An exploration of the emotional dimensions of teachers' work.
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Date
2014
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Abstract
This study is an exploration of the emotional dimensions of teachers’ work. The study sought
to understand the emotional experiences of high school teachers in the type of work they do
at school. The research design adopted for the study was that of a qualitative approach,
accompanied by an interpretive paradigm. This allowed for the researcher to be able to gather
rich, detailed data within real contexts of each participant to allow for the interpretation of
emotions that each participant experiences. There was six participants in this study. Each of
the participants are from diverse school contexts, two of whom teach at the same school.
The study was underpinned by a conceptual framework that focused on the conceptualization
of feelings and a theoretical framework that comprised of seven theories of emotions. These
theories were namely the Social Constructionist theory, Naturalistic theory of emotion,
James-Lange theory, Cannon-Bard theory, Two-Factor theory, Broaden-and-build theory of
positive emotions and the cognitive theory of emotions. The conceptual and theoretical
framework assisted the researcher in understanding and interpretation of teachers’ emotions.
A case study methodology with six participants was employed to derive insight on teachers’
emotional experiences. Participant selection was conducted using the purposeful sampling
technique. The instruments used in the collection of data were individual semi-structured
interviews and a focus group interview which comprised a group of all six teachers. The
interviews were audio-recorded to prevent loss of information and to ensure that it would be
available for analysis.
The findings are organised under headings: what consists of teachers’ work and what are the
emotions involved in such work. Further sub-headings were used to represent the data.
Findings revealed that teachers were found to be involved in administrative work, extracurricular
activities, learner management and leadership at school. Various emotions in
teachers’ work ranged from positive to negative feelings were discovered in the data. It was
found that teachers felt great dissatisfaction and frustration towards non-teaching tasks at
school. Positive feelings towards teachers work were attributed to learners’ success,
acknowledgement, and when teachers were rewarded or appreciated for their work. Findings
provide key insights into teachers’ work and emotional experiences.
Description
Master of Education in Educational Psychology. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood 2014.
Keywords
Emotional intelligence -- Education., High school teachers -- Social conditions., Theses -- Education.