Emotional challenges and regulation strategies of pre-service English teachers during their internships in Thailand
Keywords
Abstract
This qualitative research investigates the emotional challenges faced by pre-service English teachers, who are currently studying at Hue University of Foreign Languages and International Studies (HUFLIS) during their internships in Thailand, and the emotion-regulation strategies they employed. Twelve Pre-service teacher students consented to participate in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was used to identify recurring patterns. The findings reveal that the pre-service teachers frequently encountered negative emotional experiences, such as anxiety, frustration, burnout and feelings of being overwhelmed. Using Gross's (1998) process model of emotion regulation as an analytical framework, the study shows that commonly reported regulation strategies included cognitive reappraisal (positive self-talk), response modulation (breathing/mindfulness), behavioral adjustments (body language and voice control), and support-seeking, particularly, informal digital peer support. The study highlights the contextual specificity of stressors in international placements (especially language-related anxiety) and suggests implications for teacher education programs to include emotional-awareness and regulation training. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Downloads
References
Bajorek, Z., Gulliford, J., & Taskila, T. (2014). Healthy teachers, higher marks. Establishing a link between teacher health & wellbeing, and student outcomes, 0-34. https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/7792519/healthy_teachers_higher_marks_report.pdf
Borman, G. D., & Dowling, N. M. (2008). Teacher Attrition and Retention: A Meta-Analytic and Narrative Review of the research. Review of Educational Research, 78(3), 367–409. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308321455
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Cannon, W. B. (1927). The James-Lange Theory of Emotions: A Critical Examination and an Alternative Theory. The American Journal of Psychology, 39(1/4), 106-124. https://doi.org/10.2307/1415404
Chang, M. (2009). An Appraisal Perspective of Teacher burnout: Examining the emotional work of teachers. Educational Psychology Review, 21(3), 193–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-009-9106-y
Day, C., & Gu, Q. (2014). Resilient teachers, resilient schools. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203578490
Fried, L. (2011). Teaching Teachers about Emotion Regulation in the Classroom. the Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(3). https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2011v36n3.1
Gross, J. J. (1998). The Emerging Field of Emotion Regulation: An Integrative Review. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 271–299. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.271
Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(2), 348–362. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.85.2.348
Hargreaves, A. (2000). Mixed emotions: teachers’ perceptions of their interactions with students. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16(8), 811–826. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0742-051x(00)00028-7
Hochschild, A. (2012). The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling. Berkeley: University of California Press. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520951853
Ingersoll, R. M., & Strong, M. (2011). The impact of induction and mentoring programs for beginning teachers: A critical review of the research. Review of Educational Research, 81(2), 201–233. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654311403323
James, W. (1884). What is an emotion? Mind, 9(34), 188–205. https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/os-ix.34.188
Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The Prosocial Classroom: teacher social and emotional competence in relation to student and classroom outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 491–525. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308325693
Johnson, S., Cooper, C., Cartwright, S., Donald, I., Taylor, P., & Millet, C. (2005). The experience of work‐related stress across occupations. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 20(2), 178–187. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940510579803
Kelchtermans, G. (2005). Teachers’ emotions in educational reforms: Self-understanding, vulnerable commitment and micropolitical literacy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21(8), 995–1006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.06.009
Klassen, R. M., & Chiu, M. M. (2010). Effects on teachers’ self-efficacy and job satisfaction: Teacher gender, years of experience, and job stress. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(3), 741–756. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019237
Kyriacou, C. (2001). Teacher Stress: Directions for future research. Educational Review, 53(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131910120033628
Le, T. T., & Pham, T. T. (2024). Emotional maturity in EFL teaching: Exploring Vietnamese teachers’ perceptions and its impact on student learning outcomes. Ampersand, 13, 100183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amper.2024.100183
Oberle, E., & Schonert-Reichl, K. A. (2016). Stress contagion in the classroom? The link between classroom teacher burnout and morning cortisol in elementary school students. Social Science & Medicine, 159, 30–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.04.031
Schachter, S., & Singer, J. (1962). Cognitive, social, and physiological determinants of emotional state. Psychological Review, 69(5), 379–399. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0046234
Sutton, R. E. (2004). Emotional regulation goals and strategies of teachers. Social Psychology of Education, 7(4), 379–398. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-004-4229-y
Sutton, R. E., & Wheatley, K. F. (2003). Teachers’ Emotions and Teaching: A review of the literature and directions for future research. Educational Psychology Review, 15(4), 327–358. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1026131715856
Tsouloupas, C. N., Carson, R. L., Matthews, R., Grawitch, M. J., & Barber, L. K. (2010). Exploring the association between teachers’ perceived student misbehaviour and emotional exhaustion: the importance of teacher efficacy beliefs and emotion regulation. Educational Psychology, 30(2), 173–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410903494460
Tytherleigh, M. Y., Webb, C., Cooper, C. L., & Ricketts, C. (2005). Occupational stress in UK higher education institutions: a comparative study of all staff categories. Higher Education Research & Development, 24(1), 41–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/0729436052000318569
Yin, H., & Lee, J. C. (2012). Be passionate, but be rational as well: Emotional rules for Chinese teachers’ work. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28(1), 56–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2011.08.005
Yin, H., Lee, J. C. K., Zhang, Z., & Jin, Y. (2013). Exploring the relationship among teachers’ emotional intelligence, emotional labor strategies and teaching satisfaction. Teaching and Teacher Education, 35, 137–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.06.006
