How teachers feel: exploring secondary physical educators’ emotions, control beliefs, and coping mechanisms on the job

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research shows that teaching can be emotionally demanding and can result in stress and anxiety prompting reduced motivation and attrition. These experiences may be exacerbated in Physical Education (PE) teaching as this position holds a marginal status in most school settings. Teacher emotions are suggested for the investigation to understand teacher experiences as they are integral in understanding teaching beliefs, practices, well-being and student-teacher relationships. In addition, emotions are used to express teaching experiences which serves as a starting point for dissecting what caused a teachers’ emotions and what was the resulting action. The purpose of this study was to explore how PE teachers interpret their emotions while teaching and what internal and external factors may impact their perceived ability to control and cope with their positive and negative emotional situations. A cross-sectional qualitative design was used to gain in-depth understanding of current secondary in-service PE teachers (N = 10; 5 = Female, 5 = Male; 50% Middle School; 50% High School). Semi-structed interviews and scenario-based questioning were used to explore tenants of emotions, guided by the Appraisal Theory, which included participants describing the cause and effect of each emotion. Inductive and deductive qualitative analysis resulted in two themes: positive and negative emotion experiences with subthemes. Subthemes described with positive emotions included student learning and relationships, program development and maintenance and colleague relationships. Negative emotions included marginalization of the subject, student behavior and shame driven reactions. In conclusion, appraisals are highly aligned with teacher emotions and interconnection exists between teaching ability, psychosocial beliefs/experiences and the emotions teachers feel. Teaching behaviors and well-being are likely dictated by this relationship.