Teachers’ emotions: a research review from a psychological perspective

Dr. Marjeta Šarić

Summary:   The emotional dimension of teaching is gaining recognition as an important aspect of the teaching profession. The aim of this article is to present a review of empirical research on teachers’ emotions from a psychological perspective. The definitions of the emotion concept in psychological literature are inconsistent, so I first briefly outline the definition in the field of teacher emotion research, and then critically examine the methodological issues. Several differences exist between the theoretical and methodological approaches to teacher emotion research; therefore, it is difficult and problematic to compare the research findings from different research avenues as they provide many possible interpretations that are not always compatible. Nevertheless, in the main part of the article, I examine those findings and organise them in three main research themes: discrete emotions in teaching, teacher emotion regulation and the effects of emotions in teaching. The literature provides considerable evidence that teachers’ emotions are related to the quality of teaching and, consequently, to students’ learning and learning outcomes. Finally, I review the Slovenian psychological research in the field of teacher emotions and propose some implications for teaching practices and directions for further research.