factors affecting novice iranian efl teachers’ demotivation in online teaching: a qualitative study

In recent years, especially with the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, educational institutes around the world, including those in iran, shifted from f2f (face-to-face) instruction to online education, and due to this change, teachers faced many challenges that could lead to their demotivation. due to the increasing universal interest in teacher education studies, a growing body of research has focused on factors affecting language teachers. previous studies have been primarily concerned with the sources of demotivation among learners; however, there is a paucity of research on the demotivation of teachers, especially in online teaching. to bridge the gap in the existing literature, the present study aims to shed light on the factors demotivating novice iranian efl teachers who teach online classes in private language institutes. to achieve this aim, 16 novice efl teachers, including 5 males and 11 females, took part in the study. the participants were chosen using purposive sampling, and a set of semi-structured interviews was used to collect the data. to explore the emerging themes, the interview transcripts were analyzed thematically using maxqda 2022 software. to increase the credibility of data coding, the second researcher coded the data as well. the findings of this study were classified into four major categories including classroom-related variables, institutional variables, social factors, and cross-cultural issues. the findings also showed that low payment, teachers’ lack of social recognition, students’ demotivation, lack of interest, and irresponsibility were among the most demotivating factors for teachers. however, the participants were less demotivated by the absence of appreciation, unfamiliarity with online platforms, and crowded classrooms. in the end, general implications are made for policy-makers and teachers, along with limitations and recommendations for future studies in this line of inquiry.