Teaching Load and Its Impact on Teaching Quality in Afghan EFL Classrooms

Teaching load is a critical factor influencing the quality of education, particularly in EFL contexts where pedagogical demands are high. In Afghanistan, universities face significant challenges, including large class sizes, which directly contribute to a heavy teaching load for instructors. This study aims to investigate the impact of teaching load on the quality of EFL instruction in Afghan EFL classrooms, filling a gap in the literature by focusing on the teacher's perspective in the Afghan higher education context. This research employed a quantitative survey design. A questionnaire, adapted from established frameworks on teacher workload and instructional efficacy, was distributed to 50 EFL instructors. Data were analyzed using SPSS, focusing on descriptive statistics to identify correlations between perceived teaching load and various aspects of teaching quality. The findings reveal that a high teaching load, primarily driven by large class sizes and extensive administrative duties, negatively impacts teaching quality. Instructors reported relying more on traditional, lecture-based methods, having insufficient time for providing detailed feedback on assignments, and experiencing reduced capacity for innovative and communicative teaching practices. The study concludes that excessive teaching load is a significant barrier to achieving highquality EFL instruction. It is recommended that university administrators and the Ministry of Higher Education implement policies to reduce class sizes, hire more faculty, and provide better administrative support to alleviate the burden on instructors, thereby enhancing the overall quality of teaching and learning.