Re-conceptualizing the knowledge base for non-native language teachers to cope with negative emotions

Abstract

When non-native speakers become second language teachers, emotions play a significant role in the teacher-learning process and throughout their professional lives. However, few teacher education programs explicitly relate emotions to teachers’ knowledge bases to improve their social-emotional skills. Due to the dynamic nature of a knowledge base, teachers can always take an inquiry stance to continuously examine their teaching practices and beliefs. Therefore, this paper takes an inquiry stance to discuss negative emotions in non-native language teachers’ narratives and how they can overcome the potentially negative effects of such emotions by reconceptualizing their personal knowledge base to reinforce the effects of positive emotions and minimize the effects of negative emotions in their teaching practice. As a preliminary study, it aims to raise awareness for teachers to develop social-emotional skills through knowledge-base re-conceptualization and to advocate for reform of language teacher education./ Keywords: emotions, social-emotional skills, language teacher education, knowledge base, non-native teachers