Burnout in Thai EFL Teachers: Examining Key Dimensions and Contributing Factors in Primary and Secondary Education

The study investigates burnout in Thai EFL teachers in Thai basic education settings. Data were collected through the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Exhaustion Scale (MBI-ES) and semi-structured interviews to understand the three dimensions of burnout. The participants were 120 English teachers in primar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of language teaching and research Vol. 16; no. 6; pp. 2143 - 2153
Main Authors: Sukying, Apisak, Rojburanawong, Papawee, Min, Changyong, Fraser, Mark
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London Academy Publication Co., Ltd 01.11.2025
Subjects:
Administrative support
Burnout
Depersonalization
Education
Educational attainment
Elementary schools
Emotions
English as a second language instruction
English teachers
Fatigue
Job satisfaction
Marital status
Occupational stress
Qualitative research
Respondents
Satisfaction
Second language teachers
Secondary education
Secondary schools
Students
Teachers
Teaching
Thai language
Well being
Work environment
Workloads
Thailand
ISSN:1798-4769, 2053-0684
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The study investigates burnout in Thai EFL teachers in Thai basic education settings. Data were collected through the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Exhaustion Scale (MBI-ES) and semi-structured interviews to understand the three dimensions of burnout. The participants were 120 English teachers in primary and secondary schools in Northeastern Thailand. The findings showed that emotional exhaustion recorded the highest levels of individual burnout, followed by depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment. Respondents who had experienced burnout were more likely to be prone to the emotional burdens of their teaching role, highlighting the emotional toll their position can take. Higher levels of burnout were also observed in teachers who were married, and had a high level of education and less teaching experience. The qualitative analysis also indicated that non-instructional workload, hostile work environment, student misbehaviour and limited administrative support were crucial contributors to burnout. This occupational stress led to emotional exhaustion and reduced job satisfaction, which affected the teachers’ general well-being. The results suggest that burnout may be remedied through interventions specifically focused on workload and the work environment, as well as strengthening the administrative support teachers receive in their roles.
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ISSN:1798-4769
2053-0684
DOI:10.17507/jltr.1606.36