Page 50 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Training Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 50
dents are mostly aware of their teachers’ emotions. There are many ways
that emotions can be communicated involuntarily and voluntarily. For ex-
ample, when kindergarten teachers felt and expressed anger or exaspera-
tion, the children in their group showed signs of emotional upset and were
less prone to conforming to teachers’ demands (Kounin, 1977). There were
significant positive correlations between elementary and secondary stu-
dents’ reports of teachers’ use of aggressive techniques (e.g. yelling at stu-
dents who misbehave) and subsequent student disruption and level of mis-
behaviour (Lewis, 2001).
Although teacher anger can be problematic, it may also have positive
consequences in the classroom. Averill, for example (1982), argued that an-
ger serves to communicate and enforce accepted standards of classroom
conduct. Teachers express anger over student failures attributed to a lack
of effort (Clark, 1997; Clark & Artiles, 2000; Graham, 1984, 1990) and ex-
press sympathy or pity for failures attributed to a lack of ability. These ex-
pressions of teachers’ emotion then influence students’ attributions regard-
ing the causes of their successes and failures (Graham, 1984; Weiner, 2000).
This is important because failure attribution influences achievements and
engagement in school work (Wagner, Spratt, Gal, & Paris, 1989; Willig,
Harnisch, Hill, & Maehr, 1983) which may result in other school-related
problems such as school attendance and ESL (e.g. Lan & Lanthier, 2003).
Attributing one’s failures to a controllable cause such as low effort is more
motivationally adaptive than attributing one’s failures to an uncontrolla-
ble cause such as low ability (e.g. Graham, 1984, 1990). A study revealed that
many elementary school students believe their errors made their teachers
unhappy. An intervention designed to help teachers understand this phe-
nomenon and promote students’ self-regulated learning reduced the share
of students believing that errors made their teachers unhappy from 47% to
33% and reduced the share reporting that their errors made themselves un-
happy from 64% to 37%. In addition, the share of students choosing easy
tasks dropped from 50% to 26% (Perry et al., 2002).
It is not only negative/unpleasant emotions but also teachers’ expres-
sion of positive emotions, especially caring, that affect students of various
ages. Middle school students who believed that teachers cared about them
were more motivated, less likely to be involved in delinquency and more
likely to be helpful, cooperative and to follow classroom rules and norms
(Wentzel, 1996). Third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students’ interactions with
their teachers were influenced by how much the students thought their
50
that emotions can be communicated involuntarily and voluntarily. For ex-
ample, when kindergarten teachers felt and expressed anger or exaspera-
tion, the children in their group showed signs of emotional upset and were
less prone to conforming to teachers’ demands (Kounin, 1977). There were
significant positive correlations between elementary and secondary stu-
dents’ reports of teachers’ use of aggressive techniques (e.g. yelling at stu-
dents who misbehave) and subsequent student disruption and level of mis-
behaviour (Lewis, 2001).
Although teacher anger can be problematic, it may also have positive
consequences in the classroom. Averill, for example (1982), argued that an-
ger serves to communicate and enforce accepted standards of classroom
conduct. Teachers express anger over student failures attributed to a lack
of effort (Clark, 1997; Clark & Artiles, 2000; Graham, 1984, 1990) and ex-
press sympathy or pity for failures attributed to a lack of ability. These ex-
pressions of teachers’ emotion then influence students’ attributions regard-
ing the causes of their successes and failures (Graham, 1984; Weiner, 2000).
This is important because failure attribution influences achievements and
engagement in school work (Wagner, Spratt, Gal, & Paris, 1989; Willig,
Harnisch, Hill, & Maehr, 1983) which may result in other school-related
problems such as school attendance and ESL (e.g. Lan & Lanthier, 2003).
Attributing one’s failures to a controllable cause such as low effort is more
motivationally adaptive than attributing one’s failures to an uncontrolla-
ble cause such as low ability (e.g. Graham, 1984, 1990). A study revealed that
many elementary school students believe their errors made their teachers
unhappy. An intervention designed to help teachers understand this phe-
nomenon and promote students’ self-regulated learning reduced the share
of students believing that errors made their teachers unhappy from 47% to
33% and reduced the share reporting that their errors made themselves un-
happy from 64% to 37%. In addition, the share of students choosing easy
tasks dropped from 50% to 26% (Perry et al., 2002).
It is not only negative/unpleasant emotions but also teachers’ expres-
sion of positive emotions, especially caring, that affect students of various
ages. Middle school students who believed that teachers cared about them
were more motivated, less likely to be involved in delinquency and more
likely to be helpful, cooperative and to follow classroom rules and norms
(Wentzel, 1996). Third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students’ interactions with
their teachers were influenced by how much the students thought their
50
