The Challenge EFL Teachers Face in Turkey: Burnout

Abstract

Burnout is quite common in educational settings for a variety of reasons and may specifically affect the lives of teachers, especially English language teachers. Therefore, it needs to be analyzed in detail and resolved by policymakers in education. To reveal this significant drawback, this research aims to examine the research studies on the issue of burnout among English as foreign language teachers from primary schools to higher education that were carried out in the English language teaching context in Turkey between 2012 and 2022 through a systematic review. 19 research studies done in Turkey were obtained and the findings of the studies related to the burnout challenge of Turkish English language teachers were scrutinized. Based on the findings of the study, English teachers are the most prevalent demographic to have a variety of ailments due to burnout, which is caused by extended exposure to high levels of stress, chronic fatigue, unhappiness, and feelings of inefficacy. The unique finding of this study is that English teachers are mainly faced with challenging and stressful conditions in their daily teaching life as they are forced to adapt to changing student profiles and technological advancements as well as rising demands of society and as a result, they struggle with burnout even if they are still in their early years of teaching English. In the meanwhile, their commitment to in-service training and the support of their superiors are crucial and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also important. Besides, a comprehensive strategy that includes regulatory modifications, encouraging work conditions, and professional development opportunities is required to address English teacher burnout in Turkish society and thus, by prioritizing teacher well-being, education policies can have a positive influence on the education sector by ensuring the availability of motivated and effective English instructors who can provide high-quality education to students and these policies could eradicate negative views and provide the respect for the teaching profession by fostering a resilient English teaching workforce while mitigating the risks of burnout.