Emotional Scaffolding and Early Childhood Teacher Identity

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: Early Childhood Workforce Issues

Abstract

This qualitative study examined how early childhood teachers prioritized and mobilized certain emotions to enhance young children’s engagement in instruction. The data analysis of participant observations and interviews showed the teachers promoted different emotions and devised pedagogical strategies to promote these emotions among students. The emphasis on emotions in their pedagogical approaches showed the teachers’ divergent views about which emotion supports student learning, and consequently, their desire for being recognized by the pedagogically effective emotion. The results point out the role of teacher emotions in their pedagogical decisions, highlighting the importance of teacher identity in pedagogical decisions. The results suggest teacher emotions can constitute a powerful vehicle to understand teachers’ professional identity, providing pedagogical implications for teacher education.

Authors

• Mi-Hwa Park, Murray State University

• Juyoung Song, Murray State University