Navigating the Emotional Labour of Teaching

Authors

  • Daniella Sieukaran

Abstract

"Emotional labour" is a term that was first coined by sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild (1983) to describe the process of managing outward expressions of feelings to fulfill the emotional requirements of a job. It involves wearing a "mask" that requires the suppression of negative emotions and the display of only positive emotions, regardless of one's true feelings. Engaging in emotional labour can lead to lower job satisfaction and burnout (Humphrey, 2021). Considering emotional labour of teaching in this post-COVID time is particularly important because as emotional labour increases, occupational commitment to the teaching profession decreases (Yantao & Mingkun, 2024). This presentation aims to break the stigma and start the conversation about emotional labour, and help instructors see that there are hopeful pathways to reducing impacts of emotional labour. Attendees will learn: a) what emotional labour looks like in the context of teaching, b) its associated influences and impacts, and c) a set of strategies to redirect the energy and efforts used for emotional labour toward effective pedagogy and instructor self-care.

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Published

2024-12-14

Issue

Vol. 27 (2024)

Section

Abstracts

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