Job Demands-Resources and Iranian EFL Teachers’ Burnout: A Mixed-Methods Analysis

Rastegar, Behnaz; Zarei, Abbas Ali; Heidari, Hadi

doi:10.22049/jalda.2026.31436.1961

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

¹ Assistant Professor of TEFL, Department of English Language Teaching, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran,

² Professor of ELT, Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

³ PhD in ELT, Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22049/jalda.2026.31436.1961

Abstract

In the demanding context of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching, teacher burnout threatens instructional quality and retention, yet its association with job demands and resources remains underexplored. This study leverages the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model to investigate how workplace factors, specifically job demands like administrative overload, emotional labor, and resources including autonomy and colleague support shape burnout among Iranian EFL teachers, while probing cultural and contextual influences such as societal expectations and educational policies. A convergent complementary mixed-methods design was used in which the quantitative phase included 146 teachers across Iran using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and the JD-R questionnaire, using Kruskal-Wallis tests and pairwise comparisons. The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with 39 teachers, analyzed through transcendental phenomenology using MAXQDA. Quantitative findings revealed that high job demands significantly amplify burnout, with teachers in high-demand groups reporting greater emotional exhaustion and cynicism, while abundant resources markedly reduce burnout. Qualitative insights illuminated key themes: structural demands like inadequate salaries, imposed curricula, and societal pressures such as unrealistic parental expectations exacerbate burnout, whereas resources like professional development and peer support serve as protective buffers. Teachers’ coping strategies, including exercise and adaptive teaching, alongside critiques of commercialized education and policy inefficiencies, further contextualize these dynamics. This study validates the JD-R model’s predictive power in Iran’s EFL context, highlighting the critical need for targeted interventions such as workload restructuring, enhanced training, and cultural awareness campaigns to mitigate burnout, bolster teacher resilience, and elevate educational outcomes. These findings offer actionable insights for policymakers and educators, with implications for global EFL settings facing similar challenges.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Language teacher education

Article Title [Persian]

رابطه بین منابع - مطالبات و فرسودگی شغلی معلمان زبان انگلیسی ایرانی: یک پژوهش ترکیبی

Authors [Persian]

دکتر بهناز رستگار ¹
دکتر عباسعلی زارعی ²
دکتر هادی حیدری ³

¹ استادیار آموزش زبان انگلیسی، گروه آموزش زبان انگلیسی، دانشگاه فرهنگیان، تهران، ایران

² استاد آموزش زبان انگلیسی، گروه زبان انگلیسی، دانشکده علوم انسانی، دانشگاه بین‌المللی امام خمینی، قزوین، ایران

³ دکترای آموزش زبان انگلیسی، دانشگاه بین‌المللی امام خمینی، قزوین، ایران

Abstract [Persian]

در بستر چالش‌برانگیز آموزش زبان انگلیسی به عنوان زبان خارجی در ایران، فرسودگی شغلی معلمان کیفیت آموزش و حفظ نیروی انسانی را تهدید می‌کند، اگرچه ارتباط آن با مطالبات شغلی و منابع کمتر بررسی شده است. این پژوهش از الگوی مطالبات شغلی-منابع برای بررسی چگونگی تأثیر عوامل محیط کاری، به‌ویژه مطالبات شغلی همچون بار اداری زیاد، کار عاطفی، و منابع از جمله خودمختاری و حمایت همکاران بر فرسودگی شغلی معلمان زبان انگلیسی ایرانی استفاده می‌کند، در حالی که تأثیرات فرهنگی و زمینه‌ای نظیر انتظارات اجتماعی و سیاست‌های آموزشی را نیز بررسی می‌کند. طرح پژوهش توضیحی توالی‌یافته با روش‌های آمیخته به کار رفت که در آن مرحله کمی 146 معلم در سراسر ایران با استفاده از پرسشنامه فرسودگی شغلی کپنهاگ و پرسشنامه مطالبات شغلی-منابع، با بهره‌گیری از آزمون‌های کروسکال-والیس و مقایسه‌های زوجی بود. مرحله کیفی شامل مصاحبه‌های نیمه‌ساختاریافته با 39 معلم بود که از طریق پدیدارشناسی استعلایی با استفاده از مکس‌کیودا تحلیل شدند. یافته‌های کمی نشان دادند که مطالبات شغلی بالا به‌طور معناداری فرسودگی را تشدید می‌کنند و معلمان در گروه‌های با مطالبات بالا خستگی عاطفی و بدبینی بیشتری گزارش می‌کنند، در حالی که منابع فراوان به‌طور چشمگیری فرسودگی را کاهش می‌دهند. بینش‌های کیفی مضامین کلیدی را روشن ساختند: مطالبات ساختاری همچون حقوق ناکافی، برنامه‌های درسی تحمیلی، و فشارهای اجتماعی نظیر انتظارات غیرواقعی والدین فرسودگی را تشدید می‌کنند، در حالی که منابعی همچون توسعه حرفه‌ای و حمایت همسالان به عنوان محافظ‌های حمایتی عمل می‌کنند. راهبردهای مقابله‌ای معلمان، شامل ورزش و تدریس انطباقی، در کنار انتقادها از تجاری‌سازی آموزش و ناکارآمدی‌های سیاستی، این پویایی‌ها را بیشتر زمینه‌مند می‌سازند. این پژوهش قدرت پیش‌بینی‌کننده الگوی مطالبات شغلی-منابع را در بستر آموزش زبان انگلیسی ایران تأیید می‌کند و بر نیاز حیاتی به مداخلات هدفمند نظیر بازساختاری بار کاری، بهبود آموزش، و کمپین‌های آگاهی فرهنگی برای کاهش فرسودگی، تقویت تاب‌آوری معلمان، و ارتقای پیامدهای آموزشی تأکید می‌کند. این یافته‌ها بینش‌های عملی را برای سیاست‌گذاران و مربیان ارائه می‌دهند، با پیامدهایی برای بسترهای جهانی آموزش زبان انگلیسی که با چالش‌های مشابه روبرو هستند.

Keywords [Persian]

مطالبات شغلی
منابع شغلی
فرسودگی شغلی معلمان

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Job Demands-Resources and Iranian EFL Teachers’ Burnout: A Mixed-Methods Analysis

References

References

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript Available Online from 15 July 2026

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 15 July 2026