Exploring the Role of Loving Pedagogy in Reducing Learned Helplessness and Boredom: Perspectives from Female Students and Teachers in Iranian EFL Classrooms

In Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) contexts, fostering students’ emotional engagement is vital to overcoming challenges like learned helplessness and boredom. This mixed-methods study, conducted with female senior high school students in Alborz, Iran, investigates the role of ‘loving pedagogy’ in addressing these emotional and motivational barriers. The research involved administering three questionnaires to 110 students (ages 15-18) and conducting semi-structured interviews with teachers. Findings reveal that key elements of loving pedagogy, including kindness, forgiveness, and teacher-student bonding, significantly reduce boredom and moderately address learned helplessness. These results underscore the importance of emotional support in fostering student engagement and resilience in EFL contexts. Practical recommendations for integrating loving pedagogy into teacher training programs are provided.