A Comparative Study of English as a Foreign Language Teachers’ Emotion Regulation and Well-Being in Iran and Iraq

The spread of English as an international language has made it essential for Iran and Iraq to have effective teachers. The emotions experienced and the emotion-regulation strategies used by 659 (349 in Iran and 310 in Iraq) English language teachers enrolled in high-schools were investigated in 2021. This was a cross-sectional survey, studied Iranian school teachers from Kerman Province and Iraqi teachers from Basra Province. To collect the data, three online questionnaires on emotion regulation, psychological well-being at work, and teacher emotional labor strategies were submitted to English language teachers either in person or via email. Correlations showed that emotion regulation and its aspect (cognitive reappraisal) and emotional labor strategies correlated positively with teachers’ well-being both in Iran and Iraq. Furthermore, the preferred mode of emotion regulation in both contexts was cognitive reappraisal. Iranian and Iraqi teachers experienced the same level of emotion regulation and well-being, implying a common sense of emotions among teachers. The level of emotional labor strategies employed by Iranian and Iraqi teachers, however, differed significantly. In comparison with Iraqi teachers, Iranian teachers used more emotional labor strategies. In brief, curriculum and educational planners should take steps to support teachers in regulating their emotions, which contributes to their well-being.