Rosemary E. Sutton

Teachers' Emotion Regulation

Teaching is an emotional endeavor. Teachers may experience happiness when an instructional objective is met, pride when students accomplish an important task, frustration when students cannot grasp a concept, anger with misbehavior, disappointment with lack of effort, and anxiety when competence is challenged. Teachers report trying to regulate these emotions frequently because they believe it helps them achieve their goals (Sutton, 2004). Over the past two decades, emotion regulation in everyday life has become an increasingly important topic in psychological research. Surveys indicate that the overwhelming majority of American adults regulate their positive and negative emotions consciously (Gross, Richards, & John, 2006) and it may be that emotion regulation is so common that we typically only notice its absence. The recent research on teachers’ emotion regulation is built on the empirical results and theoretical models of this psychological research that assumes everyday emotion regulation is typically adaptive. For example, Mischel and Ayduk (2004) said, “an absence of will leaves people the victims of their own biographies,” but also acknowledged that excessive postponing of gratification can become “a stifling joyless choice” (pp. 122–123). In contrast to the predominantly positive view in psychological research, a negative view of emotion regulation has permeated the sociology of work literature under the term “emotional labor” (Granley, 2000). In The Managed Heart, Hochschild (1983) argued that emotional labor takes effort and may result in stress and burnout, as well as feelings of inauthenticity and compliance. Both approaches acknowledge benefits and problems associated with emotion regulation but the relative emphasis varies. The frequency and consequences of emotion regulation are believed to be moderated by cultural norms. Western values such as independence and self assertion are thought to encourage open emotion expression in many situations. When emotion regulation is used it typically assists individuals assert their will and protect themselves (Wierzbicka, 1994) but it also may be used to preserve relationships (e.g., suppressing anger with a friend). In contrast to Western values, Asian values of interdependence and relationship harmony may encourage control of emotions in order to aid prosocial goals and positive social interactions rather than asserting individual will. This suggests that any negative consequences of TEACHERS’ EMOTION REGULATION

A developmental constructivist approach to pre-service teachers' ways of knowing

Abstract The purpose of this study is to apply the Womens Ways of Knowing (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, & Tarule, 1986; New York: Basic Books) conceptualization to the thinking exhibited in interviews of preservice teachers. Thirty two students (24 female, 8 male; aged 20–53 years) near the end of their teacher education program at an urban university were interviewed and their thinking was classified as predominantly received, subjective, procedural, constructed, or a mixture of two categories. More than half the students demonstrated significant amounts of procedural or constructed thinking. Examples of how students used different kinds of thinking in their teacher education program are provided and implications for teacher educators are suggested. The implications for teacher education of the Womens Ways of Knowing approach is also discussed.

Neo-Piagetian Theory and Research: enhancing pedagogical practice for educators of adults

Educators are continuously challenged to increase their pedagogical effectiveness when teaching adult learners. Neo-Piagetian theory and research, based on Piagets classic work, provides promising concepts and tools to help educators enhance their pedagogical knowledge and competence when teaching adults. Consequently, through research findings and examples we explore the pedagogical utility of neo-Piagetian theory. Specifically, we examine: (1) the influence of cognitive development into adulthood on teaching, (2) the roles of functional and optimal levels of learner cognition, and (3) the pedagogical implications of employing neo-Piagetian concepts and research to support the teaching and learning endeavours of adult learners.

Teaching under High-Stakes Testing Dilemmas and Decisions of a Teacher Educator

In this article, the author reports on the curricular changes and testing focus that have occurred in her teaching since PRAXIS II: Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) tests were mandated in Ohio, where she teaches at an urban, open admissions, commuter university. Classroom dilemmas are analyzed as they relate to changes in assessments, curriculum content, and instructional strategies when teaching educational psychology to preservice teachers. The benefits and costs of the increased importance of educational psychology in the teacher education program and the advantages and disadvantages of trying to ensure that the students do well on someone else’s examination are also discussed. The author’s experiences are compared with published reports on teachers’ reactions to high-stakes testing, and the author considers how the context in which she teaches and her personal teaching biography influenced her decisions.

Urban Schools and the Clinton/Gore Technology Literacy Challenge

The Clinton administration has been characterized by numerous efforts to encourage the use of technology in public education, rooted in the conviction that such activities are a prerequisite for improvements in the econonomy, the environment, and the overall quality of life. Urban public schools face particularly difficult challenges to such technology implementation. The challenges include aged physical plants, extreme funding difficulties, high levels of administrative turnover, and inadequate professional development programs. This article examines the implications of attempting to integrate extensive technology into such environments and considers the perspective that technology is best viewed as part of, rather than a competitor to, the implementation of a school reform model.

Teacher education and educational self-direction: A conceptual analysis and empirical investigation

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of educational self-direction in teacher education, an educational environment that encourages the use of initiative, thought and independent judgment in learning. First, this concept is examined conceptually. The theory and research on occupational self-direction is summarized, and the relevance of this work to education settings is analyzed. Second, the concept is examined empirically. The development of an instrument to assess educational self-direction is documented. Data from two separate studies indicated that the questionnaire was reliable (alpha values from 0.63 to 0.84), and valid. Finally, implications of this work for research on teacher education are considered.