Hugging the Cactus: The Impact of Daily Gratitude on Language Teachers’ Well-being and Ill-being

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Foreign Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan, Rasht, Guilan, Iran

Abstract

Existential positive psychology (EPP) views hardship and tension as inseparable from life. However, majority of the interpretations in language teaching context pertain to the bivariate view of well-being and ill-being, advocating that positivity and negativity are entirely distinct factors. Furthermore, most studies on teachers' psycho-emotional variables are theoretical, creating an urgent need for practical, action-based solutions. Addressing these gaps, researchers utilized an EPP perspective and investigated the effectiveness of a 14-day gratitude-based program on the fluctuations of 42 Iranian EFL teachers' existential gratitude, well-being, and ill-being through the Repeated Measures design. For 14 days, respondents practiced expressing gratitude to themselves, their learners, and others. At the end of each day, they filled out three questionnaires. The results of Repeated Measures ANOVA revealed that gratitude interventions could play a significant role in enhancing teachers’ well-being by helping them control ill-being and be grateful for their lives. Thus, the study evidenced the efficacy of gratitude, as a practical means of tending to teachers’ mental health. The study also contributed to EPP and L2 teaching by profiling the dialectical and co-valence relationship between teachers’ well-being and ill-being. Several theoretical and pedagogical implications and suggestions for future studies were also discussed.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Teaching English as a Second Language Quarterly
Volume 45, Issue 2
March 2026
Pages 53-76

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  • Receive Date: 23 May 2025
  • Revise Date: 30 September 2025
  • Accept Date: 04 October 2025

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