Teacher emotions and professional development: A case study of three first-year EFL teachers

Xiaomei Sun
China Foreign Affairs University, China
Wan Zhang
Beijing University of Chemical Technology, China

This case study explored the emotions, narrations, and actions of three first-year English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers to identify the factors that influenced their adaptation and how their emotions reflected their needs for professional development. Data were collected from teacher participants' reflective journals and two semi-structured interviews (at the beginning and the end of a school year). Findings foregrounded some major problems that first-year EFL teachers experienced, including the need for guidance on teaching low-performing students and dealing with student diversity, reconciling their initial education with practical classroom realities, and teacher burnout and emotional exhaustion. Close analysis of the findings led to the assumptions that need-oriented induction and mentoring schemes, integrating personal and professional development are contributory factors for novice teachers' professional development. Implications of the findings are examined in relation to the induction mechanism and the school and professional community.
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Authors: Dr Xiaomei Sun (corresponding author) is a lecturer at the English Department of China Foreign Affairs University. Her research interests include extensive reading in L2, children's literature, English teacher training and development. Her recent research appears in Language Teaching Research, TESOL Journal, The Language Learning Journal, and Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6806-8170 Email: sunxiaomei@cfau.edu.cn Ms Wan Zhang earned her Bachelor degree in English Language and Literature from Beijing Language and Culture University, China, and her Masters degree in Intercultural Studies from Dublin City University, Ireland. She works at the Department of International Exchanges and Cooperation, Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT), China. She is also a lecturer at BUCT with more than 10 years demonstrated experience in English teaching. Email: zhangwan@buct.edu.cn Please cite as: Sun, X. & Zhang, W. (2023). Teacher emotions and professional development: A case study of three first-year EFL teachers. Issues in Educational Research, 33(3), 1190-1209. http://www.iier.org.au/iier33/sun.pdf