High teacher attrition has affected education worldwide, with low teacher recognition and lack of psychological and social support among key factors. Research and training directed specifically to teachers can empower educators to cope with potential challenges such as sudden change and accepting diversity by strengthening their interpersonal and intrapersonal expertise. Teachers’ emotions and emotion management strategies are key factors which–when addressed–foster the development of teachers’ soft skills. Affect in language learning has gained prominence in research in the past few decades, but teacher wellbeing and the emotion-related side of language teaching have been addressed relatively recently. Researching teachers’ emotions and manage- ment strategies is both a challenge and a resource, especially for language teachers, who are not only more likely to operate in multicultural contexts and interact with learners and colleagues from different cultures, but also bear upon themselves the responsibility of developing intercultural and interlinguistic skills among learners. The present paper reviews the author’s MA TESOL dissertation study, where the emotion-related experiences and strategies of seven teachers of English from the Italian private and higher education sectors were explored qualitatively through semi-structured interviews investigating participants’ emotion-related experiences during online teaching. Interview data, coded according to recurring emotions and underlying factors show the coexistence of frustration and anxiety largely determined by sudden changes and needs to learn new skills, alongside the role of agency, institutional support and emotional awareness leading to self-efficacy. In the study it is also discussed how teachers’ emotional struggle is often counterbalanced by care in the profession, and how viewing emotions as functional to professional practice may benefit the teaching process. In the present review, findings and discussion points will be critically analysed, exploring the extent to which the emotions and strategies described in the study may support language teachers in coping with change and diversity as common factors characterising multicultural contexts.
The Role of EFL Teachers’ Emotions During Online Teaching and Coping Strategies Towards Change: A Critical Review
Maria Laura Ferroglio
2026-01-01
Abstract
High teacher attrition has affected education worldwide, with low teacher recognition and lack of psychological and social support among key factors. Research and training directed specifically to teachers can empower educators to cope with potential challenges such as sudden change and accepting diversity by strengthening their interpersonal and intrapersonal expertise. Teachers’ emotions and emotion management strategies are key factors which–when addressed–foster the development of teachers’ soft skills. Affect in language learning has gained prominence in research in the past few decades, but teacher wellbeing and the emotion-related side of language teaching have been addressed relatively recently. Researching teachers’ emotions and manage- ment strategies is both a challenge and a resource, especially for language teachers, who are not only more likely to operate in multicultural contexts and interact with learners and colleagues from different cultures, but also bear upon themselves the responsibility of developing intercultural and interlinguistic skills among learners. The present paper reviews the author’s MA TESOL dissertation study, where the emotion-related experiences and strategies of seven teachers of English from the Italian private and higher education sectors were explored qualitatively through semi-structured interviews investigating participants’ emotion-related experiences during online teaching. Interview data, coded according to recurring emotions and underlying factors show the coexistence of frustration and anxiety largely determined by sudden changes and needs to learn new skills, alongside the role of agency, institutional support and emotional awareness leading to self-efficacy. In the study it is also discussed how teachers’ emotional struggle is often counterbalanced by care in the profession, and how viewing emotions as functional to professional practice may benefit the teaching process. In the present review, findings and discussion points will be critically analysed, exploring the extent to which the emotions and strategies described in the study may support language teachers in coping with change and diversity as common factors characterising multicultural contexts.
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
