The research group for well-being in language education introduces itself
We have established a special research group at the Department of English Studies at the University of Graz that focuses on the well-being of language teachers and learners. It reflects the core research interests of several members of staff, as well as graduate students, who are studying ways of improving the well-being of both learners and teachers involved in language education.
We work to explore the most challenging and exciting issues in language education through rigorous research, outstanding teaching activities and partnerships with practitioners, educators, researchers and policy makers worldwide. Our aim is to promote sustainable well-being in society worldwide.
Our mission statement: Be well, teach well, learn well
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is a state of total physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease.
Any sustainable vision for the future must be built upon the rights of all citizens to mental and physical health. Educators are in a key position to systematically contribute to promoting and supporting the well-being and health literacy of themselves and their learners. Well-being is an essential life skill and we cannot leave its development to chance. We believe that language education can play a central role in integrating the teaching of life skills, including well-being competences alongside linguistic skills. Inspired by 'Positive Education', we have named our approach to language and life skills 'Positive Language Education'. Ultimately, we believe that an integrative approach to language and well-being can be motivating and empowering for both teachers and learners.
A well-being agenda requires sustainable and systematic institutional and policy support. An essential first step is to make language teacher well-being a priority. We must begin by supporting and nurturing the well-being of teachers so that they are in the best possible position to positively model and teach well-being life skills to their learners alongside language. Teacher and learner well-being are two sides of the same coin (Roffey, 2012).
The team of the research group introduces itself
Sarah Mercer
Sarah Mercer is Professor of Foreign Language Teaching at the University of Graz, in Austria, where she is Head of the Section of ELT Research and Methodology and Deputy Head of the Department of English Studies. Her research interests include all aspects of psychology related to the learning and teaching of foreign languages. She is the author, co-author and co-editor of several books in this area, including Towards an Understanding of Language Learner Self-Concept, Psychology for Language Learning, Multiple Perspectives on the Self in SLA, New Directions in Language Learning Psychology, Positive Psychology in SLA, Exploring Psychology for Language Teachers (winner of the IH Ben Warren Prize), Language Teacher Psychology and Teacher Wellbeing.
Research interests: Sarah Mercer's research interests lie in all aspects of language learning psychology (teacher and learner perspectives), particularly in self-related constructs, engagement, agency, affect, belief systems and well-being.
Julia Aigner
Julia Aigner is a pre-doctoral research assistant at the ELT Research and Methodology Department. In her dissertation, she will focus on various aspects of wellbeing surrounding lateral entrants in the Austrian school system. Since 2023, she has also been significantly involved in the Augustinum Wellbeing Project, a cooperation with the Bischöfliches Gymnasium Graz, which deals with the well-being of secondary school students. Julia Aigner is also a qualified English and music teacher for secondary schools.
Research interests: Julia Aigner's research interests lie in all aspects of the psychology of language learning and teaching, in particular the well-being of teachers and learners, including teachers with other professional backgrounds.
Gholam Hassan Khajavy Fadafen
Gholam Hassan Khajavy Fadafen is a post-doctoral researcher at the ELT Research and Methodology section. In his research, he examines the role of individual differences such as emotions and mindsets in relation to the performance and well-being of foreign language learners and teachers. He has published in various international journals, including TESOL Quarterly, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Language Learning and Contemporary Educational Psychology.
His main research interests lie at the intersection of the psychology of language learning and teaching and instructed second language acquisition in the classroom.
Margit Kienzl
Margit Kienzl has been working as a student assistant (STUMAF) at the Department of English Language and Literature since September 2024. After completing her Bachelor's degree, she is currently studying for a Master's degree in Secondary General Education in English and Geography and Economic Education. In addition to her work at the Institute, she is also involved in the Teacher Compassion Project at the Augustinum, where she is actively involved in the planning and implementation. She is also writing her Master's thesis under the supervision of Prof. Mercer.
Research interests: Margit's research interests include teacher wellbeing, sustainability and language teacher education.
Carlos Murillo-Miranda
Carlos Murillo-Miranda is currently a PhD student at the ELT Research and Methodology section and is working on his dissertation entitled "An ecological perspective on Costa Rican EFL teachers' identities and wellbeing".
Research interests: Carlos' research interests include all aspects of the psychology of language learning and teaching, particularly language learners' and teachers' well-being and language teachers' identities.
Dávid Smid
Dávid Smid is a post-doctoral researcher at the ELT Research and Methodology section. He has a PhD in Educational Sciences (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary). His publications include a self-authored monograph entitled Toward an understanding of pre-service English teachers' motivation: The case of Hungary (Akadémiai Kiadó, 2022) and a forthcoming monograph entitled Motivation, autonomy, and emotions in foreign language learning: A nation-wide multi-perspective investigation in Hungary (Multilingual Matters, 2024). He is currently an associate editor of the Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning.
Research interests: Psychology of language learners and language teachers, language teacher education, motivation, positive psychology.
Publications of the research group
Sulis, G., Mercer, S., Babic, S., & Mairitsch, A. (2023). Language Teacher Wellbeing across the Career Span. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Mercer, S., & Puchta, H. (2023). 101 psychological tips for language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mercer, S., & Gregersen, T. (2020). Teacher wellbeing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Mercer, S. & Dörnyei, Z. (2020). Engaging Language Learners in Contemporary Classrooms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gkonou, C. & Mercer, S. (2017). Understanding Emotional and Social Intelligence among English Language Teachers. London: British Council. [Research report].
Williams, M., Mercer, S. & Ryan. S. (2015). Exploring Psychology in Language Learning and Teaching . Oxford Handbooks for Language Teachers. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Winner of the 2015 IH Ben Warren prize].
Gregersen, T., & Mercer, S. (Eds.). (2022). The Routledge Handbook of Language Learning Psychology. New York: Routledge.
Hiver, P., Al-Hoorie, A. H., & Mercer, S. (Eds.). (2020). Student Engagement in the Language Classroom. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Mercer, S.,& Kostoulas, A. (Eds.) (2018). Language Teacher Psychology. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
MacIntyre, P., Gregersen, T. & Mercer, S. (Eds.) (2016). Positive Psychology in SLA. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Gkonou, C., Tatzl, D. & Mercer, S. (Eds.) (2015). New Directions in Language Learning Psychology. Cham: Springer.
Mercer, S., Ryan, S. & Williams, M. (Eds.) (2012). Psychology for Language Learning: Insights from Research, Theory & Practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
2023
Mercer, S. (2023). The wellbeing of language teachers in the private sector: An ecological perspective. Language Teaching Research, 27(5), 1054-1077. https://doi. org/10.1177/1362168820973510
Mairitsch, A., Sulis, G., Mercer, S., Shin, S., & Mairi, S. (2023 - Advanced Access). "They are our future": Professional pride in language teachers across the globe. TESOL Quarterly. https://doi. org/10.1002/tesq.3259
Babic, S., Mairitsch, A., Mercer, S., Sulis, G., & King, J. (2023). Language teachers' capitals as resources for wellbeing across the career trajectories. European Journal of Teacher Education, 1-19.
Sulis, G., Mairitsch, A., Babic, S., Mercer, S., Shin, S., & Csizér, K. (2023). Language teacher wellbeing and psychological capital. Konin Language Studies, 10(2), 119-142. https://doi. org/10.30438/ksj.2022.10.2.1
Mairitsch, A., Babic, S., Mercer, S., Sulis, G., & Shin, S. (2023). The role of compassion during the shift to online teaching and its effect on language teacher wellbeing. Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.31261/TAPSLA.13123
Shin, S., Mercer, S., Babic, S., Sulis, G., Mairitsch, A., King, J., & Jin, J. (2023). Riding the happiness curve: The wellbeing of mid-career phase language teachers. The Language Learning Journal, 51(2), 195-207. https://doi. org/10.1080/09571736.2021.1979632
2022
Babic, S., Mairitsch, A., Mercer, S., Sulis, G., Jin, J., King, J., Lanvers, U., & Shin, S. (2022). Late-career language teachers in Austria and the UK: Pathways to retirement. Teaching and Teacher Education, 113, 1-10.
Babic, S., Mercer, S., Mairitsch, A., Gruber, J., Hempkin, K. (2022). Language teacher wellbeing in the workplace: Balancing needs. Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition, 8(1), 11-34.
Sulis, G., Babic, S., Mairitsch, A., Mercer, S., Jin, J., King, J. (2022). Retention and attrition in early-career foreign language teachers in Austria and the United Kingdom. The Modern Language Journal, 106(1), 155-171.
Babic, S., Platzer, K., Gruber, J., & Mercer, S. (2022). Positive language education: Teaching beyond language. Humanising Language Teaching, 24(5). https://www. hltmag.co.uk/oct22/positive-language-education
2021
Sulis, G., Mercer, S., Mairitsch, A., Babic, S., & Shin, S. (2021). Pre-service teacher wellbeing as a Complex Dynamic System. System, 103, 1-14.
Shin, S., Mercer, S., Babic, S., Sulis, G., Mairitsch, A., Jin, J., & King, J. (2021). Riding the happiness curve: The wellbeing of mid-career-stage language teachers. The Language Learning Journal.
Mercer, S. (2021). An agenda for well-being in ELT: An ecological perspective. ELT Journal, 75(1), 1-8.
Mairitsch, A., Babic, S., Mercer, S., Jin, J., Sulis, G., & King, J. (2021). Being a student, becoming a teacher: The wellbeing of pre-service language teachers in Austria and the UK. Teacher and Teaching Education, 106(103462).
Mercer, S. (2021). An agenda for well-being in ELT: an ecological perspective. ELT Journal, 75(1), 1-8.
Jin, J., Mercer, S., Babic, S., & Mairitsch, A. (2021). 'You just appreciate every little kindness': Chinese language teachers' wellbeing in the UK. System, 96, 1-12.
2020
Mercer, S. (2020). The wellbeing of language teachers in the private sector: An ecological perspective. Language Teaching Research.
MacIntyre, Gregersen, & Mercer S. (2020). Language teachers' coping strategies during the Covid-19 conversion to online teaching: Correlations with stress, wellbeing and negative emotions. System, 94, 102352.
Hofstadler, N., Babic, S., Lämmerer, A., Mercer, S. & Oberdorfer, P. (2020). The ecology of CLIL teachers in Austria: An ecological perspective on CLIL teachers' wellbeing. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching.
Hessel, G., Talbot, K., Gruber, M., & Mercer, S. (2020). The wellbeing and job satisfaction of secondary CLIL & tertiary EMI teachers. Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning, 2(2), 73-91.
Gruber, M.-T., Hofstadler, N., Lämmerer, A., & Mercer, S. (2020). Flourishing or floundering? Factors contributing to CLIL primary teachers' wellbeing. CLIL Journal of Innovation and Research in Plurilingual and Pluricultural Education, 3(1), 19-34.
Gregersen, T., Mercer, S., MacIntyre, P., Talbot, K., & Banga, C. A. (2020). Understanding language teacher wellbeing: An ESM study of daily stressors and uplifts. Language Teaching Research.
Dewaele, J.-M., Mercer, S., Talbot, K., & von Blanckenburg, M. (2020). Are EFL pre-service teachers' judgments of teaching competence swayed by belief that the EFL teacher is an L1 or LX user of English? European Journal of Applied Linguistics.
2019
Talbot, K., & Mercer, S. (2019). Exploring University ESL/EFL Teachers' Emotional Well-being and Emotional Regulation in the United States, Japan and Austria. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics, 41(4), 410-432 [Special Issue on Teacher Emotions].
Ončevska Ager, E., & Mercer, S. (2019). Positivity for teacher wellbeing: A training course to help language teachers flourish. The Teacher Trainer Journal, 33(1), 20-22.
MacIntyre, P., Ross, J., Talbot, K., Mercer, S., Gregersen, T., & Banga, C.-A. (2019). Stressors, personality and wellbeing among language teachers. System, 82, 26-38.
2018
Mercer, S. (2018). Getting interested in the psychology of language learning. ELT Research, 33, 7-9.
Mercer, S. (2018). Connecting minds: Language learner and teacher psychologies. In Pattison, T. (Ed.), IATEFL Conference Selections (pp. 10-19). Faversham: IATEFL.
Gkonou, C., Mercer, S. & Daubney, M., (2018). Teacher perspectives on language learning psychology. Language Learning Journal, 46(4), 501-513.
2017
Mercer, S. (2017). Positive psychology in SLA: An agenda for teacher and learner wellbeing. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 40(2), 100-122.
Mercer, S. (2017). Exploring psychology in language learning and teaching. In T. Pattison (Ed.), IATEFL 2016 Birmingham Conference Selections (pp. 20-21). Faversham: IATEFL.
2016
Gkonou, C., Daubney, M. & Mercer, S. (2016). Teacher perspectives on language learning psychology. Language Learning Journal, 1-13.
2007
Mercer, S. (2007). Understanding the English language learner self-concept. In: Beaven, B. (Ed.), IATEFL 2006 Harrogate Conference Selections. (pp. 177 - 179). Canterbury: IATEFL
2023
Mercer, S. (2023). Well-being and language learning. In C. A. Chapelle & M. Sato (Eds.), The Encyclopedia of applied linguistics, second edition: Instructed second language acquisition. Wiley-Blackwell.
Dewaele, J.-M., Mercer, S., & Gkonou, C. (2023). Attitudinal, motivational, and socio-biographical predictors of EFL teachers' well-being. In C. M. Amerstrofer & M. van Blanckenburg (Eds.), Activating and Engaging Learners and Teachers: Perspectives for English Language Education (pp. 97-116). Tübingen: Narr.
Mercer, S. (2023). Wellbeing in language education. In P. E. Gębal, C. Kiński, S. Mercer, S. A. Nowak, & M. Szulc-Kurpaska (Eds.), Teaching and Learning English: Education for Life (pp. 17-32). Poland: PWN.
2021
Talbot, K., & Mercer, S. (2021). Language teacher well-being. In H. Mohebbi & C. Coombe (Eds.), Research Questions in Language Education and Applied Linguistics. Heidelberg: Springer.
