Understanding EFL teachers’ wellbeing: An activity theoretic perspective

Teaching, as a physically, emotionally, and socially demanding profession, subjects teachers to multiple sources of stress and challenge, jeopardizing their wellbeing and adversely affecting their performance in turn. English language teaching is no exception to this unwelcome trend. The study of the factors affecting English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ perceived wellbeing in the workplace environment allows us insight into how teacher wellbeing can be enhanced and maintained in the face of challenges. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate Iranian EFL teachers’ perceived wellbeing in the workplace environment from an activity theoretic perspective. To that end, the wellbeing of 15 in-service EFL teachers was examined. Data were collected through a narrative frame and semi-structured individual interview and were thematically analysed using NVivo 12 to cast light on the factors that boost or mitigate the participants’ wellbeing. Findings demonstrated how six factors – namely learners, colleagues, institutional authorities, institutional rules and regulations, workload, and the status of EFL teachers – define the participants’ wellbeing. The factors are mapped onto the six key elements of activity theory to display how individual and collective dimensions of educational milieus interact in molding teachers’ wellbeing. Pedagogical implications and avenues for future research are outlined.