Teachers’ Moodprints In the Workplace: Emotional Regulation Through, For and With Others

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 7:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Emotional Landscapes of Teaching: Resilience, Labor, and Support

Abstract

This study explores the spatial dimension of emotions experienced, displayed, and regulated by seven K–12 public school teachers in the U.S. through interactions with students, colleagues, and administrators. Using emotional geography as its framework, the research employed in-depth interviews and emotional maps to examine schools as spaces where emotional energy is continually negotiated. Findings reveal teachers' complex physical and bodily responses in emotionally charged areas—termed “moodprints”, especially within their own classrooms. The study underscores the importance of contextualizing and validating teachers’ emotions to develop effective emotional regulation strategies. It advocates for support programs that prioritize relational dynamics to better promote teachers’ physical and mental wellbeing in educational settings.

Authors

• Chloe B. Le, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

• Anh Ngoc Quynh Phan, University of Kent