Self-determination theory and teachers’ motivations to perform emotional labor and emotion work: qualitative study of narratives about coping with students’ discipline problems

This qualitative study investigated teachers’ motivation to perform emotion management (i.e., emotional labor and emotion work) in coping with students’ discipline problems. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 Israeli teachers. Findings indicate that teachers experienced emotional distress when confronted with discipline problems. The study also found that teachers mentioned motivation to perform emotional management related to emotional labor and emotion work to manage their negative emotions. Role modeling, professional standards, preservation of status and authority, and effectiveness were the main introjected and external motivations associated with emotional labor; moral compass and authentic emotional discourse were the main integrated and identified motivations associated with emotion work. Reference to emotional labor aspects was more frequently made by secondary school teachers than among primary school teachers. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.