Emotion Regulation and Stress Management Among Iranian EFL Teachers: A Qualitative Exploration of Adaptive and Maladaptive Strategies

Emotion regulation is essential for teachers’ stress management and effective classroom performance. However, few studies have examined how teachers employ adaptive and maladaptive strategies to regulate their emotions in classroom settings. To this end, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies used by Iranian EFL teachers and examine how these strategies shaped their classroom practices and professional well-being. The participants were 20 Iranian English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers who were chosen based on purposeful sampling. Data were collected through framed narratives, focus group interviews, and semi-structured interviews to ensure triangulation and enhance trustworthiness. Three main adaptive strategies were found through the thematic analysis of the data: emotional safety, efficiency, and mindfulness. These strategies helped teachers create a positive classroom atmosphere, enhance EFL learners’ emotional stability, and improve classroom engagement. Meanwhile, maladaptive strategies like emotional suppression, rumination, and avoidance intensified teachers’ negative emotions, psychological repercussions, and negative psychological attributes. The results showed that adaptive regulation is a mechanism of emotional scaffolding that fosters well-being, classroom harmony, and pedagogical resilience. In contrast, maladaptive regulation decreases teachers’ emotional balance and self-efficacy. This study offers critical implications for EFL teachers, policy makers, and school administrators.