Long Presentation (45 minutes) Investigating mental health and well-being among tertiary language teachers in Japan more

Sat, Sep 16, 14:15-15:00 Asia/Tokyo

Mental health is vital for our personal well-being. However, work-related stress significantly contributes to mental health challenges. This is particularly true for language teachers, who must contend with language anxiety, insecure working conditions, administrative demands, and the inherent stress of working in a foreign country (Cowie, 2011). While global research addresses psychological challenges and strategies for supporting language teacher well-being (Hiver & Dornyei, 2017), there is limited research on the mental health challenges faced by language teachers in Japanese tertiary education. This workshop aims to initiate a large-scale, longitudinal study to investigate the relationships among personality, stress, and wellbeing for tertiary language teachers in Japan. We will present two case studies illustrating workplace-induced stress and professional burnout. Audience members will be encouraged to share their own experiences of mental health issues relating to teaching in Japan. This workshop will foreground the importance of teachers’ mental health in determining the quality of our instruction, our learners’ success, and our own life satisfaction. Only when we better understand the factors that affect our mental health here in Japan, can we take informed action to proactively support our psychological well-being.