Students have their say : what can New Zealand secondary school students tell us about their emotional experiences in the classroom? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Educational Psychology, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
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Date
2014
DOI
Open Access Location
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Massey University
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Abstract
Hargreaves (1998) argued that emotions are central to teaching. While some
attention has been given to emotions in the primary school sector, little
research has been undertaken to understand the role of emotion in the
secondary school context. To address this gap, focus groups with secondary
students were conducted to ascertain how different students experienced
teachers’ social-emotional interactions and the relationship these
interactions had to their learning experiences. Obtained data were analysed
qualitatively and themes fell under two categories, teachers’ emotional
behaviours that alter the emotional classroom climate, and the outcomes of
these behaviours. A dynamic was found to operate between the two as
students identified mirroring their teachers’ emotions which affected their
academic attitudes and outcomes. Highlighted in the research is that
students’ emotional needs are central to teaching practices and that teachers
can utilise emotion in their teaching to enhance academic responsiveness.
Emotionally driven anecdotes aim to develop teachers’ use of emotion in
teaching through illustrating the power of their role as more than educators
of academic content.
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Keywords
Emotions in teaching, Teacher behaviour, Teachers' emotions, Secondary school students, New Zealand, Student attitudes