| Learning to teach demands greater attention to the emotional domain than has previously been granted. The purpose of this study is to explore the emotional experiences of beginning teachers as they learn to teach. The focus is to understand the complexities of emotions experienced by beginning teachers and the relationship between emotions and the process of learning to teach. Findings from this study represent a conceptual shift in how we understand the process of learning to teach.;Case study is the research methodology utilized in this qualitative study. A multiple case study was conducted with six second-year teachers over a five-month period in a rural Southwestern Ontario secondary school during the 2001--2002 school year. An in-depth investigation of the cases was gathered through interviews, observations, and field notes within the various contexts of the teachers' work. Frequent member checks confirmed findings and informed subsequent data collection. Data were collected and analyzed simultaneously in an emergent theme research design. As themes developed, data were sorted and re-sorted into patterns and themes and the content of subsequent data collection were restructured. A limiting condition of this study is that the research was conducted within a single secondary school.;The findings from this study suggest that emotional knowledge is an important dimension of teacher development. A taxonomy of emotions experienced by beginning teachers is presented as it relates to specific contexts of the beginning teacher's work. Findings suggest that the characteristics of beginning teachers and the conditions of their work influence the relationship between context and emotions. Both negative and positive emotions can have positive effects on teacher learning. Through the construction of emotional conditions in the classroom, engagement in emotionally symbiotic interactions, and regulation of emotions, beginning teachers develop emotional knowledge that is essential in learning to teach. The implications of this study can inform future teacher education and teacher induction practices. |
