The relationship between language teachers’ enthusiasm and job satisfaction: investigating the mediating role of foreign language teaching enjoyment

Liu S., Yüce E., SOLHİ M., Şahin K., Azari Noughabi M.

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2024 (AHCI) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2024
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/01434632.2024.2382886
  • Dergi Adı: Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, Communication & Mass Media Index, Communication Abstracts, EBSCO Education Source, Educational research abstracts (ERA), ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Index Islamicus, Linguistic Bibliography, Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, DIALNET
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: EFL teachers, foreign language teaching enjoyment, job satisfaction, structural equation modelling, Teacher enthusiasm
  • İstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Although enthusiasm is an important characteristic of teachers’ psychological growth, scant research attention has been given to English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ enthusiasm and its outcomes in the field of foreign language education. In addition, in spite of the criticality of foreign language teaching enjoyment (FLTE), little is known about its role in mediating the effect of enthusiasm on job satisfaction. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate whether Turkish EFL teachers’ FLTE could mediate the relationship between their enthusiasm and job satisfaction. The participants (N = 314) completed three scales and the data were analysed through structural equation modeling (SEM). The results of the mediation analysis revealed that a. EFL teachers’ enthusiasm significantly predicted their job satisfaction and b. FLTE partially mediated the relationship between EFL teachers’ enthusiasm and job satisfaction. Therefore, enthusiasm would, directly and indirectly, through teaching enjoyment, result in teaching satisfaction. The findings of this study highlighted the broadening capacity of teacher enthusiasm in offering positive outcomes. Finally, implications and suggestions for future research were offered.