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

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.