The Relationship between EFL Teachers’ Motivation forTeaching and their Burnout during the COVID-۱۹ Pandemic

The purpose of the present study was to learn about the relationship between of COVID-۱۹ pandemic onEFL teachers’ burnout and their motivation for teaching. So, the research question was to test if there is asignificant relationship between EFL teachers’ motivation to teach (variable) and their burnout (variable)during the pandemic. The participants in this correlational research were selected through convenienceand Snowball sampling. To respond to this question, two valid and reliable questionnaires wereadministered online during the pandemic to ۶۶ Iranian EFL teachers (۵۶.۷% females and ۴۳.۳% males)who were teaching at universities or private language institutes in Ardabil. A ۲۲-item questionnaireranking the participants’ view on feeling burned out on a ۷-point scale (۱ [never] to ۷ [every day]), and a۱۵-item questionnaire asking about their view on agreement to having motivation to teach on a ۵-pointscale (۱ [completely disagree] to ۵ [completely agree]) to test the effect of the COVID-۱۹ pandemicsituation on the association of the participating Teachers’ burnout and motivation to teach. AKolmogorov-Smirnov test showed that the teachers’ burnout scores were significantly increased (p = .۰۰۳< .۰۵) during the pandemic, however, their motivation to teach increase was normal (p = .۲۰۰ > .۰۵). Theresults of Spearman’s correlation test showed no statistically significant correlation between the EFLteachers’ burnout and their motivation to teach during the COVID-۱۹ pandemic (r = -.۰۹۴, p = .۴۵۲).Nevertheless, the results of this study might have some implications for EFL researchers and teachereducators. Foreign language policy makers and stakeholders should not only make the adequate attemptsto provide teachers with more comfortable and less threatening atmosphere in the L۲ educationalenvironments but also, they should assign more freedom and agency to EFL teachers so as to help themgain higher self-efficacy perceptions in classroom.