EFL Teacher Stress in Saudi Higher Education: A Critical Narrative Research

Abstract

This study critically examines how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers experience and respond to workplace stress in Saudi higher education. In the context of Vision 2030 reforms, research on teacher stress in Saudi higher education remains limited and predominantly quantitative, often foregrounding individual factors rather than institutional conditions. Addressing this gap, the study explores the primary workplace stressors perceived by EFL teachers, how these stressors shape personal well-being, how occupational stress influences professional practices and career trajectories, and the coping strategies teachers employ within and beyond the workplace. Using a critical narrative research design, data were collected from 15 EFL teachers (13 females, 2 males) across four Saudi state universities, with varied nationalities, qualifications (BA, MA, PhD), and academic ranks. Participants were recruited through purposive, convenience, and voluntary sampling. Semi-structured interviews and reflective journals were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, informed by the Job Demands–Resources model and the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. Findings are organised into three overarching themes and suggest that EFL teachers’ workplace stress is predominantly institutional and systemic. Workplace Stressors highlights policy instability, administrative opacity, constrained autonomy, and career barriers as dominant sources of strain. The Impact of Stress on Well-being and Professional Life illustrates emotional and physical costs, spillover into home life, and consequences for professional practice, including diminished motivation, more detached pedagogy, and uncertainty about promotion and longer-term trajectories. Coping Mechanisms shows the use of cognitive reframing, faith, and social support, alongside avoidant responses, which are often insufficient in the absence of institutional care.