‘The affective civic turn’ in critical literacy education: video-based Critical Affective Civic Literacy practices in a pre-service teacher training workshop

This study addresses a critical gap in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) pre-service teacher education: the need for structured training in critical affective civic literacy (CACL) to equip future educators to navigate the challenges of heightened immigration and political polarisation. Focusing on a cohort of 49 pre-service EFL teachers in Madrid, this research assesses their baseline empathy (both general and specific towards irregular immigrants and refugees) and evaluates their attitudes towards adopting video-based CACL practices. The study examines the readiness of these future educators to foster intercultural understanding and act as agents of change within their classrooms. Findings reveal that participants possess high levels of empathy, particularly regarding immigration, and overwhelmingly support integrating these practices into their future teaching. They identify video-based CACL methods as vital for enhancing learners’ empathy by fostering critical thinking, affective engagement, and intercultural awareness.