NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR IMPACT ON FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL BURNOUT - COVID-19 pandemic conditions

Oct 15, 2026

Dynamic digital development places foreign language teachers under heightened pressure, intensified by COVID-19 quarantine requirements for remote work. Under these conditions, extra stress can escalate into emotional and professional burnout. This paper examines how digital technologies produce positive and negative impacts on foreign language teachers, considering age and experience, and the level of professional burnout, with special focus on coronavirus-related remote learning circumstances. A mixed-method design surveyed 140 English teachers across 18 Polish schools and combined questionnaires with semi-structured interviews. Results highlight vulnerability to frequent technical problems despite classroom readiness, linking them to disappointment, frustration, anxiety, and reduced performance efficiency. The study recommends professional support for technology use, improved working conditions, and well-equipped classrooms with high-quality digital devices.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature review

DOI: 10.20535/2410-8286.251587 NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR IMPACT ON FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL BURNOUT (under COVID-19 pandemic conditions) Liliya Morska 1,2, Krzysztof Polok3, Małgorzata Bukowska4, Iryna Ladanivska2 1 University of Rzeszow, Rzeszow, Poland 2Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine 3 University of Bielsko-Biała, Poland 4Kindergarten and School Educational Cluster in Studzienice, Poland [lmorska@ur.edu.pl](lmorska@ur.edu.pl) Because of the dynamic and rapid development of digital technologies, teachers are facing more than ever challenging issues related to coping with educational innovations. This situation has become ultimately evident under COVID-19 quarantine and the necessity to work remotely. Such requirements induce extra pressure on teachers, which causes excessive stress, often leading to emotional and professional burnout. In our paper, we aim to focus on the types of impact (positive or negative) of digital technologies in relation to foreign language teachers’ age and experience and the level of professional burnout. Specific emphasis is put on the study of coronavirus-related remote learning mode circumstances. To reach the research goal, a mixed method was used, engaging 140 English language teachers from 18 Polish schools, Silesia region, with a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview as the tools used in the quantitative and qualitative stages of the study. The research findings show that even though teachers are ready to integrate technologies in the classroom, they are vulnerable to technical problems which often occur during the lessons, causing the feeling of disappointment, frustration, anxiety, and lowering the efficiency of teachers’ professional performance. The implications of the study suggest that the professional support for teachers in technology use, better working conditions, and equipping language classrooms with good quality digital devices should serve as the best remedy against teacher burnout. Keywords: digital technologies; information technology competencies; teacher burnout; foreign language teaching; COVID-19. Introduction Burnout is a well-known phenomenon that affects teachers worldwide, regardless of age, gender, or geographical location. Frequent changes in the system of education, increasing expectations and requirements for teachers inject some negative connotations into their profession, making them suffer from the effects of professional burnout. In the related literature, many factors are indicated to contribute to teacher burnout, among which the following can be mentioned: poor student attitudes towards compulsory schooling, problems with maintaining discipline in the classroom, excessive bureaucracy, poor communication between members of the teaching staff and school administration, the lack of social support from the superiors to name but a few. Needless to say, in the era of digitization and the rapid development of modern technologies, teachers face a new challenge: they must keep up with new technological innovationsand successfully integrate them into the learning process. Since it is not an easy task, it can trigger stress and anxiety and contribute to burnout. The situation can be exacerbated if teachers do not have any choice among the alternatives in their professional activity, as has been the case with the COVID-19 pandemic conditions in schooling, where all teachers have been forced to use technologies online (e-learning, blended or hybrid formats) studies. Unfortunately, very few (if any) studies can be found illustrating the relation between the obligatory use of technologies by teachers and the level of their professional burnout. Literature review Our paper joins a growing body of literature that employs both theoretical and practical frameworks of identification, prevention and elimination of teacher burnout side effects to create favourable conditions for efficient professional activity of

FAQs

How does COVID-19 remote learning affect foreign language teachers' burnout risk?

COVID-19 forced teachers to work online, increasing pressure and stress. This stress can escalate into emotional and professional burnout, especially when remote-learning demands require rapid technology adaptation.

What negative impacts of digital technologies are reported in the study results?

The findings indicate that frequent technical problems during lessons lead to disappointment, frustration, and anxiety. These issues also lower teachers’ professional performance efficiency.

What remedies does the study recommend to reduce teacher burnout related to technology use?

The study suggests strengthening professional support for teachers using technology, improving working conditions, and equipping language classrooms with high-quality digital devices.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Nguyễn Văn Học