Navigating Challenges and Unveiling Resilience: A Mixed-Methods Study among Iranian EFL Teachers

Abstract

Teacher resilience is an important topic in the world of education, especially given the numerous obstacles and the amounts of stress that teachers face daily. The term “resilience" has been used to explain why certain individuals seem to cope well with difficult circumstances. This mixed-methods study aimed to investigate the relationship between Iranian EFL teachers' resilience and overqualification, and their work alienation and positive organizational behavior. The participants included 199 (96 male and 103 female) Iranian EFL teachers, most of whom had bachelor's and master's degrees and worked for private institutes. To determine the relationship between the variables, a 40-item survey was administered while interviews were conducted to determine the participants' perceptions. The results showed no significant relationship between overqualification and teacher resilience. However, there were significant negative and positive correlations between work alienation and positive organizational behavior with teacher resilience. The findings can improve our understanding of the factors that can enhance teacher resilience and consequently promote positive teaching practices.