Types and Characteristics of Challenging Student Guidance Situations Perceived by Preservice Elementary School Teachers

This study classified challenging student guidance situations perceived by preservice elementary school teachers and analyzed the characteristics of each type.Data were collected from students at University G, a national university of education in Korea, at two time points: 127 students in 2025 and 104 in 2026, for a total of 231 participants.Participants described situations they anticipated would be difficult to handle in the classroom and rated each situation's difficulty on a 7-point scale.A total of 414 valid descriptions were analyzed using inductive content analysis.Eleven types were identified: (1) classroom disruption and disengagement from learning; (2) peer conflict and aggressive or violent behavior; (3) challenges to teacher authority and noncompliance with guidance; (4) students' emotional and psychological difficulties; (5) peer relationship problems such as exclusion and bullying; (6) sensitive personal and family information and student protection dilemmas; (7) sensitive remarks and questions that test the boundaries of the teacher's role; (8) conflicts and complaints from parents; (9) special and emergencies involving physical safety; (10) academic performance and evaluation concerns; and (11) understanding and responding to diverse student characteristics such as multicultural backgrounds and disabilities.The most frequently reported type was challenges to teacher authority and noncompliance with guidance.These findings have implications for designing student guidance curricula in teacher education institutions.