From Risk to Resilience: Mapping Teacher Candidates' Academic Challenges and Resilience

• In Event: Teaching, Learning, and Pedagogy

Abstract

This content analysis examines the academic challenges faced by teacher candidates and their impact on learning and educational development, guided by the academic resilience framework proposed by Skinner et al. (2020). The participants were preservice teachers at a Midwest university. The researchers conducted a quantitative content analysis to evaluate the candidates' responses to an open-ended question about the academic challenges they encountered. Participants identified various types of academic setbacks, with online course delivery being the primary challenge. Furthermore, many participants who cited online course delivery as a setback linked it to other psychological, cognitive, environmental, and social risk factors. The consequences of these academic setbacks are summarized in three key areas: ineffective learning, reduced academic performance, and negative emotional responses.

Authors

• Donghyun Kang, Tennessee State University

• UrLeaka W. Newsome, Tennessee State University

• Lou Anne Wilkes, Tennessee State University

• Kisha C. Bryan, Tennessee State University