Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Nouroddin Yousofi ¹
• Parviz Ahmadi ²

¹ Department of English language teaching and literature, faculty of Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

² Department of Language & Linguistics, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The emotional experiences of teachers have been investigated by educational and psychological researchers in recent years. However, there is paucity of research about the emotional experiences of EFL pre-service teachers, especially those with a tenure track teaching vocation, in a practicum. This qualitative study aimed to investigate how four pre-service EFL teachers in an undergraduate programme developed emotions in practicum courses over two semesters. The data for this qualitative case study were collected through focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews and field observations. The findings showed preservice teachers experienced a wide range of positive, negative and even ambivalent emotions. The results showed that the participants tried to deal with their negative emotions more optimistically at the onset of their practicum, but their conflicting emotions caused by feelings of uncertainty and indecision gradually prevailed their emotions and resulted in less vocational motivation and resilience. The study concludes that preservice teachers’ idealism needs to be readjusted by their mentors and pre-service teachers need to be trained how to handle negative feelings more professionally to avoid future burnout or severe feelings of career anxiety and insecurity. The importance of supporting the socio-emotional competence of pre-service teachers and infusing strategies of positive psychology into their teacher education programs are highlighted.

Keywords

• Emotional experiences
• Pre-service EFL teachers
• Practicum
• Socio-emotional competence
• Vocational resilience

Main Subjects

• Applied Linguistics