When Words Keep Flowing: How Altruistic Teaching Shapes Writing Fluency and Boredom in the Iranian EFL Classroom

Abstract

Drawing on positive psychology and, specifically, Fredrickson’s (2001) Broaden-and-Build Theory, this mixed-methods study examined the effects of an altruistic teaching intervention on the writing fluency and foreign language boredom of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. Fifty female intermediate learners (ages 14–17) at a private language institute in Shahrekord were assigned to two intact classes. Over twelve 90-minute sessions, the experimental group received writing instruction infused with altruistic teaching practices—learners writing for and responding to authentic audiences—while the comparison group received conventional instruction. Writing fluency was operationalized as words per T-unit and measured through parallel argumentative pre- and post-tests; boredom was assessed with the Boredom in Practical English Language Classes Questionnaire (BPELC; Kruk & Zawodniak, 2017), and semi-structured interviews with 10–15 learners supplied qualitative data. ANCOVA results showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in writing fluency, F(1, 47) = 10.003, p = .003, partial η² = .175, and reported significantly lower L2 boredom, F(1, 47) = 13.346, p < .001, partial η² = .221. Thematic analysis attributed these gains to interactive activities, learner autonomy, meaningful tasks, and emotional support. The findings suggest that altruistic teaching functions as a positive-psychology intervention that simultaneously builds writing fluency and reduces L2 boredom.