ABSTRACT
Burnout among language teachers has become a critical concern in the Philippine public school system, where increasing instructional, administrative, and extracurricular demands intensify stress and diminish teaching effectiveness. This study explored the lived experiences of burnout among eight (8) public school language teachers and examined its implications for instructional quality within the context of Department of Education (DepEd) reforms. Guided by Maslach and Leiter’s Burnout Theory and Fullan’s Theory of Educational Change, the study employed a qualitative phenomenological design using an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed through Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Findings revealed that teachers’ experiences of burnout centered on emotional exhaustion, workload pressures, and student-related challenges. The respondents consistently described how burnout contributed to instructional quality through reduced energy and enthusiasm, decline in creativity and quality of lesson planning, and reduced focus and engagement during classroom instruction. The conditions perceived to contribute to burnout included workload and role demands, classroom and student challenges, and emotional and interpersonal strain. The study concludes that burnout among language teachers directly impact the instructional quality and is both psychological and systemic issue shaped by institutional demands, emotional labor, and student needs. Addressing burnout requires strengthened administrative support, manageable workloads, professional development focused on emotional regulation, and policies that prioritize teacher well-being. Enhancing these support mechanisms is essential to sustaining high-quality language instruction and fostering teacher motivation and resilience in the Philippine public school context.
Keywords: burnout, language teachers, instructional quality, language education