Ecological influences on the well-being of Vietnamese tertiary lecturers in English as a foreign language: A phenomenological study

Abstract

Although extensive research has been conducted on teacher well-being in general education, this topic has received minimal attention within the field of English language teaching (ELT). This article reports a phenomenological investigation into the influences of ecological factors on the well-being of English as a foreign language (EFL) lecturers within the tertiary education reform system in Vietnam. Data were collected through narrative frames and phenomenological interviews conducted with 18 EFL lecturers from a public university. Grounded in ecological systems theory, this study found that the well-being of EFL lecturers is both dynamic and multifaceted. The findings illustrate how national factors (e.g., educational policies and professional development opportunities), institutional factors (e.g., workload, financial insecurity, and workplace culture), and individual factors (e.g., physical health, time pressure, and sense of meaning) influenced the well-being of EFL lecturers at different career stages, both positively and negatively. This research addresses a gap in the understanding of lecturer well-being in the ELT context in Vietnam and may offer insights applicable to other international settings.