Teaching Teachers about Emotion Regulation in the Classroom

Emotions affect, and are intertwined with, many of the cognitive processes of learning and also classroom motivation and social interaction. There are often times within daily classroom life that students and teachers are required to, or feel compelled to, regulate their emotions. Limited research has shown that particular aspects of classroom environments can enhance emotion regulation strategy development. In addition, research indicates that some emotion regulation strategies are more effective than others, with antecedent strategies appearing favourable. Using a self-regulation perspective, this article takes a broad look at emotion regulation in the classroom through a review of relevant research, including the author’s own. The article investigates the importance of emotion regulation in the classroom and subsequently how emotion regulation development can be enhanced.