Decision fatigue among EFL teachers: Sources, instructional consequences, and coping strategies
Main Article Content
Abstract
EFL teachers make many instructional, administrative, and interpersonal decisions throughout the working day, yet decision fatigue in EFL teaching has received limited research attention. This study examined the level of decision fatigue among EFL teachers, its reported sources, its effects on teaching practices, and the strategies teachers used to manage it. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was used. Quantitative data were collected from 364 EFL teachers through the nine-item Decision Fatigue Scale and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Semi-structured interviews were subsequently conducted with six EFL teachers, and the interview data were analyzed thematically to explain the scale results. The scale results showed a high level of decision fatigue among the participants. The interviews linked decision fatigue to administrative workload and non-teaching tasks, parental pressure or negligence, students’ lack of motivation, assessment responsibilities, material preparation, and toxic work environments. Participants reported loss of motivation, reduced instructional clarity, and avoidance as its effects on teaching. Collaboration, passive recovery, and self-regulation were identified as coping strategies. The results indicate that decision fatigue may affect teachers’ classroom attention, instructional decisions, and responses to changing classroom needs. Reducing unnecessary non-teaching duties and giving teachers regular opportunities to share planning and classroom decisions with colleagues may help reduce decision fatigue and maintain instructional clarity in EFL classrooms.
Metrics
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Aaronson, L. S., Teel, C. S., Cassmeyer, V., Neuberger, G. B., Pallikkathayil, L., Pierce, J., ... & Wingate, A. (1999). Defining and measuring fatigue. Image: The Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 31(1), 45-50. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1547-5069.1999.tb00420.x
Agarwal, B. B., Vashishtha, V., Dhamija, N., Kumar, A., Mishra, A., Gilda, S., ... & Jain, N. (2023). Decision making in surgery. Indian Journal of Colo-Rectal Surgery, 6(2). doi: 10.4103/IJCS.IJCS_5_24
Agranoff, R., & Kolpakov, A. (2019). Researching networks through a sequential explanatory design. In Networks and Collaboration in the Public Sector (pp. 20-44). Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315544939-2.
Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Muraven, M., & Tice, D. M. (1998). Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), 1252-1265.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.5.1252
Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., & Tice, D. M. (2007). The strength model of self-control. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(6), 351-355. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00534.x
Blackley, C., Redmond, P., & Peel, K. (2021). Teacher decision-making in the classroom: the influence of cognitive load and teacher affect. Journal of Education for Teaching, 47(4), 548–561.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2021.1902748
Borko, H., & Shavelson, R. J. (2013). Teacher decision making 1. In Dimensions of thinking and cognitive instruction (pp. 311-346). Routledge.
Cella, D., Peterman, A., Passik, S., Jacobsen, P., & Breitbart, W. (1998). Progress toward guidelines for the management of fatigue. Oncology, 12(11A), 369-377.
Dong, S. S., Wang, K., Zhang, K. Q., Wang, X. H., Wang, J. H., Turdi, S., ... & Li, Y. W. (2024). Decision fatigue experience of front-line nurses in the context of public health emergency: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 553. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02163-w
Dubash, R., Bertenshaw, C., & Ho, J. H. (2020). Decision fatigue in the emergency department. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 32(6), 1059-1061. https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.13670
Dubey, S. (2019). Towards finding association between decision fatigue and critical thinking in the constructive e-learning environment. International Journal of Scientific Research and Review, 7(6), 58-66.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.16936.83208
Eggleston, J. (Ed.). (2018). Teacher decision-making in the classroom: A collection of papers (Original work published 1979). Routledge.
Erkaya, O. R. (2013). Factors that motivate Turkish EFL teachers. International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning, 2(2), 49-61. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsll.2012.135
Farhady, H., & Tavassoli, K. (2021). EFL teachers’ perceptions and practices of their language assessment knowledge. Language Testing in Asia, 11(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-021-00135-4
Fernández-Miranda, G., Urriago-Rayo, J., Akle, V., Noguera, E., Mejía, N., Amaya, S., & Jiménez-Leal, W. (2023). Compassion and decision fatigue among healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic in a Colombian sample. PLOS ONE, 18(3), e0282949. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282949
Freeman, D. (1989). Teacher training, development, and decision making: A model of teaching and related strategies for language teacher education. TESOL Quarterly, 23(1), 27-45.
https://doi.org/10.2307/3587506
Grignoli, N., Manoni, G., Gianini, J., Schulz, P., Gabutti, L., & Petrocchi, S. (2025). Clinical decision fatigue: a systematic and scoping review with meta-synthesis. Family Medicine and Community Health, 13(1), e003033. https://doi.org/10.1136/fmch-2024-003033
Hickman Jr, R. L., Pignatiello, G. A., & Tahir, S. (2018). Evaluation of the decisional fatigue scale among surrogate decision makers of the critically Ill. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 40(2), 191-208 https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945917723828
İpek, H., & Kanatlar, M. (2018). Factors affecting EFL teacher motivation. Eğitimde Nitel Araştırmalar Dergisi, 6(2), 25-41. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/enad/article/449784
Ivankova, N. V., Creswell, J. W., & Stick, S. L. (2006). Using mixed-methods sequential explanatory design: From theory to practice. Field Methods, 18(1), 3-20. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05282260
Kardena, A. (2024). Decision maker in EFL class: A case study of teachers’ hidden role. ELP (Journal of English Language Pedagogy), 9(2), 141–156. https://doi.org/10.36665/elp.v9i2.914
Klein, J., & Pat-El L. (2003). Impairment of teacher efficiency during extended sessions of test correction. European Journal of Teacher Education, 26(3), 379-392.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0261976032000128201
Kosarko, C. A. (2024). Decision fatigue among police officers and its association with organizational stress and burnout (Order No. 31238696). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (3159028215). Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/decision-fatigue-among-police-officers/docview/3159028215/se-2
Lee M. (2020). Addressing decision fatigue in the emergency department. Emergency medicine Australasia: EMA, 32(6), 1064–1066. https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.13672
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.
