The Relationship Between Iranian EFL Teachers’ Reflective Thinking and Burnout Level in Universities and Schools

Subject Areas : Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation

ابراهیم  صفری ¹ (استادیار گروه زبان انگلیسی، دانشگاه جامع امام حسین (ع)، تهران، ایران)

Received: 2022-09-14 Accepted : 2022-11-23 Published : 2022-03-01

Keywords: burnout, University teachers, reflective thinking, English as a Foreign Language, School Teachers,

Abstract :

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ reflective thinking and burnout levels in the universities and schools of Iran. As the main data collection instruments, the Reflective Thinking questionnaire and Maslach Burnout Inventory were employed, which has also been validated for the Iranian population. Questionnaires were given to 178 EFL teachers who serve at Tehran and Ardabil universities and schools. The results showed a negative correlation between reflective thinking and burnout; teachers experienced relatively low burnout levels; their reflective thinking level was high. The results also revealed that university teachers experienced higher reflective thinking and lower burnout than school teachers. According to teachers’ workplace, the type of workplace affected reflective thinking in relation to the factor “ability to self-assess”. In the end, it was shown that when teachers’ reflective thinking increases, their burnout level decreases. The pedagogical implications of the results have been discussed.