Teachers' emotional experiences in classrooms: a micro-longitudinal study in Taiwanese primary schools
Keywords: teacher emotions
emotional contagion
student engagement
teacher well-being
student emotions

Given the limited understanding of teachers’ momentary emotional experiences and the interplay between teachers and students during lessons in Taiwan, this thesis explored teachers’ and students’ emotions in real-time in classrooms in Taiwanese primary schools. A conceptual framework is proposed that considers teacher emotions at different time layers and the reciprocal relationships of momentary emotional experiences between teachers and students. Overall, the thesis utilises a micro-longitudinal approach to study the momentary emotions of teachers and students in eight public primary schools in Taiwan.
Following the conceptual model based on theories and previous research, the thesis consists of three empirical studies investigating the emotional experiences of teachers, teachers and their students, and teachers with individual students, respectively. Using a sample of twenty teachers (ndays= 90, nlessons = 249), Study 1 investigated the situational, daily, and personal factors that predict teachers’ emotions and the association between teachers’ momentary emotional experiences and their work-related and general well-being. Specifying multilevel structural equation modelling (MSEM), the study showed that compared to previous studies, the majority of variance in Taiwanese teachers’ emotions is among teachers rather than between lessons. Teachers’ perceptions of student behaviour are crucial to their emotions, which predict their daily work-related and general well-being. Study 2 investigated teacher-student emotional contagion from one lesson to another among 20 teachers and their 306 students (Year 4 and Year 5, nti=3891). MSEM showed that compared to teachers’ self-reported emotions, students’ perceptions of teacher emotions are relatively more predictive of student emotions. The findings revealed a reciprocal relationship between students’ perceptions of teacher emotions and students’ self-reported emotions. In addition, it addressed the importance of the lagged effect of teachers’ positive emotions on students’ emotions. Study 3 investigated the effects of teacher involvement level on teacher-student dyads (four target students for each of twenty teachers, ntea = 20, nstud = 80). Results revealed that teachers’ past involvement in the lessons reflects the teacher-student relationship. MSEM demonstrated that target students’ engagement predicted teacher emotions in the classroom when they gained a higher level of teacher involvement in previous lessons, implying that teachers react differently to individual students.
Based on the findings of the three studies, the thesis concludes with an overall discussion regarding teachers’ and students’ emotional experiences in real-time classrooms. Addressing emotional experiences and the teacher-student interplay in primary schools from the teachers’ standpoint, drawing on multiple reporters and time points, the thesis provides valuable considerations for schools and policymakers in supporting teachers and students in the classroom to create a positive school environment.