Title: A case study exploring the negative emotions of teachers specialising in synchronous online classes

Authors: Mingzhang Zuo; Lixiang Gao; Wei Wang; Shuang Wang; Heng Luo

Addresses: School of Educational Information Technology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China ' School of Educational Information Technology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China ' Hangcheng Elementary and Middle School, Shenzhen, China ' School of Educational Information Technology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China ' School of Educational Information Technology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China

Abstract: Synchronous online classrooms provide many advantages for students in remote areas by bringing qualified teachers to the classroom virtually. Nonetheless, such spaces also pose challenges for students as well as teachers. The present study is a qualitative inquiry into teachers' negative emotions through class observation and in-depth interviews with 21 teachers teaching in synchronous online classrooms in rural China. The findings revealed that teachers' emotional responses in synchronous online classrooms were highly relevant to teachers' assessment of their perceptions and expectations of student behaviours and their coping with teaching problems. The study also offered insight into the impacts of online technology and culture on teacher roles, identity and teaching experience. The research findings can contribute to the theory of teacher emotions and can also inform school administrators and policymakers about the potential challenges facing teachers in synchronous online classrooms.

Keywords: teacher emotion; appraisal theory; synchronous online classrooms; teacher anxiety; rural education.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIL.2022.122072

International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 2022 Vol.31 No.3, pp.404 - 422

Received: 31 Oct 2020
Accepted: 13 May 2021
Published online: 08 Apr 2022 *

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