The Emotional Dimensions of Educational Change: A Review and Interdisciplinary Framework for Future Research

Abstract

Extensive research documents how teachers’ understandings of education reforms impact implementation and outcomes. However, the role of teachers’ emotional sensemaking in the context of reform remains underexplored. This article reviews research on teachers’ emotional responses to reform and argues that an overreliance on retrospective, self-report measures limits our understanding of teachers’ real-time emotions during the reform process. To build a deeper understanding of teachers’ emotions in the context of reform, we propose integrating methods from affective science that incorporate physiological and behavioral measures to complement traditional methods, such as surveys and interviews. This interdisciplinary approach could help practitioners and policymakers design reforms and associated professional learning that support teachers’ emotional well-being, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful implementation.