Constructing and validating a language teachers’ temporal intelligence scale and examining its relationship with teacher burnout

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to design and validate a scale to measure language teachers’ temporal intelligence and to explore its role in teacher burnout. To this aim, 210 English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, teaching at different language institutes were asked to complete two questionnaires: the newly-designed language teachers’ temporal intelligence scale (LTTI-S) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). First, Rasch measurement was used to substantiate the construct validity of the LTTI-S. Next, multiple correspondence analysis and regression were run, which revealed significant relationships between temporal intelligence and the three subconstructs of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment). Moreover, the results of t-test and one-way ANOVA demonstrated that female teachers’ temporal intelligence is significantly higher than their male counterparts and teachers with higher academic degrees have significantly higher temporal intelligence. Finally, the results were discussed and implications were provided in the context of language education.

KEYWORDS:

• Temporal intelligence
• burnout
• Rasch analysis
• multiple correspondence analysis
• regression
• EFL teachers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Elham Naji Meidani holds a PhD in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. She has published several research articles in different national and international journals. Her main research interests include psychology and sociology of language education. She is currently teaching at Ferdowsi University and Payam-e-Noor University of Mashhad.

Reza Pishghadam is a full professor of language education and professor by courtesy of educational psychology at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. He has published more than one hundred articles and books in English language education. In 2007, he was selected as a member of the National Association of Elites of Iran. In 2010, he was classified as the top researcher in humanities in Iran.

Behzad Ghonsooly is a full professor of Applied Linguistics at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. He has published 10 books in the EFL field and more than 60 papers in various national and international journals. His main research interests are language testing, and introspection psychology.

Azar Hosseini Fatemi is an associate professor in the Teaching English as a Foreign Language Program at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. She has received her M.A. degree from New Mexico State University and her PhD from Punjab State University. Her research interests include issues in second language teaching and learning.

ORCID

Elham Naji Meidani http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8189-3282

Reza Pishghadam http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6876-5139