Handling Demanding Situations: Associations between Teachers’ Interpersonal Behavior, Physiological Responses, and Emotions

The Journal of Experimental Education, vol. 93, pp. 91–109

Abstract

Teaching can be emotionally demanding. The current study investigated how teachers handle demanding situations in class, and how their behavioral and physiological reactions shape their emotions after the lesson. Interpersonal behaviors of 80 secondary school teachers were coded based on video recordings of one real-life lesson. During the lesson, heart rate and cardiac output were recorded continuously as indicator of relative challenge versus threat motivational states. Overall, teachers differed substantially in the number of demanding situations and how they changed their interpersonal behavior and physiological responses. Although teachers’ behavioral and physiological changes were not a straightforward predictor of their emotional outcomes, especially teachers with dispositional low agency or communion were at risk of less positive and more negative emotions.

Authors 6

1. Monika H. Donker corresponding

   Utrecht University

   Affiliation as printed

   Utrecht University, the Netherlands

2. Daan T. Scheepers Aachen

   Leiden University · Utrecht University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University, the Netherlands

   Utrecht University, the Netherlands

3. Tamara van Gog

   Utrecht University

   Affiliation as printed

   Utrecht University, the Netherlands

4. Mariska van den Hove

   Utrecht University

   Affiliation as printed

   Utrecht University, the Netherlands

5. Nora A. McIntyre

   University of Southampton

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Southampton, United Kingdom

6. Tim Mainhard Aachen

   Leiden University · Utrecht University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University, the Netherlands

   Utrecht University, the Netherlands