This study investigates the motivations driving qualified academics to transition into teaching in Israel, addressing a significant trend where over 50% of new entrants to the education system are second-career candidates. The research aims to understand this career shift in the context of ongoing economic and social crises, and an era where the status of teachers and the teaching profession has notably declined. Grounded in career transition theories, professional identity reformulation, and socio-economic context analysis, this study examines individual motivations, societal pressures, and the broader landscape shaping career decisions in Israel's educational arena during turbulent times. The research employs qualitative methods, including personal questionnaires and focus groups, to gather data from students enrolled in a teaching certification program during the 2025-2026 academic year. This approach aims to capture nuanced insights into the complex factors influencing their decision to enter teaching despite its diminished social standing. Preliminary findings suggest that Israel's current socio-economic challenges significantly impact career transition decisions. Many academics view teaching as an avenue to effect societal change amidst perceived political turmoil, social division, and crises such as recent global pandemics and regional conflicts. Some participants indicated a desire to contribute to social stability through education, despite the profession's reduced status. The study also reveals challenges faced by these career changers, including adapting to new professional identities and navigating the education system's complexities during crisis periods. Additionally, it explores how these individuals reconcile their career shift with the teaching profession's diminished social and economic standing. This research aims to contribute to understanding professional transitions in education during times of social and economic upheaval, potentially informing policy-making and teacher preparation programs to better support and integrate this growing cohort of educators.

Anxiety is a common experience among EFL teachers, affecting their teaching effectiveness and overall well-being. While previous research has explored social and affective factors contributing to EFL teachers' anxiety, the influence of sociocultural factors (SCF) has received limited attention. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the impact of SCFs on teacher anxiety based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and Lantolf's perspective. The aim is to investigate the influence of SCFs ( social interaction, cultural expectations, language proficiency,scaffolding and support,classroom environment ) on EFL teachers' anxiety and their potential implications for quality language teaching and learning. This study adopts an exploratory descriptive causal/quantitative approach to investigate the relationship between sociocultural factors (SCFs) and EFL teachers' anxiety. The research methodology involves the use of several data collection instruments and statistical analysis techniques. Teacher Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (TFLAS) questionnaire specifically developed to assess EFL teachers' anxiety levels was given to 70 EFL teachers. The TFLAS includes items related to teachers' anxiety in language instruction, classroom management, and interaction with students. The results indicate that teachers' perceptions of their own L2 proficiency and competence significantly influence their anxiety experiences. Teachers who possess a positive attitude towards their L2 knowledge exhibit lower levels of anxiety, while those who doubt their proficiency experience higher levels of anxiety. This finding emphasizes the importance of promoting self-efficacy and confidence among EFL teachers. Creating a positive and supportive classroom environment, coupled with effective support systems, can alleviate teachers' anxiety. Strategies such as scaffolding, mentoring programs, and collaborative learning communities can contribute to a supportive teaching environment. Recognizing and addressing cultural expectations and norms can help mitigate anxiety among EFL teachers. By fostering a culturally responsive approach to language instruction, teachers can create inclusive classrooms which in return brings quality in English Language Teaching.

Research aim

The current study explores two questions: (a) How do pre-service teachers conceptualize their experiences of well-being and teacher stress? and (b) To what extent do those conceptualizations differ between pre-service teachers with normal executive function (EF) skills and those with poor EF?

Theoretical framework

Executive functions (EF) are crucial for understanding the cognitive experience of teaching. Daily, teachers use EF skills like emotional regulation, self-monitor, plan/organize, and working memory to manage the classroom, teach students, and stay calm in the frenetic pace of classrooms. Despite the intuitive connection between teachers’ role in the classroom and their executive function, there has been little to no research on the executive function skill development of pre-service teachers (Corcoran & O’Flaherty, 2017).

Methods

Participants’ EF skills were measured using the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Adult Version (BRIEF-A; Roth et al., 2005), which is a 75-item self-report measure that includes nine indices of executive function. Participants were also asked a series of questions related to their experiences of well-being and teacher stress.

Findings

The data for this study have already been collected, but the full analysis will be completed in the fall term of 2024. Early results suggest that pre-service teachers with elevated EF difficulties tend to have a different experiences than their peers with normal executive function. Higher rates of stress and less effective approaches for stress management are characteristic of those with poor EF.

Relevance to the Conference theme

Diversity among teachers is a crucial component for helping diverse students. Understanding EF skills and how it affects sense of well-being and stress experiences is crucial for helping teachers in their early teaching experiences, especially for those with difficulties. Ultimately, developing teaching programs with an understanding of EF skills can improve equity and inclusion in teacher education.

It is every child’s right to thrive. To attain and sustain wellbeing, children need to have critical thinking proficiency as well as physical literacy. Metacognition is acknowledged as complex to define (Kuhn, 2021), yet a fundamental disposition for learning. In the current study, participants experienced a semester of a co-constructed PE curriculum. Whilst the curricular plan was set, the game form choices across one of the two weekly lessons was student designed, applying the content and FITT principles across preferred game forms. Four classes experienced the curricular progression spiral through either direct or metacognitive instruction. Both assert children can learn basic skills as a pre-requisite to higher order thinking processes (Stockyard et al., 2018). This project examined the extent to which participants could forward plan, implementing declarative, procedural knowledge in their respective contexts when out of school. For this to occur, students, it was hypothesized, would need to be possess knowledge of what and how to perform their suggested activities, effectively using guidance from FITT principles (frequency, intensity, time, type of physical activity) to best serve their exercise and physical activity targets. Furthermore, it is postulated that they would need have agency in knowing and being able to organise themselves in the context of the respective environment without the explicit support of a teacher. Both approaches have merit for various goals and contexts. In the current context, teachers (N=2) approached the same content and activities through differing lines of more to less direct inquiry. The data collection adopted a quasi-experimental study design and employed a mixed methodology. Participating students (N=100) completed formative and summative national level evaluations, together with pre-post evaluations around critical thinking and health related fitness biomotor indices. The presentation will explore critical thinking competence from school to home practice.