VALENCIA EPPS (MOKPO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY)
IAN MOODIE (Mokpo National University)

EXAMINING CAUSES FOR THE WELL-BEING DISPARITY BETWEEN FEMALE AND MALE EXPAT ENGLISH TEACHERS IN ASIA: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC INQUIRY : GLOBAL ISSUES IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

This ethnographic study follows up on survey research indicating a troubling gap in occupational well-being between female and male expat English teachers in Asia. Prior occupational well-being research suggests that gender differences are generally not significant in most settings unless systemic discrimination or power differences are evident. Thus, this study presents an opportunity to examine the causes or reasons that may explain why this gap exists. To do so, the study examines the experiences of 10 participants (five current and five former female, self-identified expat English teachers in Asia), aiming to understand their perceived factors and experiences that may be explaining the lower well-being among females of this cohort. The primary researcher (American female) has an emic (insider) perspective, having two prior years’ experience as an expat English teacher in South Korea. The methods are qualitative, using a blend of inductive and deductive analysis to analyze interview data, looking at factors related to sociality in the workplace, sexual discrimination, power differences, male privilege, and work-life balance. By examining this well-being gap through the voices of participants, it is hoped that the study will provide an important step in mitigating this issue.

Valencia Epps has a master’s degree in elementary education from Mississippi State University and is a 2024/2025 Fulbright Research Grant recipient. Her Fulbright research project is investigating well-being and collaboration among English language co-teachers in Asia.

Ian Moodie is a Professor in the Department of English Education at Mokpo National University in South Korea. His recent projects involve adapting Organizational Psychology research in ELT, with recent publications in Language Teaching, Language Teaching Research, The Modern Language Journal, TESOL Quarterly, and System, among others.