Farzad Sabeki

Background. There is an absence of research – in EFL contexts – into the importance of positive psychology, notably the significant role of emotions in teaching.  The topic of an instructor’s emotional labour and grit is particularly important in this context.

Objective. The central focus of the current investigation was to determine the degree of association (predictive link) between teachers’ emotional labour and teacher grit, which represents the perseverance and passion for enduring objectives in the context of second language teaching with teacher success. Specifically, it sought to uncover the unique power of EFL teachers’ emotional labour and their grit in predicting the degree of their success in the Iranian context.

Design. For this purpose, a quantitative approach with correlational design was adopted, and three questionnaires namely, Teacher Emotional Labour Strategies Scale (TELSS), Teacher Grit Scale, and EFL Language Teachers’ Effectiveness Questionnaire were administered to a sample of 184 English teachers across three different teaching contexts comprising Iranian private language institutes, public high schools, and universities in various provinces of Iran.

Results. Results of regression analysis indicated that teacher grit is a significant and better predictor of teacher success compared to teachers’ emotional labour. Furthermore, the results of correlation analysis also confirmed that there was a positive relationship between teacher emotional labour, teacher grit and teacher success.

Conclusion. The findings suggest that the grittier English teachers are, the more effective they are in their professional duties and work environments. Finally, theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed, and several suggestions for future research are given.