Mindfulness and Anxiety Among Foreign Language Teachers: The Role of Cognitive Reappraisal and Self-Efficacy

Mindfulness has been associated with decreased psychological distress, yet little is known about the possible links between mindfulness and anxiety among foreign language teachers, as well as the potential intervening variables explaining these links. The aim of this study thus was to investigate the contribution of self-efficacy (SE) and emotion-regulation strategy of cognitive reappraisal (CR) in explaining the potential association between mindfulness and foreign language teaching anxiety (FLTA) as experienced during the preparation and execution of language learning activities and while speaking in the foreign language.

The participants were 245 foreign language teachers. The required data were collected via self-reported scales. Structural equation modeling was employed for conducting the main analyses.

The findings indicated that intrapersonal mindfulness could positively predict CR and SE and negatively predict FLTA. However, interpersonal mindfulness in teaching predicted only CR and SE, not FLTA. SE and CR also negatively predicted FLTA. Further, the results of mediation analyses demonstrated that both mindfulness components were indirectly linked to FLTA via the mediation of SE.

Foreign language teaching can be a daunting and anxiety-inducing experience for teachers. Considering the findings of this study, teacher educators, administrators, and supervisors should be aware of the benefits of CR and SE in managing FLTA. It is also warranted to integrate mindfulness training into teacher education programs in order to improve foreign language teachers' self-efficacy and emotion regulation, thereby mitigating their anxiety.