Enjoying working and learning in vocational education: a multilevel investigation of emotional crossover and contextual moderators

Abstract

Background: Students' positive emotions, such as enjoying learning activities at school, are increasingly recognized as being conducive to learning. Researchers therefore seek to understand the roles that teachers' emotions and instructional behaviours play for promoting activity-related enjoyment among their students. This study is the first to investigate emotional crossover in vocational classrooms, combining ControlValue Theory and Broaden-and-Built Theory to substantiate potentially mediating teaching characteristics (clarity and support, enthusiastic teaching, application-orientation). Moreover, this study explores contextual moderators of crossover by comparing different types of training (classes in dual and in school-based training programs) as well as different domains of training (commercial, technical, and social occupations).Methods: Survey data were gathered from 77 teachers and 1522 students with a temporal distance of about 5 months, covering a considerable period of instructional interaction. Data were examined with multilevel latent contextual models, which allow controlling for measurement and sampling errors as well as for potential confounders when testing mediation and moderated mediation in nested data structures. Results and conclusions:Mediation analysis for the full sample indicates substantial positive relations between (a) teachers' work enjoyment and teaching characteristics, and between (b) teaching characteristics and students' enjoyment of lessons. Still, crossover of activity-related emotions cannot be empirically established. Moderator analyses reveal that crossover occurrence is not a function of training type. However, positive relations between teaching characteristics and students' enjoyment vary in strength across the three contrasted vocational domains, and the same applies to positive associations between teachers' enjoyment and teaching characteristics. Consequently, crossover effects are demonstrable only in commercial classes. The paper therefore discusses methodological issues, further research needs and practical implications.

Crossover of Engagement Among Academic Staff and Students During COVID-19

“…The findings of the study revealed non-significant relationships in respect of the crossover relationships proposed as well as the two indirect effects of student–LMX and lack of reciprocity as mediators in the crossover process. These findings were inconsistent with findings in similar previous research that showed crossover from the teacher/lecturer to the student through mediators such as enthusiastic teaching, clarity in teaching, 38 and emotional contagion. 32 The absence of statistically significant effects between lecturer and students gives the impression that crossover might depend on the context in which the instructional interaction takes place (eg, lecturer–student relationships during a global pandemic, which are characterised by remote or blended instructional interactions).…”

Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic’s Distance Learning on Students and Teachers in Schools and in Higher Education – International Perspectives.

“…More concretely, and regarding the present study, teachers' competencies are related to cognitive activation (Baumert et al, 2010;Förtsch et al, 2016) and thus to the quality of teachers' feedback on student assignments and their promotion of students' self-regulation skills. Moreover, teachers' motivation tends to predict students' motivation (by means of supporting the development of competence and autonomy) (Frenzel et al, 2009;Holzberger et al, 2016;Warwas & Helm, 2017). Finally, there is ample evidence (feedback in this study; ) that instructional quality and students' motivation (Deci & Ryan, 1993) -as well as students' self-regulation -are related to students' academic achievement (Boekaerts & Corno, 2005;Schoor et al, 2015;Seidel & Shavelson, 2007).…”

Relationship between Learning Environment and Teamwork Skills among Final Year Students of Vocational Colleges

“…The student's positive demeanour towards teacher is driven by a good relat ionship between the teacher and the student. The study carried out by Warwas and Helm (2017) found that, there exists a positive relationship between the characteristics of teaching executed by the teacher and the enjoyment of learning among the students. The positive relat ionship created by a teacher and his students is the most important aspect in encouraging positive development of the student and which will then be able to create a social environ ment which is more friendly and caring (Robert et al, 2012).…”