Research Context

 In the contemporary educational landscape, teachers are increasingly positioned as "first responders" to student distress. This reality is most acute for educators working with at-risk youth, where the classroom often mirrors broader societal instabilities (Gunawardena et al., 2024). A persistent and critical challenge in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) globally is the disconnect between the acquisition of pedagogical knowledge (epistemic competence) and the capacity to maintain professional agency (performative competence) under pressure (Adams et al., 2024; Brevik et al., 2019). This "knowing-acting gap" often leads to emotional burnout, reactive disciplinary measures, and high attrition rates (Wettstein et al., 2023).

This study addresses this gap by examining the implementation of a semester-long academic course focusing on Emotion Regulation (ER) as a core professional competency. In this context, ER is defined as the capacity to monitor, evaluate, and modify emotional reactions (Martínez-Priego et al., 2024). The research follows a cohort of third-year Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) specializing in the "Advancement of At-Risk Youth" track in Israel. This population serves as a critical case primarily because of the demanding nature of their placements in high-intensity educational settings, such as dropout prevention centers and therapeutic residential schools, where educators are required to act as consistent, regulating figures for youth facing complex difficulties. Consequently, ER skills serve a dual purpose: they are essential pedagogical tools for managing classroom dynamics, and protective mechanisms for PSTs, enabling them to model regulation and maintain professional equilibrium. Therefore, this study utilized Low-Intensity Dialectical Behavior Therapy (LI-DBT) as a meta-framework for emotional regulation (Rizvi et al., 2024). This approach translates clinical concepts into a pedagogical curriculum, fostering mindfulness, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness as essential professional skills (Hastings et al., 2022).

The study integrates two theoretical pillars to conceptualize the transition from reactivity to professional autonomy:

1. Teacher Agency (Ecological Approach): Drawing on Korthagen (2017), we define agency not merely as the ability to act, but as the capacity to shape one's professional environment purposefully. We posit that ER is the physiological and cognitive infrastructure of agency and that without the ability to regulate the immediate emotional "storm" (flooding), a teacher cannot access their pedagogical repertoire. ER allows for the professional pause, the critical moment where a teacher moves from an automatic reaction to a value-driven response.
2. LI-DBT as a Pedagogical Tool: This study integrates ER skills into teacher education (Chugani et al., 2022). It challenges the dichotomy between soft skills and hard skills, arguing that for teachers of at-risk youth, the ability to validate a student or tolerate distress is a "hard" professional competency that must be explicitly taught.

Research Objectives and Questions

The study aims to explore the integration process of ER skills into teacher training and examine how these skills shape the professional identity of future teachers. Specifically:

1. How do PSTs perceive and experience the learning of LI-DBT skills within the context of their advanced training?
2. How does the application of these skills contribute to a transition from emotional reactivity to professional agency?
3. How is the relevance of this model perceived regarding its role in ITE curricula?

Teacher education systems across Europe and internationally are currently navigating a landscape of compounding instabilities, where rising student distress intersects with a critical shortage of resilient educators (Dabrowski et al., 2024). This study proposes a scalable, evidence-based model for redefining the core curriculum of teacher preparation. By suggesting that ER is a teachable meta-competency, the research offers a framework for supporting resilient and agentic educators, capable of navigating professional situations characterized by uncertainty and difficulty.

Research Design This study employs a qualitative-interpretive research design, utilizing a phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of PSTs. The interpretive paradigm was chosen to uncover the subjective meanings participants ascribe to their emotional processes and the application of LI-DBT skills in their professional development (Boadu, 2021). Participants and Context The study was conducted within a teacher education college in Israel, specifically in a specialized track for the "Advancement of At-Risk Youth". Participants comprised a cohort of 40 PSTs (aged 23-33) in their third year of training. This group was selected due to the high emotional intensity inherent in their specialization. The participants engaged in a semester-long academic course focusing on LI-DBT designed to enhance ER among educators. The pedagogical approach highlighted the central dialectic between acceptance (acknowledging the current reality and limitations) and change (striving for improvement and problem-solving). Through this lens, participants engaged with core competencies, such as mindfulness, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, while adapting these tools to navigate situations of uncertainty and difficulty in the school environment. Data Collection Data collection was based on reflective journals submitted on a weekly basis throughout the semester. The journals served as a platform for real-time introspective inquiry, allowing PSTs to document their internal emotional landscape, professional dilemmas, and the practical application of regulation skills in the classroom context. Participants were guided to reflect on activating events, their emotional responses, and their attempts to apply specific skills. Data Analysis The data were analyzed using Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2012). The process involved six phases: familiarization with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and producing the report. The coding was both inductive (data-driven) and deductive (guided by DBT and agency theory). Rigorous measures were taken to ensure trustworthiness, including "thick description" of the context and peer debriefing sessions to validate the emerging categories. The analysis focused on identifying shifts in the participants' discourse, from a language of helplessness and reactivity to a language of choice, control, and professional agency. Ethical Considerations The study received approval from the college's ethics committee. Informed consent was obtained, and measures were taken to de-identify data, ensuring participant anonymity, especially given the sensitive nature of emotional disclosures.

Findings The analysis revealed three major themes illustrating the transformation from emotional reactivity to professional agency: 1. From Storm to Anchor: Participants described a shift in their internal experience during classroom conflicts. Prior to the course, they reported feeling flooded and reactive in the face of student aggression. The acquisition of specific skills allowed them to create a mental space between the trigger and their response. Participants noted that this pause is the critical moment where professional judgment replaces automatic reaction, acting as an anchor in the midst of the storm. 2. Validation as a Pedagogical Tool: PSTs transitioned from viewing student behavior solely as "disruptive" to understanding the emotional dysregulation behind it. By applying self-validation and validating their students, they were able to de-escalate conflicts more effectively. This theme highlights how therapeutic concepts were repurposed as pedagogical tools, enabling teachers to maintain relationships even during crises. 3. The Emergence of Agency: A major finding was the PSTs’ perceived link between ER and agency. Participants reported that the ability to regulate their emotions restored their sense of control and competence. They no longer felt like passive victims of classroom chaos but as active agents capable of making pedagogical choices aligned with their values. Conclusions and Implications The study concludes that ER is not merely a soft skill but a foundational meta-competency that bridges the gap between knowing educational theory and acting effectively in high-stress environments. By transforming the survival mode often experienced by novice teachers into professional resilience, the incorporation of LI-DBT into teacher preparation curricula offers a scalable model for teacher education. In an era of increasing instability, equipping teachers with these skills is an ethical imperative, ensuring they can sustain their careers and serve as stabilizing figures for at-risk youth.

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