Transnational English language teacher wellbeing: An ecological perspective

Abstract

Teacher wellbeing has recently received enormous research attention, especially post-pandemic after teachers functioned as stress absorbers in society. However, there is a group of teachers who have escaped the scrutinizing lens of researchers. Transnational teachers who leave their homeland with the hopes of a better job opportunity are an under-researched group of teachers, whose wellbeing is potentially affected by diverse factors. This article aims to uncover how major changes in expatriate teachers’ professional lives such as immigration can influence their wellbeing from an ecological perspective drawing on Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecology of human development theory. To this end, online interviews were conducted with a group of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers (N = 6) who have immigrated to Türkiye and work in Turkish private high schools. Thematic analysis of the interview data highlighted more satisfactory levels of wellbeing in these teachers compared to their counterparts residing in Iran. However, minute levels of stress were identified in these teachers that could be handled through proper planning, and techniques like finding silver linings from positive psychology. Further findings that have implications for policymakers are discussed in light of positive psychology.