Professional Anxiety in Pedagogical Communication: Mitigating Effects of Teaching Methodology

Abstract

Professional anxiety among teachers represents a critical issue within the educational sector, manifesting through a range of challenges. Teachers are confronted with multiple responsibilities and high expectations, all while navigating a constantly evolving educational environment with new demands. This professional anxiety may arise from the inherent challenges in daily teaching practices and the substantial responsibility for student success and achievement. Such anxiety can often impact a teacher's performance, self-esteem, and emotional response to the demands of an increasingly complex school environment. Understanding and addressing this reality is therefore critical to ensuring the well-being and efficacy of teachers in their roles. Additionally, teachers' anxiety may stem from the nature of pedagogical communication, which is often regarded as a specialized form of public speaking, encompassing all its inherent characteristics and challenges. This study aims to identify how professional anxiety affects teachers' pedagogical communication and the role of appropriate teaching methodologies in alleviating this anxiety. The study's population consists of 1,630 teachers of the pre-university education system in Albania. In this study, an online questionnaire was designed with Likert scale questions, which made it possible to use some questions to understand teachers' perceptions. The study focused more on the teacher-student communicative relationship within the school environment, rather than the classifications, types, and problems of students' understanding. At the level of comprehensibility in the process, we excluded the levels of students' understanding (the causes of classifications, types, and problems are not the focus of this study), focusing more on the teacher-student communicative relationship in the school environment. Perceptions of isolation in the classroom emerge as a challenge for teachers, yet most are open to experimenting with new strategies to enhance the learning experience. This openness reflects a positive attitude towards advancing new educational practices. Based on the findings, it is important to include qualitative interviews and further research to identify specific factors that contribute to uncertainty and mistrust. The deepening of teachers' capacities for improved communication techniques and adapting teaching strategies is suggested. Developing support programs for teachers, including training on managing feelings of isolation in the classroom. It is proposed to increase the active participation of students through appropriate teaching strategies. Special attention should be given to the need for training on managing professional uncertainty and employing research methods in teaching.

Received: 1 June 2024 / Accepted: 18 August 2024 / Published: 05 September 2024