<![CDATA[This descriptive qualitative study investigates student teachers’ perspectives, pedagogical and managerial challenges, and coping strategies when teaching EFL writing using vocabulary games in Grade 7 and Grade 9 classrooms. Data were collected via open-ended questionnaires with twenty-two pre-service teachers and semi-structured interviews with four primary participants (ST-1 to ST-4). Findings reveal that student teachers perceive vocabulary games as effective tools for lowering writing apprehension and establishing an initial vocabulary bank. However, significant instructional hurdles persist. Pedagogically, a "vocabulary-to-writing gap" emerges, where game performance does not correlate directly with writing quality due to persistent errors in syntax, spelling, and cohesive devices. Managerially, novice teachers face transition delays, time overruns, and block-scheduling disconnects. Comparative analysis shows Grade 7 classrooms require behavioral structure and visual aids due to hyper-energy, whereas Grade 9 classrooms present peer-evaluation anxiety and image-consciousness. To address these challenges, student teachers implemented bridging activities, proficiency-based peer tutoring, strict timers, and pre-writing sentence modeling. Professional growth was facilitated through reflective journaling, peer debriefing, and mentor feedback on teacher authority.]]>
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