MacIntosh, B. R., & Rassier, D. E. (2002). What is fatigue?. Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, 27(1), 42-55. https://doi.org/10.1139/h02-003
Moorhouse, A. (2020). Decision fatigue: Less is more when making choices with patients. British Journal of General Practice, 70(697), 399-399. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp20X711989
Natal, G., & Saltzman, B. (2022). Decisions, decisions, decisions: Decision fatigue in academic librarianship. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 48(1), 102476.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102476
Papi, M., & Abdollahzadeh, E. (2012). Teacher motivational practice, student motivation, and possible L2 selves: An examination in the Iranian EFL context. Language Learning, 62(2), 571-594.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2011.00632.x
Pignatiello, G. A., Martin, R. J., & Hickman Jr, R. L. (2020). Decision fatigue: A conceptual analysis. Journal of Health Psychology, 25(1), 123-135. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105318763510
Pignatiello, G. A., Tsivitse, E., O’Brien, J., Kraus, N., & Hickman Jr, R. L. (2022). Decision fatigue among clinical nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 31(7-8), 869-877. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15939
Polman, E., & Vohs, K. D. (2016). Decision fatigue, choosing for others, and self-construal. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 7(5), 471-478. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550616639648
Pourtoussi, Z., Ghanizadeh, A., & Mousavi, V. (2018). A qualitative in-depth analysis of the determinants and outcomes of EFL teachers' motivation and demotivation. International Journal of Instruction, 11(4), 175-190.
Sarıakçalı, N. (2025). Sağlık hizmetlerinde karar yorgunluğunun değerlendirilmesi: Endokrin hekimleri üzerine kesitsel bir çalışma. International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences/Uluslararası Avrasya Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 16(62), 2220-2238. https://doi.org/10.70736/ijoess.2028
Sarıakçalı, N., & Kırpık, G. (2022). Hickman’ın karar yorgunluğu ölçeğinin Türkçeye uyarlanması ve COVID-19 sürecinde bir araştırma: Türkiye örneği. Abant Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 22(3), 1171–1185. https://doi.org/10.11616/asbi.1146908
Schweitzer, D. R., Baumeister, R. F., Laakso, E. L., & Ting, J. (2023). Self‐control, limited willpower and decision fatigue in healthcare settings. Internal Medicine Journal, 53(6), 1076-1080. https://doi.org/10.1111/imj.16121
Shackle, G. L. S. (1986). Decision. Journal of Economic Studies, 13(5), 58-62. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb002639
Shavelson, R. J., & Stern, P. (1981). Research on teachers’ pedagogical thoughts, judgments, decisions, and behavior. Review of Educational Research, 51(4), 455–498.
https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543051004455
Smith, D. B. (1996). Teacher decision making in the adult ESL classroom. In D. Freeman & J. C. Richards (Eds.), Teacher Learning in Language Teaching (pp. 197-216). Cambridge University Press.
Smith, K. (2017). Teachers as Self-Directed Learners: Active Positioning Through Professional Learning. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3587-6
Stacey, M., Creagh, S., Mockler, N., Hogan, A., & Thompson, G. (2024). The time poor teacher: Understanding the intensity of decision-making. In Teaching and Time Poverty (pp. 179-196). Routledge.
Subedi, K. R., Subedi, U., & Subedi, S. (2023). Teacher’s Role in Managing the Classroom Pedagogy. Shaheed Smriti Journal, 12(9), 10–25. https://doi.org/10.3126/shaheedsmriti.v12i9.75527
Sunkur Cakmak, M. (2025). Teachers’ views on decision fatigue. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 17(3), 143-160.
Taylor, C., Roehrich, H., & Grabanski, J. (2018). External factors that impact online instructor performance: A study measuring the impact of decision fatigue and quality matters recognition of courses on online instructor evaluation. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 21(3), 1-12. https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall213/taylor_roehrich_grabanski213.html
Tierney, J. (2011). Do you suffer from decision fatigue? The New York Times.
Wang, W., Xiao, H., Liu, X., Kuang, W., Shen, F., Li, X., ... & Hu, L. (2025). Decision Fatigue among Nurses in a Third‐Level Grade A Hospital in China: A Cross‐Sectional Study on Prevalence and Predictors. International Nursing Review, 72(3), e70095. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.70095
Westbrook, A., & Braver, T. S. (2015). Cognitive effort: A neuroeconomic approach. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 15(2), 395-415. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-015-0334-y
Wipulanusat, W., Panuwatwanich, K., Stewart, R.A., & Sunkpho, J. (2020). Applying Mixed Methods Sequential Explanatory Design to Innovation Management. In: Panuwatwanich, K., Ko, CH. (eds) The 10th International Conference on Engineering, Project, and Production Management. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1910-9_40
Yavrutürk, A. R. (2025). Ergenlerde karar verme yorgunluğu: Nedenleri ve baş etme yöntemleri. Türk Eğitim Değerlendirmeleri Dergisi, 6(2), 73-100. https://izlik.org/JA94YC96LC
Yiğit, A. G., & Bayar-Türkoğlu, H. T. (2025). Maksimumu hedeflemenin iş ve yaşam tatmini üzerindeki etkileri. İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi, 14(5), 2225-2247.