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Exploring the ripple effect: How teachers' emotions impact student engagement and learning outcomes

In a new study, about 10% of teachers displayed notable amounts of negative emotions — as much as 80% of their instructional time. The students of these teachers reported reduced enjoyment and engagement in class.

Mar 4, 2025

1 min

The classroom environment is a dynamic ecosystem where the emotional state of educators can significantly influence students' engagement and learning outcomes.

In a new article published in Contemporary Educational Psychology, University of Delaware Associate Research Professor Leigh McLean offers a new tool—the Teacher Affect Coding System—for measuring teachers’ emotional expressions and studying how these expressions affect their students’ attitudes toward learning. With co-author Nathan Jones of Boston University, McLean uses this tool to gather new data showing emotional transmission between teachers and their students in fourth-grade classrooms.

In the study, McLean and Jones, found that teachers displayed far more positive emotions than negative ones. But they also found that some teachers—about 10%—displayed notable amounts of negative emotions, with some showing negativity during as much as 80% of their instructional time. The students of these teachers reported reduced enjoyment and engagement in their ELA classes and reduced engagement in their math classes.

Given the findings of their study, McLean and Jones make several recommendations for teacher preparation and professional learning programs. As a first step, they recommend that teacher preparation and professional learning programs share information about how negative emotions and experiences are a normal part of the teaching experience. As McLean said, “It’s okay to be frustrated!”

McLean is available for interviews on the study, the tool and how teachers can help mitigate this effect. Click on her profile to contact her.

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Leigh McLean

Associate Research Professor, Education

Prof. McLean investigates how teachers’ emotions and emotion-related experiences including well-being impact their effectiveness.

Developmental PsychologyInstructional PracticesTeachers and TeachingWell-BeingClassroom Behavior

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