Reimagining Teaching English to Young Learners through the Metaverse: A Study of Pre-Service ELT Teachers’ Professional Development

ABSTRACT : The rapid development of immersive technologies has introduced new possibilities for language teacher education, yet existing research has predominantly focused on learner outcomes rather than teacher development. Addressing this gap, this qualitative case study investigates how a semester-long metaverse-integrated Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) course mediates the professional development of pre-service ELT teachers. Grounded in an interpretivist paradigm, data were collected from 48 third-year pre-service teachers through reflective journals, focus group interviews, instructional artifacts, and field notes, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal a multidimensional process of professional transformation characterized by four interrelated themes: epistemic reframing of pedagogy, negotiation of digitally mediated teacher identity, development of pedagogical self-efficacy, and emergence of critical technological awareness. The results indicate that immersive environments function not merely as technological tools but as mediational pedagogical spaces that enable experiential learning, reflective practice, and identity reconstruction. By foregrounding teacher cognition and identity development, the study extends existing metaverse research beyond learner-centered perspectives and demonstrates how immersive environments can support transformative professional learning in teacher education. The findings also highlight the importance of pedagogical alignment, critical digital literacy, and contextual awareness in the effective integration of immersive technologies.

KEYWORDS: Metaverse; Teacher cognition; Professional identity; Pre-service teachers; Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL)