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The emotional dimensions of
learning and researching lives:
a neglected species?

ESREA
Life History and Biographical Research
Network
Canterbury Christ Church University
Thursday March 6th to Sunday March 9th,
2008
Prof.ssa Loretta Fabbri - Prof.ssa Maura Striano 1
- Dott. Claudio Melacarne

Emotional dimensions in
transformative learning
processes of novice teachers.
A qualitative study

Loretta Fabbri & Claudio Melacarne, University of Siena -
Maura Striano, University of Naples Federico II.

Contents

l  Scientific background
l  Theoretical framework
l  Study questions
l  Research focus and objectives
l  Methodology
l  A first quantitative analysis: the focus of the reflective action
l  The qualitative analysis
l  Unsaid emotions. I do what I feel like doing. I learn as a professional by observation, by trial and
errors. Emotions are imbedded in the practices. No cognitive apprenticeship occurs
l  Helplessness. I won’t do as you teach me.
l  Emotions are an “individual thing”. I learn by opposition because I feel that what you propose is not
right
l  Exploring reflectively emotional relationships with students and colleagues
l  Socializing emotions
l  Critical points
l  Essential references


1. Scientific background
In the last thirty years educational research has been
increasingly focused on the relationship among knowledge
construction processes, emotions and practices in
educational and professional contexts, according to a
constructivist paradigm.
Within this framework, a growing body of research has
examined the relationship between teachers’
epistemological beliefs and the practice of teaching
(King, Kitchener, 1994). The understanding of teachers’
beliefs systems about teaching and learning is particularly
informative about the manner in which their classroom
practice is constructed.

l  In particular, some studies have been focused on teachers’
personal and “folk” epistemologies and psychologies,
(Brownlee, 2001, 2003; Olson and Bruner 1996).

l  Within this framework, two conceptual constructs are
particularly relevant to the study and analysis of professional
practices:
1)  the construct of “personal epistemology” (Hofer,
Pintrich, 2001)
2)  the construct of “professional
epistemology” (Schön, 1983, 1987, 1991)


The construct of trasformative learning
(Mezirow, 1991) is particularly
relevant to give reason of the
epistemological changes occurring in
personal and professional
epistemology because these changes
involve trasfomation of frame of
reference and meaning perspectives

2. Theoretical framework

Research framework:
l  personal epistemology;

l  professional epistemology;

l  transformative learning.


Reasons
Teachers administrate learning and teaching
processes and these processes are influenced
by beliefs, representation, theories (tacit
theories, naïve theories, common sense
theories) teachers use to interpret their personal
and professional experiences and professional
practices change according to a transformative
process regarding the frames of reference of
these beliefs, representations, theories.


Reasons
Professional epistemologies are always linked to
personal epistemologies where emotions play a
central role in the construction of beliefs,
representations, theories regarding various
dimensions of teacher’s self; emotions, thus, are
deeply involved in the way teachers give
meaning to their professional practices.
Emotions are very different in novice and expert
teacher and have a central role in the
development of professional epistemologies.

Reasons
l  The construction of a professional identity is strictly
connected to the construction/deconstruction of a
personal identity and in this complex process, epistemic
and socio-linguistic meaning perspectives change
together with psychological perspectives. Emotions play
a strong role in the construction and development of
professional epistemologies and personal growth and
changes have a deep impact in the framing and
reframing of professional identities and roles.


3. Study questions
l  Novice teachers participate to the classroom experience
and the training activity in school without any form of
previous professional knowledge and competences and are
challenged to develop a reflective competence. They use
their personal frames of references (Mezirow, 1991) and
personal epistemologies (Hofer & Pintrich, 2001) to frame
their first experiences of legitimate peripheral participation to
professional practices (Lave, Wenger, 1991) and this use
implies deep emotional involvement. Moreover, the
practicum experience and the challenges that the encounter
with a different frame of reference provided by the expert
teacher- whose practices are observed and reflected upon-
lead the novice teacher to a deep reframing of their meaning
perspectives, an poses a strong focus on their emotions.


4. Research focus and
objectives
l  The empirical research focus is on the interplay of the tacit
emotional dimension and the tacit knowledge and epistemology
involved in the development of professional identities and
epistemologies in novice teachers through transformative learning
and reflective processes.
l  The unit of analysis is thus the practicum experience as it is framed
and reframed by novice teachers’ beliefs, epistemologies, feelings
and emotions.
l  The objective is to understand which kind of emotions are involved
in the transformation of epistemic, sociolinguistic and psychological
frames of references in novice teachers’ practicum experiences in
order to support them with reflective devices useful to promote
transformative learning.


5. Methodology
l  The research has been developed within a qualitative framework
using a narrative inquiry approach (Connelly & Clandinin, 2001).
l  The qualitative study has involved 100 novice teachers attending a
two year training course in Teacher College at the Universities of
Florence and Siena and has been focused on the analysis of
transformative learning processes (Mezirow, 1990; 1991) occurring
during the practicum within the interaction among novice and expert
teachers.
l  Novice teachers have been asked to provide narratives of their
practicum experiences; in particular, they have been asked to write
a short narrative about a problematic experience in their training
framed as “critical incident” (Brookfield, 1990). Critical incidents
have been used widely in educational research (Killen and McKee,
1983), ever since Flanagan's (1954) initial formulation of the
method.


