Surface vs. deep acting in EFL instruction: Mediating and moderating roles of emotion regulation and intelligence in burnout

Feng Zhang^*Linger Wang

• North China University of Water Conservancy and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China

Burnout is a persistent challenge in English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction, which refers to a cognitively complex and emotionally demanding profession. Whereas emotion regulation (ER) is often a protective factor against teacher burnout (TB), this study extends contemporary literature by examining how distinct emotional labour strategies, namely surface and deep acting, differentially affect TB in academically high-pressure cultures. Along with, this study investigates whether ER mediates relationship between surface acting and burnout, and explores whether higher emotional intelligence (EI) can moderate this by reducing negative effects of surface acting on burnout. A cross-sectional research survey gathers responses of 448 EFL instructors in China with a recovery rate of $93.08%. Then, this study conducts statistical tests, including structural equation modeling along with mediation and moderation analyses, to examine the validity of five proposed hypotheses. Current results establish that strong ER prevents TB. The EFL instructors, who employ surface acting frequently, are more likely to experience higher TB. Thus, the policy of less surface acting and genuine expression can protect well-being of EFL instructors. As deep acting leads to lower burnout compared to surface acting, this study promotes deep acting for emotion regulation, thus strengthening ER and obstructing the link between surface acting and burnout. Also, EI reduces the negative effect of surface acting on TB, because instructors with higher EI are less affected by emotional strain. Training programs that enhance ER and EI are effective among EFL instructors in high-stress environments.