Teachers’ emotional engagement, differences and overlaps across generations. A distinction between the perspective of experience and the strong engagement of novices

Abstract

Abstract The emotional state of teachers and their well-being in schools and their profession have been a topic of growing interest to policymakers. This paper aims to address teachers’ possible generational differences and overlaps concerning emotional work in teaching. This paper delves into teachers’ emotional engagement throughout their careers in Spain. The research was based on a qualitative paradigm. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 147 novice, veteran, and retired teachers. The main results show a difference in teachers’ emotional management of tasks, which appears as teachers gain more work experience. On one hand, novice teachers must adapt to their professional environment more than their veteran and retired colleagues. This finding suggests that novice teachers may demonstrate a higher level of emotional management than their more experienced counterparts, but they perceive that their efforts eventually burn out over time. This issue is perceived through the lens of their elders, making both emotional engagement and emotional management in the teaching profession visible.