). Understanding EFL teachers’ wellbeing: An activity theoretic perspective. Language Teaching Research, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688221125558
Falk, D., Shephard, D., & Mendenhall, M. (2022). “I always take their problem as mine” – Understanding the relationship between teacher-student relationships and teacher well-being in crisis contexts. International Journal of Educational Development, 95, 102670. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2022.102670
Gillespie, N. A., Walsh, M., Winefield, A. H., Dua, J., & Stough, C. (2001). Occupational stress in universities: Staff perceptions of the causes, consequences and moderators of stress. Work & Stress, 15(1), 53–72.
Greenier, V. & Connor, A. (in press). Exploring the wellbeing and identity of EMI lecturers at a UK university’s international branch campus. In A. Feryok & R. Askaribigdeli (Eds.), Language teacher identity and well-being. Multilingual Matters.
Greenier, V., Derakhshan, A., & Fathi, J. (2021). Emotion regulation and psychological well-being in teacher work engagement: A case of British and Iranian English language teachers. System, 97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102446
Gregersen, T., MacIntyre, P. D., & Macmillan, N. (2020). Dealing with the emotions of teaching abroad: Searching for silver linings in a difficult context. In Ch. Gkonou, J. M. Dewaele, & J. King (Eds.), The emotional rollercoaster of language teaching (pp. 228–246). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781788928342-017
Gregersen, T., Mercer, S., MacIntyre, P., Talbot, K., & Banga, C. A. (2020). Understanding language teacher wellbeing: An ESM study of daily stressors and uplifts. Language Teaching Research, 24, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820965897
Hack-Polay, D. (2012). When home isn’t home: A study of homesickness and coping strategies among migrant workers and expatriates. International Journal of Psychological Studies, 4(3), 62–72.
Hapsari, A. G. S. (2020). Investigating non-formal EFL teachers’ wellbeing in an English course in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Language Circle: Journal of Language and Literature, 14(2), 168–175. https://doi.org/10.15294/lc.v14i2.22828
Harding, S., Morris, R., Gunnell, D., Ford, T., Hollingworth, W., Tilling, K., Evans, R., Bell, S., Grey, J., Brockman, R., Campbell, R., Araya, R., Murphy, S., & Kidger, J. (2019). Is teachers’ mental health and wellbeing associated with students’ mental health and wellbeing? Journal of Affective Disorders, 242, 180–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.08.080
Härkönen, U. (2007). The Bronfenbrenner ecological systems theory of human development. Scientific articles of V International conference, 1-19.
Hiver, P. (2018). Teach strong: The power of teacher resilience for L2 practitioners. In S. Mercer & A. Kostoulas (Eds.), Language teacher psychology (pp. 231-246). Multilingual Matters.
Hofstadler, N., Babic, S., Lämmerer, A., Mercer, S., & Oberdorfer, P. (2021). The ecology of CLIL teachers in Austria–an ecological perspective on CLIL teachers’ wellbeing. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 15(3), 218–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2020.1739050
Işıklı, C., & Tarakçıoğlu, A. Ö. (2017). Investigating problems of English literature teaching to EFL high school students in Turkey with focus on language proficiency. Dergipark, 13(2), 82–95. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/440756
Jin, J., Mercer, S., Babic, S., & Mairitsch, A. (2021). ‘You just appreciate every little kindness’: Chinese language teachers’ wellbeing in the UK. System, 96, 102400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102400
Kern, M. L., Waters, L., Adler, A., & White, M. (2014). Assessing employee wellbeing in schools using a multifaceted approach: Associations with physical health, life satisfaction, and professional thriving. Psychology, 05(06), 500–513. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2014.56060
Kyriacou, C. (2001). Teacher stress: Directions for future research. Educational Review, 53(1), 27–35.
Leiter, M.P. and Maslach, C. (1999). Six areas of work-life: A model of the organizational context of burnout. Journal of Health and Human Resources Administration, 21, 472–489.
