Emotional Labour in the Classroom: Lessons from a History of the British Education System

Abstract

Research and policy in education often draws on language accentuating opposing ideological principles, claiming definitions of “good” versus “poor” teaching strategies. These unhelpful dichotomies are legitimised through surveillance and evaluation strategies because pressures from economic and social policies promote competitive, audit cultures. New Zealand education policies are largely modelled on the British system; Britain is arguably positioned at the extreme of a continuum of marketised, commercial models. However, when the importance of integral emotional processes of learning are diminished through neoliberal, managerialist strategies which favour quantitative outcomes, there are negative consequences for students and teachers. By definition, developments of culturally-sensitive pedagogies centre on the emotions of teaching and learning. New Zealand policymakers could therefore benefit from studying the history of emotions in British classrooms to gain insights which could lead to improved outcomes on macro and micro levels.