The Roles of Educators' Beliefs About Emotions and Perceptions of Display Rules in Emotional Acting

• In Event: Roundtable Session 43
  In Roundtable Session: Lives of Teachers: Characteristics and Traits

Abstract

Educators’ provision of emotional support contributes to myriad positive student outcomes, but they are seldom prepared to manage the emotional component of their job—particularly in special education. The emotional labor framework provides a useful lens with which to view teachers’ performance of interpersonal emotional tasks at school. This study expands upon previous research on educators’ emotional labor by investigating the role of global beliefs about emotions. A sample of educators (N=51) in alternative education settings reported on their emotional labor and beliefs about emotions. Regression results suggest that educators’ perceptions of their employers’ expectations about emotion expression/suppression when interacting with students develop through the lens of preexisting beliefs about emotions in general. We discuss implications for research and practice.

Authors

• Christy Suzanne Galletta Horner, University of Pittsburgh

• Elizabeth Levine Brown, George Mason University

• Michael W Valenti, Pressley Ridge