Teachers’ emotional labor, which involves the regulation of emotions to meet job expectations, is often linked to their job satisfaction and burnout. Genuine emotional expression typically leads to greater job satisfaction, while “faking” or “hiding” emotions has consistently been shown to have a negative association with teachers’ well-being. However, on the flip side, engaging in emotional labor to intentionally manipulate emotional expressions can also be a strategic way for teachers to engage students and improve teaching quality. While previous research has focused on the relationship between teachers’ emotional labor and well-being, this study explores the “double-edged” role of emotional labor in explaining student-reported teaching quality. With a sample of 64 teachers and their 533 students, this research examines how teachers’ self-reported emotional labor relates to student-reported teaching quality, with student-reported teacher enthusiasm serving as a mediating factor. Multilevel modeling analysis reveals that, at the student level, higher perceived teacher enthusiasm is associated with greater student-perceived teaching quality. At the class level, teachers’ faking emotions is associated with higher class-perceived teacher enthusiasm, which in turn, corresponds to higher class-perceived teaching quality. These findings shed light on the intricate nature of teachers’ emotional labor. While previous studies have suggested that faking emotions can negatively impact teacher well-being, this research uncovers a positive aspect of faking emotions by demonstrating its indirect role in enhancing teaching quality.

Authors:
Hui Wang, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Iris Wang, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Ying Chen, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Irena Burić, University of Zadar, Croatia

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Hui Wang is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at The Education University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong

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