The relationships between teacher emotions and classroom instruction: Evidence from senior secondary mathematics teachers in China

Abstract

This study conducted a questionnaire survey with a sample of 221 senior secondary mathematics teachers, to examine the relationships between teacher emotions and classroom instruction in the context of China. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the data. The results showed that the mathematics teachers experienced enjoyment and satisfaction more frequently than anger and anxiety, with these emotions varying with age, grade, teaching experience, and professional title. Inquiry-based instruction positively predicted enjoyment and satisfaction and negatively anger and anxiety, while direct instruction positively predicted anger and anxiety. Teachers’ satisfaction can also be a positive predictor of inquiry-based instruction. This study enriches research on teaching–emotion relationships, extending them to the context of Chinese mathematics education.