6. A first quantitative analysis: the
focus of the reflective action
About 59% of the total amount of problems and issues portrayed in
the professional narratives refer to the difficulty to establish a “good”
relationship with the students in the class, or with a single student,
with a little group of students. Learning

Relationship
Only 10% of the narratives collected is explicitly focused on teacher’s
Evaluation
professional and personal beliefs, emotions as well as on teachers’
Professional self
motivations which lead to the identification of a “professional self”.
We have used the construct of “professional self” in order to focus on
the difficult relationship occurring in the interplay of the perception of
the self and the representation of the professional role emerging
during the practicum experience as well as during reflective 10%
processes. 28%
3%
About 28% of the narratives are focused on the definition or
understanding of learning processes occurring in the classroom and
have a strong epistemological focus. Learning is a central issue in
teachers’ practice. Narratives are very useful to explore implicit
theories about learning which are deeply imbedded in the practicum
experience, in particular, the narratives analysed are mainly focused 59%

on the relationship between motivation an learning in different
educational contexts and have thus a strong focus on the emotional
dimension.
Only 3% of the narratives has been focused on the difficulties and
the problems in the practice of learning assessment and evaluation.

l  According to this first level of analysis, it is possible to
assume that professional identity and epistemology is being
constructed and developed within mainly three problematic
areas which lead to specific learning interests for novice
teachers.
l  A didactical-relational-communicative area: here
teachers are committed to solve problems such as: “How
can I solve the problem to establish a good communicative
climate in order to mediate and transfer effectively new
knowledge structures?”; “Which kind of knowledge,
competences, strategies, tools do I need to manage
effectively a class of students?”.
l  A personal-introspective area: “Why did I choose to
become a teacher?” - “What does it mean to be a good
teacher?”.
l  Learning theories area: “What does learning mean?” -
“Which strategies ands methodologies should I use in order
to support learning?”.


7. The qualitative analysis

The qualitative analysis shows how novice
teachers construct their professional identity
referring to their practicum experiences
where epistemological and emotional
dimensions are deeply interconnected.
Beliefs, representations, implicit theories,
emotions frame and reframe their
experiences and change as personal frames
of reference are being transformed.

7.1. Unsaid emotions. I do what I feel like doing. I
learn as a professional by observation, by trial and
errors. Emotions are imbedded in the practices.
No cognitive apprenticeship occurs

A first theory about professional identity and epistemology
could be synthesized in the idea that training and practicum
are mainly to be understood as experiences which lead to
professional practices and not as a full immersion in
professional experiences and practices. The novice teacher
learns from experience but is not supported in reflecting on
the experience and in exploring different possible solutions
negotiated with the expert teacher. No discussion on the
episode has occurred. The emotions of frustration and rage
have a strong role in the construction/deconstruction of the
professional identity and epistemology but have not been
analysed in the practicum setting itself.

7.2. Helplessness. I won’t do as you teach me.
Emotions are an “individual thing”. I learn by
opposition because I feel that what you propose is
not right

A particularly interesting focus is on the relationship between novice perspectives and
export teacher perspectives. In some occasions the novice teachers does not agree
on the theoretical and methodological framework used by the expert teacher and
activates processes of construction of an individual professional point of view by
opposition, supported by emotions of dislike.
The first professional experiences mostly challenge personal and intimate dimensions
more than professional and practical competence which the novice teacher is not jet
provided with.
Narratives portray the practicum as an experience, and do not focus on the
professional problem through analysis of the different variables implied or with a deep
involvement and participation in the professional experience. Problems arise from
practice in two different forms: problems regarding emotional implications of didactics
(how should interact with students, how should I manage assessment? How can I
motivate the students?) and epistemological problems (should I revise my theories of
learning and teaching?).

7.3. Exploring reflectively emotional
relationships with students and colleagues

Narratives have portrayed a widespread convincement that
a determining factor facilitating knowledge construction and
learning processes is the capability to manage relationships
with a particular focus on the emotional dimension. A good
relationship and a good “classroom climate” give the
opportunity to make mistakes and to be understood? From
the narratives collected novice students seem deeply
convinced of the necessity to develop a relationship
grounded on respect and reciprocal esteem. In cases
where novice teachers focused on the competence of
teachers for special needs students this factor is
considered to be essential to activate a good learning
process. Prof.ssa Loretta Fabbri - Prof.ssa Maura Striano
19

7.4. Socializing emotions
The novice teacher tells us how “aggressive behaviours”
are often the by product of a frenetic climate, with no
opportunity to exchange ideas, opinions, stories or
personal narratives. The implicit theory recalls a
vygotskijan view of learning processes and uses the
metaphor of the class as a “social” context. In particular,
class is understood as a space where it is not possible
anymore to tell stories, to meet different point of view and
narrative.
A strong attention for relational and emotional dimensions
of teaching is not accompanied by a reflection about
which strategies would be more useful to manage
learning-teaching processes besides “empathy” or
“grounding a good relationship”.


8. Critical points
The study of novice teachers narratives has evidenced some
critical points that are extremely relevant in the development of a
multifaceted professional competence in Teacher College,
While there is a strong focus on the necessity that the teacher
builds up a competence useful to manage both personal
emotions in class as well as the emotions of the class and of the
single students, there is also the risk of misunderstanding of the
teacher’s role interpretation., also because teachers’ relational
competences are not clearly understood and focused on.
Moreover, a strong focus on relationship as the basis of learning
tends to minimize epistemological issues and problems related to
curriculum development and content mediation within learning/
teaching processes.


Critical points
Practicum experiences if not considered as professional competence
building setting both by novice as by expert teachers, and if not
provided of a reflective structure useful to confront, mediate,
negotiate meaning perspectives tend to confirm personal frames of
references or, when they are perceived as disorienting, there is not
the opportunity to activate critical reflective processes. Moreover,
novice experiment strong emotions but they have no opportunity to
make meaning of them.
The use of critical incidents and of professional narratives has shown
that whenever novice teachers are lead to reflect on their
experiences and practices they may become critically aware of their
beliefs, representations, theories, emotions and use them as a
pivotal device to build up reflective competence, which we can
consider as a core competence for teaching.

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