The Mediating Role of Teacher Burnout and School Climate in EFL Teachers’ Commitment: Focus on Iranian Teachers

Abstract

The psychological constructs of teachers have become the focus of a growing line of research in numerous studies in both mainstream and second language teacher education over the recent decades. Many studies have addressed the relationship between teacher commitment and other variables; however, its interaction with teacher burnout and school climate has not received much attention in EFL contexts. The present study investigated the mediating role of teacher burnout and school climate in predicting teacher commitment among Iranian high school EFL teachers. In doing so, 417 teachers completed three measuring instruments: English Language Teacher Commitment Questionnaire, Revised School Level Environment Questionnaire, and Maslach Burnout Inventory. The results of hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that teacher burnout and school climate could predict teachers' commitment to their profession. Although both variables had a unique effect on teacher commitment, school climate was a stronger predictor of teacher commitment. The results can offer implications for EFL teachers, school principals, educators, and teacher education programs.