EFL Teachers' Cyberloafing Behaviors: Can Burnout Predict Them?

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Bibliographic Details
Title: EFL Teachers' Cyberloafing Behaviors: Can Burnout Predict Them?
Language: English
Authors: Mehdi Iravani (ORCID 0000-0002-0570-2381), Ali Akbar Jafarpour Boroujeni (ORCID 0000-0003-1828-3953), Mahmood Hashemian (ORCID 0000-0003-3631-8662)
Source: Education and Information Technologies. 2024 29(18):25035-25068.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 34
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Secondary Education
Junior High Schools
Middle Schools
Descriptors: Individual Activities, Underachievement, Influence of Technology, Internet, Working Hours, Recreational Activities, Handheld Devices, Teacher Behavior, Educational Environment, Language Teachers, Foreign Countries, High School Teachers, Second Language Instruction, English (Second Language), Indo European Languages, Junior High School Teachers
Geographic Terms: Iran
DOI: 10.1007/s10639-024-12804-x
ISSN: 1360-2357
1573-7608
Abstract: Cyberloafing, defined as the use of Internet for personal purposes during working hours, is an increasing phenomenon in view of a broad spread of Internet technologies. Although the majority of research on cyberloafing behaviors has focused on employers' cyberloafing in different organizational environments, very little is known about its prevalence in educational settings. At the same time, there have been few research studies on the relationship between cyberloafing behaviors and other important occupational variables in mainstream education, such as teacher burnout. In this light, the present study examined the cyberloafing situation among Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and its possible variances in terms of two demographic factors of school type and educational level. Additionally, it explored the possible association between the cyberloafing behaviors and the occupational variable of teacher burnout. To this end, 824 EFL teachers, working in different Iranian high schools, first responded to the cyberloafing scale of Akbulut et al. (2016). The scale had been validated in the pilot phase of the study through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The participants also responded to Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator's Survey, developed and validated by Maslach et al. (1996). The findings revealed that the engagement of the participants in cyberloafing behaviors was at a moderate level. They were more involved in the sharing dimension. Also, the teachers in junior high schools reported a significantly higher level of cyberloafing behaviors. As for teacher burnout, the multiple regression analyses depicted significant contributions of the three burnout factors, especially depersonalization, to the different cyberloafing dimensions. The pedagogical implications for educational policymakers and L2 teacher educators are also discussed.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1453940
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Cyberloafing, defined as the use of Internet for personal purposes during working hours, is an increasing phenomenon in view of a broad spread of Internet technologies. Although the majority of research on cyberloafing behaviors has focused on employers' cyberloafing in different organizational environments, very little is known about its prevalence in educational settings. At the same time, there have been few research studies on the relationship between cyberloafing behaviors and other important occupational variables in mainstream education, such as teacher burnout. In this light, the present study examined the cyberloafing situation among Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and its possible variances in terms of two demographic factors of school type and educational level. Additionally, it explored the possible association between the cyberloafing behaviors and the occupational variable of teacher burnout. To this end, 824 EFL teachers, working in different Iranian high schools, first responded to the cyberloafing scale of Akbulut et al. (2016). The scale had been validated in the pilot phase of the study through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The participants also responded to Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator's Survey, developed and validated by Maslach et al. (1996). The findings revealed that the engagement of the participants in cyberloafing behaviors was at a moderate level. They were more involved in the sharing dimension. Also, the teachers in junior high schools reported a significantly higher level of cyberloafing behaviors. As for teacher burnout, the multiple regression analyses depicted significant contributions of the three burnout factors, especially depersonalization, to the different cyberloafing dimensions. The pedagogical implications for educational policymakers and L2 teacher educators are also discussed.
ISSN:1360-2357
1573-7608
DOI:10.1007/s10639-024-12804-x