THE (IN)VISIBLE BURDEN: AN INTERPRETATIVE ANALYSIS OF EMOTIONAL LABOR OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTRUCTORS TEACHING REPEAT STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

This study focuses on the experiences of EFL instructors teaching repeating students in a higher education English language program at a state university in Türkiye. Through semi-structured interviews, teaching practices and conditions of the instructors in repeat classes in this particular context are examined in order to investigate teacher well-being by using emotional labor theory. In this descriptive case study, the data derives from interviews conducted with ten English instructors who have taught in repeat classes for at least a semester. The data were analyzed using interpretative thematic analysis to explore the transcripts' details and identify the most recurrent themes. Teaching these learners created emotional challenges for the instructors such as disappointment, worry, and burn-out. To be able to overcome these challenges the instructors used strategies such as empathy, positive framing, and surface regulation of emotions. The expressions of their emotions were found to be on three levels as surface, deep and genuine acting. Besides, the need for the support mechanisms provided by administrative units and colleagues to be addressed in a more structured and sustainable manner was highlighted. These findings have noteworthy implications for EFL practitioners’ well-being. The study contributes to the body of research in foreign language teaching by shedding light on the un(der)-researched phenomenon of emotional labor experienced by English language practitioners.