Building Confidence, Battling Anxiety: A Closer Look At Beed and Beced Pre-Service Teachers

Abstract

This study investigated the interplay between teaching anxiety and teaching confidence among pre-service teachers enrolled in the Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) and Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECED) programs at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University - Mid La Union Campus. It seeks to examine how pre-service teachers experience anxiety and confidence during their practicum, analyze how they perceive the relationship between these two constructs, and identify both the contributing factors to anxiety and the coping strategies they employ. Anchored on Bandura's Self-Efficacy Theory, Pekrun's Control-Value Theory of Achievement Emotions, and Lazarus and Folkman's Stress and Coping Theory, the study adopts a qualitative research design. Data were gathered through structured interviews with purposely selected participants and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-phase thematic analysis. The findings highlight the psychological challenges and strengths of pre-service teachers, providing insights into how teacher education programs can develop effective support systems that foster resilience, reduce anxiety, and build teaching confidence.