Mercer, S., & Talbot, K. (in press). Ripples in the system: The complexity and dynamics of multilingual EMI tertiary-level teacher identities. In Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Multilingualism and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jin, J., Mercer, S., & Talbot, K. (2021). EMI Teacher Identity, Language Use and Reported Behaviors in Austrian Higher Education. In K. Talbot, M.-T. Gruber, & R. Nishida (Eds.). The psychological experience of integrating content and language. Multilingual Matters.
Jin, J., Mercer, S., Babic, S., & Mairitsch, A. (2021). Understanding the ecology of foreign language teacher wellbeing. In K. Budzińska & O. Majchrzak (Eds.), Education in the Light of Positive Psychology. Springer.
2020
Jin, J., Mercer, S., Babic, S. & Mairitsch, A. (2020). Identities of European-based transnational researchers in TESOL: An ecological perspective. In B. Yazan, S. Canagarajah, & R. Jain (Eds.), Autoethnographies in ELT: Transnational identities, pedagogies, and practices (pp. 161-182). New York: Routledge.
Mercer, S., & Gkonou, C. (2020). Relationships and the good language teacher. In C. Griffiths (Ed.). The good language teacher. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
2019
Mercer, S. (2019). Language teacher psychology research in LTE. In G. Barkhuizen (Ed.), Qualitative Research Topics in Language Education (pp. 50-55). London: Routledge.
2018
Dewaele, J.-M. & Mercer, S. (2018). The duet of teacher and student emotions in foreign language classes. In S. Mercer & A. Kostoulas (Eds.), Language Teacher Psychology (pp. 178-195). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
2016
Mercer, S., Oberdorfer, P. & Saleem, M. (2016). Helping language teachers to thrive: Using positive psychology to promote teachers' professional well-being. In D. Gabryś-Barker & D. Gałajda (Eds.), Positive Psychology Perspectives on Foreign Language Learning and Teaching, Second Language Learning and Teaching (pp. 213-229). Switzerland: Springer.
Mercer, S. (2016). Seeing the world through your eyes: Empathy in language learning and teaching. In P. MacIntyre, T. Gregersen, & S. Mercer (Eds.), Positive Psychology in SLA (pp. 91-111). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
FWF Funded Project: The Psychological Capital of Foreign Language Teachers (2018-2023)
Sulis, G., Mercer, S., Babic, S., & Mairitsch, A. (2023). Language Teacher Wellbeing across the Career Span. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Mairitsch, A., Babic, S., Mercer, S., Sulis, G., & Shin, S. (2023). The role of compassion during the shift to online teaching for language teacher wellbeing. Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition, 9(1), 1-22.
Babic, S., Mairitsch, A., Mercer, S., Sulis, G., & King, J. (2023). Language teachers’ capitals as resources for wellbeing across the career trajectories. European Journal of Teacher Education, 1–19.
Sulis, G., Babic, S., Mairitsch, A., Mercer, S., Jin, J., King, J. (2022). Retention and attrition in early-career foreign language teachers in Austria and the United Kingdom. The Modern Language Journal, 106(1), 155–171.
Mairitsch, A., Babic, S., Mercer, S., Jin, J., Sulis, G., & King, J. (2021). Being a student, becoming a teacher: The wellbeing of pre-service language teachers in Austria and the UK. Teacher and Teaching Education, 106(103462).
Sulis, G., Mercer, S., Mairitsch, A., Babic, S., & Shin, S. (2021). Pre-service language teacher wellbeing as a Complex Dynamic System. System, 103, 1-12.
Jin, J., Mercer, S., Babic, S., & Mairitsch, A. (2020). ‘You just appreciate every little kindness’: Chinese language teachers’ wellbeing in the UK. System.
OeNB Funded Project: The Self-concepts and Psychological Well-being of Teachers in CLIL contexts across the educational lifespan (2017-2019)
Jin, J., Mercer, S., & Talbot, K. (2021). EMI Teacher Identity, Language Use and Reported Behaviours in Austrian Higher Education. In K. Talbot, M.-T. Gruber, & R. Nishida (Eds.). The psychological experience of integrating content and language. Multilingual Matters.
Hofstadler, N., Babic, S., Lämmerer, A., Mercer, S. & Oberdorfer, P. (2020). The ecology of CLIL teachers in Austria: An ecological perspective on CLIL teachers’ wellbeing. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching.
Hessel, G., Talbot, K., Gruber, M., & Mercer, S. (2020). The wellbeing and job satisfaction of secondary CLIL & tertiary EMI teachers. Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning, 2(2), 73–91.
Univ.-Prof. B.A. M.A. M.Sc. Ph.D Sarah Jane Mercer
+43 316 380 - 8190
Institut für Anglistik
Tuesdays 10-11, Liebiggasse
https://anglistik.uni-graz.at/de/fachdidaktik/