Open AccessSociological Research on Teachers’ Emotions: Four Approaches and the Shared Themes
Author(s) -
Kwok Kuen Tsang
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of sociological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1948-5468
DOI - 10.5296/jsr.v6i2.8749
Subject(s) - sociology , identity (music) , context (archaeology) , phenomenon , sociological imagination , sociological research , sociological theory , mechanism (biology) , sociology of education , order (exchange) , social science , psychology , epistemology , social psychology , pedagogy , aesthetics , paleontology , philosophy , finance , economics , biology
During the mid-1990s, teachers’ emotions emerged as an area of research in the sociology of education because many teachers all over the world were reported to be unhappy, dissatisfied, stressed, frustrated, and even alienated. This implies that teachers’ emotions, especially negative ones, go beyond individual factors and have become a social issue. Therefore, researchers use sociological perspectives and theories to deepen our understanding of the phenomenon. In order to advance our understanding of the social construction mechanism of teachers’ emotions, this article reviews four sociological approaches of teachers’ emotions: labor process of teaching in the context of education reforms, emotion management in teaching, social interaction in school settings, and teacher identity.