EFL Teachers’ Anxiety in Using English for Instruction in Libyan Language Classrooms

This qualitative study investigated the lived experiences of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Libya regarding their anxiety when using English as the medium of instruction. Rooted in the theory of Teacher Language Anxiety (TLA), the research addressed a gap in the literature concerning this phenomenon in under-researched Arab contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 in-service Libyan EFL teachers. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed four central themes: (1) The Anxiety of Linguistic Surveillance, where teachers felt their professional authority was threatened by perceived language errors; (2) The Pedagogical Pull of Arabic: Comfort vs. Guilt, highlighting a tension between using L1 for efficiency and feeling professionally inadequate; (3) The Cycle of Avoidance and Reduced Input, where anxiety led to safer, teacher-centered methods; and (4) Institutional Isolation: A Lack of Scaffolding, which located the source of anxiety within systemic deficits. The study concluded that TLA in this context is a systemic issue intertwined with professional identity. It recommended a shift in professional development from a deficit model to one that provides psychological, pedagogical, and institutional support.