Teacher Enthusiasm, Emotional Display Rules, and Emotion Regulation Strategies

• In Event: 60.025 - Just Feeling Good? Relevance, Antecedents, and Consequences of Teachers' Positive Emotions

Abstract

Purpose of the Study.
Compared with other professions, teachers in K-12 schools seem to experience higher levels of emotional exhaustion (Hakanen, Bakker & Schaufeli, 2006; Maslach, Schaufeli, & Leiter, 2001), particularly among urban educators (Abel & Sewell, 1991). Only a few studies have investigated the role of emotion regulation in emotional exhaustion and teacher burnout (Carson, Tsouloupas, & Barber, 2012; Chang, 2013). In addition, fewer studies have linked emotional display rules with teacher emotion regulation. In order to address the critical concerns of teacher emotions in the context of classroom managerial issues, the present study used multiple methods including survey, Experience Sampling Method (ESM) through iPad devices, and qualitative data on reporting classroom incidents to understand teacher emotional experiences and emotion regulation processes in classroom disruptive events.
Research Questions.
This study is designed to investigate the relationships between teacher enthusiasm, emotion display rules, emotion regulation, and emotional exhaustion. Particularly, we are interested if and how teachers who exhibit high enthusiasm and low emotional exhaustion regulate their emotions differently compared with teachers with low enthusiasm and high emotional exhaustion?
Method.
The researchers used mixed-methods in a two-phase study to investigate the research questions including surveys, ESM data, and teacher journals. In the first phase, surveys were collected from 43 teachers from a Title I middle school in an urban city in the southeastern region of the U.S. The survey focused on measuring the constructs related to teacher emotion management at the trait-level: teacher enthusiasm and enjoyment towards teaching, perceived emotion display rules, emotion regulation strategies (i.e. suppression, reappraisals), and emotional exhaustion.
From the results of the survey, data was analyzed and 20 teachers were selected according to their levels of enthusiasm in teaching as well as emotional exhaustion; 14 teachers agreed to participate in the second phase study (7 teachers from the high emotional exhaustion group, and 7 teachers from the low emotional exhaustion group). In phase two, each teacher carried an iPad mini for two weeks during their instructional time. State-level (momentary) emotional experiences data were collected three times during a 2-week span using the iPad mini. A total of 512 data points were collected from these 14 teachers. Participants were also asked to keep a journal during these two weeks to record and reflect their emotional experiences during these two weeks.
Preliminary Results, Proposed Data Analysis, and Significance of the Study.
The preliminary analyses showed that teachers strongly agree teaching requires exhibiting positive emotions (M=5.35, SD= .62) as well as suppressing negative emotions (M=4.75, SD=.84). Emotion regulation strategies use (reappraisal) is positively and moderately associated with teacher enthusiasm (r=.33, p<.05), and is negatively and moderately associated with emotional exhaustion (r=-.37, p<.05). Multilevel modeling will be used for second-phase ESM data analysis to examine how teachers regulate emotions differently at the individual levels.

Author

• Mei-Lin Chang, Kennesaw State University