Abstract
Emotional exhaustion (EE) is the core component in the study of teacher burnout, with significant impact on teachers’ professional lives. Yet, its relation to teachers’ emotional experiences and emotional labor (EL) during instruction remains unclear. Thirty-nine German secondary teachers were surveyed about their EE (trait), and via the experience sampling method on their momentary (state; N = 794) emotional experiences (enjoyment, anxiety, anger) and momentary EL (suppression, faking). Teachers reported that in 99 and 39% of all lessons, they experienced enjoyment and anger, respectively, whereas they experienced anxiety less frequently. Teachers reported suppressing or faking their emotions during roughly a third of all lessons. Furthermore, EE was reflected in teachers’ decreased experiences of enjoyment and increased experiences of anger. On an intra-individual level, all three emotions predict EL, whereas on an inter-individual level, only anger evokes EL. Explained variances in EL (within: 39%, between: 67%) stress the relevance of emotions in teaching and within the context of teacher burnout. Beyond implying the importance of reducing anger, our findings suggest the potential of enjoyment lessening EL and thereby reducing teacher burnout.
Highlights
It has been recognized that being a teacher is a demanding and sometimes even exhausting job
We examine the links among teacher emotions, emotional labor (EL), and emotional exhaustion (EE) with momentary data, utilizing the experience sampling method (ESM)
The present study aims to deepen our understanding of the relationship between EE and discrete positive and negative emotional experiences and investigate them on intra- as well as inter-individual levels
Summary
It has been recognized that being a teacher is a demanding and sometimes even exhausting job. Compared to other professions, teaching poses a relatively high risk of burnout (de Heus and Diekstra, 1999; Brouwers and Tomic, 2000; see Maslach et al, 2001). EE, considered the core facet of burnout (see for example Maslach et al, 2001; Chang, 2009), refers to having depleted one’s emotional resources and feeling emotionally overextended (Evers et al, 2004). Teacher burnout is a relevant factor in the study of teachers’ professional lives; yet our understanding of the emotional processes in the classroom is still limited (Chang, 2009)
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