Hacia la educacion emocional en la formacion docente : un estudio sobre creencias y estrategias para la regulacion emocional de futuros profesores de ingles como lengua extranjera

Abstract

This qualitative multiple-case study explored the beliefs towards teachers? emotions and emotion regulation as well as the emotions and regulation strategies of three EFL student teachers across an intervention and their final practicum at a teacher training college in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, in 2022. Drawing on key theories of beliefs (Barcelos & Kalaja, 2013; Barcelos & Ruohotie-Lyhty, 2018), emotions (Russell, 1980), and emotion regulation (Gross, 1998, 2015), the study examined the interplay between these aspects through a novel intervention that served both as a data collection tool and a means of supporting student teachers` development of socio-emotional competence. The 15-week intervention (September-December 2022) combined traditional data collection methods with innovative approaches to reflection. Data were collected through surveys, classroom observations, interviews, visual narrative descriptions, and autoethnographic writing. Results revealed a dynamic evolution in participants` beliefs about the role of emotions in teaching, progressing from a primarily technical focus to a more nuanced understanding of emotions? role in professional identity. Participants experienced predominantly activated emotions, both pleasant (happiness, joy) and unpleasant (anxiety, nervousness), with deactivated emotions emerging mainly post-practicum. The study identified cognitive change as a pivotal regulation strategy, facilitated by reflective practices such as autoethnographic writing. All participants reported high value in the intervention, citing increased emotional awareness, better theory-practice integration, and personal growth beyond teaching. The study`s implications extend to EFL teacher education program design, highlighting the need to systematically embed emotion regulation into teacher training to enhance educator?s socio-emotional competence. Keywords: EFL teacher education, teacher beliefs, emotions, emotion regulation, emotional competence, teaching practicum, qualitative research, autoethnographic writing