Intercultural perspectives on EFL teachers’ practice of love in European, Iranian and Chinese classrooms

This qualitative study investigates how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) secondary school teachers from Europe, Iran, and China conceptualize and enact love within their pedagogical practice. This research addresses a significant gap in the literature concerning the culturally embedded, relational, and ethical dimensions of loving pedagogy (LP). Data were gathered through semi-structured written interviews with 60 teachers (20 per region) and analyzed via thematic analysis using NVivo 15. Four overarching themes emerged: (1) Professional-Ethical Conceptions of Love, (2) Love and Authority Dynamics, (3) Institutional and Personal Enactments of Love, and (4) Constraints and Emotional Labor. Findings show that love is viewed everywhere as a professional and moral commitment to supporting students’ holistic growth. However, its expression and relationship with authority differ across cultures, shaped by European democratic values, Iranian moral-spiritual traditions, and Chinese Confucian ethics. Institutional support and systemic constraints variably shape teachers’ abilities to practice LP, with emotional labor often unrecognized yet critical across contexts. This study underscores the necessity of culturally responsive frameworks in teacher education and policy to enhance affective dimensions of teaching. It contributes to expanding the discourse on LP by foregrounding intercultural perspectives and the complex emotional work that sustains LP in diverse educational environments.