MacIntyre, P. D., Gregersen, T., & Mercer, S. (2020). Language teachers’ coping strategies during the Covid-19 conversion to online teaching: Correlations with stress, wellbeing and negative emotions. System, 94, 102352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102352
MacIntyre, P. D., Ross, J., Talbot, K., Mercer, S., Gregersen, T., & Banga, C. A. (2019). Stressors, personality and wellbeing among language teachers. System, 82, 26–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.02.013
Mairitsch, A., Babic, S., Mercer, S., Sulis, G., Jin, J., & King, J. (2021). Being a student, becoming a teacher: The wellbeing of pre-service language teachers in Austria and the UK. Teaching and Teacher Education, 106, 103452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103452
McKay, L., & Barton, G. (2018). Exploring how arts-based reflection can support teachers’ resilience and well-being. Teaching and Teacher Education, 75, 356–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.07.012
Mercer, S. (2021). An agenda for well-being in ELT: An ecological perspective. ELT Journal, 75(1), 14–21.
Mercer, S., & Gregersen, T. (2020). Teacher wellbeing. Oxford University Press.
Mercer, S., Gregersen, T. (2023). Transformative positive psychology in the acquisition of additional languages. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2023.2194869
Nabe-Nielsen, K., Christensen, K. B., Fuglsang, N. V., Larsen, I., & Nilsson, C. J. (2022). The effect of COVID-19 on schoolteachers’ emotional reactions and mental health: longitudinal results from the CLASS study. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 95(4), 855–865. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-021-01806-8
Over 2 million Iranians may visit Turkey this year: Association - Türkiye News. (2022b, March 2). Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved June 22, 2023 from https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/over-2-million-iranians-may-visit-turkey-this-year-association-171902#:~:text=Promising%20indicators%20coming%20from%20the,COVID%2D19%20pandemic%20broke%20out.
Pennington, M. C., & Hoekje, B. J. (2014). Framing English language teaching. System, 46, 163–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SYSTEM.2014.08.005
Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. Oxford University Press.
Pourbahram, R., & Sadeghi, K. (2022). English as a foreign language teachers’wellbeing amidst COVID-19 pandemic. Applied Research on English Language, 11(4), 77–98. https://doi.org/10.22108/ARE.2022.132648.1858
Sadeghi, K. & Richards, J. (2016). The idea of English in Iran: an example from Urmia. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 37(4), 419-434. DOI: 10.1080/01434632.2015.1080714
Salehi, M., & Neysani, A. (2017). Receptive intelligibility of Turkish to Iranian-Azerbaijani speakers. Cogent Education, 4(1), 1326653. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2017.1326653
Seligman, M. E.(2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being (1st Free Press hardcover ed). Free Press.
Sharwood Smith, M. (2017). Introducing language and cognition. A map of the mind. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Shin, S., Mercer, S., Babic, S., Sulis, G., Mairitsch, A., King, J., & Jin, J. (2021). Riding the happiness curve: the wellbeing of mid-career phase language teachers. The Language Learning Journal, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2021.1979632
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2007). Dimensions of teacher self-efficacy and relations with strain factors, perceived collective teacher efficacy, and teacher burnout. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(3), 611.
Song, H., Gu, Q., & Zhang, Z. (2020). An exploratory study of teachers’ subjective wellbeing: understanding the links between teachers’ income satisfaction, altruism, self-efficacy and work satisfaction. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 26(1), 3–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2020.1719059
Songhori, M. H., Ghonsooly, B., & Afraz, S. (2020). Immunity among Iranian EFL Teachers: Sources, impacts, and the developmental path. Journal of Language Horizons, 4(2), 211.
Wang, I. K. H. (2022). Toward an ecological understanding of transnational Chinese language teachers’ professional wellbeing in the United Kingdom. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(April), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.877289
Wang, X., & Chen, Z. (2022). “It hits the spot”: The impact of a professional development program on English teacher wellbeing in underdeveloped regions. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(June). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.848322
Wang, Y., L., Derakhshan, A., & Zhang, L. J. (2021). Researching and practicing positive psychology in second/foreign language learning and teaching: The past, current status and future directions. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.731721
Wong, C.-Y., Pompeo-Fargnoli, A., & Harriott, W. (2021). Focusing on ESOL teachers’ well-being during COVID-19 and beyond. ELT Journal, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccab069
World Bank Open Data. (n.d.). World Bank Open Data. Retrieved June 22, 2023 from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG?end=2022&locations=TR
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
The authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
- The authors retain copyright and guarantee to the journal the right to be the first to publish the work as well as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the authorship of the work and the initial publication in this journal.
- Authors may separately enter into additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (e.g., placing it in an institutional repository or publishing it in a book), with acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are allowed and encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their own website) before and during the submission process, as this can lead to productive exchanges as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
