Unraveling the Drivers of Teacher Exhaustion in Language Education: A Deep Drive into Internal and External Factors

Exhaustion is a feeling sensed in different jobs, including English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching, for various reasons. This study explored internal and external factors leading to Iranian EFL teachers’ sense of exhaustion. In so doing, a basic interpretive design was used to collect data using one-to-one semi-structured interviews. The participants of the present study included 30 (15 males and 15 females) Iranian EFL teachers selected through availability sampling from universities, high schools, and language institutes in Kerman, Iran. The researcher asked the participants to answer the semi-structured interview questions individually to collect the data. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for thematic analysis. Data analysis was conducted through qualitative thematic analysis. As revealed by the results, the following internal factors lead to Iranian EFL teachers’ exhaustion: Lack of enjoyment, anxiety, fatigue, and lack of emotional support and respect. Moreover, it was revealed that the following external factors lead to Iranian EFL teachers’ exhaustion: Financial problems, educational facilities, the language proficiency of students, students' low willingness to learn, students' impoliteness, annual teacher assessment procedures, results of formative assessments, and parents' behaviors. The findings have some implications for EFL teachers, students, parents, and authorities especially in improving quality of education. Keywords: English as a foreign language, exhaustion, hope, self-efficacy, teacher effectiveness, quality of education