The Factors Affecting University Teachers’ Perceptions of the EFL Industry

The Factors Affecting University Teachers’ Perceptions of the EFL Industry

A recent trend in second language teaching has highlighted the importance of language instructors’ emotional health and identifying the limits of professional stress (Fan & Wang, 2022; Heydarnejad et al., 2021; Shen, 2022). The topic of well-being has been connected to teacher commitments and an assumption that happy EFL teachers are more likely to flourish in the classroom (Fan & Wang, 2022). This paper explores the well-being of 103 EFL instructors in South Korean universities to understand the factors affecting their perceptions of the EFL industry. Using a mixed-method approach, the researchers discovered that EFL teachers between 35 to 45 had a higher rate of pessimism about their careers. Additional data analysis also revealed a positive correlation between extensive professional development and academic research with optimism in the EFL industry. The subsequent qualitative analysis highlights the feelings of homesickness, often including detailed plans of career transitions in response to the uncertainties of an EFL career in South Korea. A key contribution of this study is in providing qualitative evidence of the shifting perceptions of the EFL industry. In this regard, the participants mentioned low wages, COVID-19, and Korea’s shrinking domestic population as the main points of interest.