Benevolent Heart, Ritualized Conduct: A Qualitative Study on Student Teachers’ Emotional Labor in Teaching Practicum in China

• In Event: Emotion, Belief, and Relational Elements of Teaching and Teacher Preparation

Abstract

This paper explores the emotional experiences of student teachers during their teaching practicum. Through in-depth interviews and participant observations, the study examines how student teachers navigate emotional labor in interpersonal interactions and how these behaviors are shaped by sociocultural factors. The findings reveal that student teachers act in multiple roles by integrating professional emotional orientations, internalizing emotional norms, and expressing authentic emotions. They develop both antecedent-focused and response-focused emotion regulation strategies, adapting their behaviors based on the closeness of their relationships. Moreover, the notion of acting is perceived as a virtue that shapes their professional development. Situated within the Chinese sociocultural context, this study argues that student teachers’ emotional labor is embedded in a “network of relationships” of social interactions.

Authors

• Yuqing Liu, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Jiawei Zhang, Soochoow University