Exploring antecedents of student teachers' emotions during instructional experiences: A situation-specific analysis

In the area of teacher motivation, the teaching practicum stands out as a pivotal element. The pronounced complexity of teaching during this specific phase may pose an emotional challenge, making the exploration of student teachers' emotions a worthwhile endeavour.

Based on a theoretical model and rooted in a process-oriented perspective, this diary study examines student teachers' discrete emotions, focusing on proximal (cognitive appraisals) and distal antecedents (classroom conditions) during the teaching practicum while accounting for contextual variables.

Data were collected from 178 student teachers in Switzerland and Germany and their 3736 school students. Student teachers conducted a six-lesson-teaching-unit within three-weeks of their obligatory teaching practicum (57% had prior teaching experience) and received different levels of support (coaching by peers or cooperating teachers, subject-didactic materials, usual support).

After three lessons (N = 511), student teachers reported their enjoyment, anger, anxiety and cognitive appraisals (control, value). School students reported on individual perceptions of class discipline and situational interest.

Enjoyment was strongly experienced in 80%, anger in 8% and anxiety in 14% of lessons. School students' situational interest and discipline were weakly related to enjoyment and anger, but not to anxiety. Control appraisals were strongly associated with all emotions. The frequent experience of anxiety and its lack of relation to classroom conditions deviate from findings observed in in-service teachers.

Besides strong positive emotional experiences during the teaching practicum, the observed patterns highlight the necessity for targeted support in navigating emotional complexities during the teaching practicum.