Pre-service Teachers’ Wellbeing from the Perspective of Affordance Theory

In their proposal of the theory of affordances in multilingual language contexts, (Singleton & Aronin in Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 1(1):83–96, 2007). Multiple language learning in the light) assume that multiple language acquisition/learning allows multilinguals to develop a more intricate and complex social awareness as well as the ability to use their cognitive potential more extensively. In the context of the study presented in this article, affordances relate to multilingual language teachers and awareness of their work environment (school, class, individual learners) which contribute to their well-being. In this way, the article expands the concept of affordances in the language learning settings proposed by Singleton and Aronin and explored in Aronin’s further work (2010, 2014, 2017, 2019). The article reports on pre-service foreign language (FL) teachers’ perceptions of teacher wellbeing and identification of factors that they feel either support or inhibit it during their initial FL teaching experiences. Data collected via surveys demonstrates pre-service teachers’ understandings of FL teacher well-being as well as identification of specific critical incidents (CI) which occurred in their classrooms. The findings make clear the link between how individual pre-service teachers interpret their CIs and the potential subsequent effects on these participants’ wellbeing. On the basis of these findings, a set of classroom FL teaching tasks influenced by positive psychology is proposed, which can be of value to in-service teachers of FLs, given the characteristics of the CIs, and which may in many cases be relevant across other teacher career phases. This text pays tribute to the academic achievement of Prof. Larissa Aronin and her innovative work, which inspired me to focus on awareness of the (individual) affordances of my pre-service FL teachers in developing their professional competences.