Review article    |    Open Access
International Journal of Research in Teacher Education 2025, Vol. 16(3) 37-52

The Significance of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Teacher Education

Bülent Alan

pp. 37 - 52   |  DOI: https://doi.org/10.29329/ijrte.2025.1355.03

Publish Date: September 30, 2025  |   Single/Total View: 0/0   |   Single/Total Download: 0/0


Abstract

Emotions affect all the decisions of individuals and one of the professions that emotions are closely linked with everyday practices is teaching as emotions are highly influential on teachers’ cognition, classroom practices, classroom management, well-being, and ultimately on student success. Hence, recent research on teacher education has moved towards emotion regulation strategies and competencies of teachers. Emotion regulation strategies refer to appropriate responses of individuals to the needs and demands of their environment by changing their own emotions and expressions. However, suppressing emotions may cause serious adverse effects on teachers and protracted suppression of emotions and stress causes teacher burn-out. Research shows that emotion regulation is a social activity rather than an internal experience. Although teachers try to hide their emotions in the classroom, this can be recognized by students from the shifts in their tones and facial expressions. Teachers' professional development consists of professional knowledge and skills, but professional happiness and satisfaction are equally important. Therefore, emotion regulation is an essential skill teachers should develop as early as possible; however, this issue is rarely addressed in teacher education programs. Most conventional teacher education programs focus merely on content knowledge and general pedagogical development of prospective teachers. This paper discusses the importance of emotion regulation strategies by giving examples through a comprehensive literature review and puts forward some suggestions regarding how to incorporate emotion regulation strategies and socio-emotional competencies of prospective teachers in teacher education programs.

Keywords: Emotion regulation, emotion regulation strategies, socio-emotional competencies, teacher education


How to Cite this Article?

APA 7th edition
Alan, B. (2025). The Significance of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Teacher Education. International Journal of Research in Teacher Education, 16(3), 37-52. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijrte.2025.1355.03

Harvard
Alan, B. (2025). The Significance of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Teacher Education. International Journal of Research in Teacher Education, 16(3), pp. 37-52.

Chicago 16th edition
Alan, Bulent (2025). "The Significance of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Teacher Education". International Journal of Research in Teacher Education 16 (3):37-52. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijrte.2025.1355.03

References

    Aldrup, K., Carstensen, B., & Klusmann, U. (2024) The role of teachers’ emotion regulation in teaching effectiveness: A systematic review integrating four lines of research, Educational Psychologist, 59, 2, 89-110, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2023.2282446.

    Aloe, A.M., Amo, L.C., & Shanahan, M.E. (2014). Classroom management self-efficacy and burnout: a multivariate meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 26 (1), 101-126. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10648-013-9244-0

    Bandura, A., Caprara, G. V., Barbaranelli, C., Gerbino, M., & Pastorelli, C. (2003). Role of affective self‐regulatory efficacy in diverse spheres of psychosocial functioning. Child Development, 74(3), 769-782. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00567

    Barthel, A. L., Hay, A., Doan, S. N., & Hofmann, S. G. (2018). Interpersonal emotion regulation: A review of social and developmental components. Behaviour Change, 35(4), 203-216. https://doi.org/10.1017/bec.2018.19

    Braun, S. S., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Roeser, R. W. (2020). Effects of teachers' emotion regulation, burnout, and life satisfaction on student well-being. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 69, 101151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2020.101151

    Birchinall, L., Spendlove, D., & Buck, R. (2019). In the moment: Does mindfulness hold the key to improving the resilience and wellbeing of pre-service teachers? Teaching and Teacher Education 86, 102929. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102919

    Brown, E. L., Stark, K., Vesely, C., & Choe, J. (2023). Acting often and everywhere: Teachers’ emotional labor across professional interactions and responsibilities. Teaching and Teacher Education, 132, 104227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104227

    Chang, M. L., & Taxer, J. (2021). Teacher emotion regulation strategies in response to classroom misbehavior. Teachers and Teaching, 27(5), 353–369. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2020.1740198

    De Neve, D., Bronstein, M. V., Leroy, A., Truyts, A., & Everaert, J. (2023). Emotion regulation in the classroom: A network approach to model relations among emotion regulation difficulties, engagement to learn, and relationships with peers and teachers. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 52(2), 273-286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01678-2

    Doyle, N. B., Downer, J. T., & Rimm-Kaufman, S. E. (2024). Understanding teachers’ emotion regulation strategies and related teacher and classroom factors. School Mental Health, 16(1), 123-136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-023-09624-8

    Erdoğan, F., Alper, B., & Kalkan, S. (2025). Beyond cognition: A socio-emotional perspective on collaborative learning in mathematics education. International Journal of Research in Teacher Education (IJRTE), 16(1). 1-18 https://doi.org/10.29329/ijrte.2025.1300.01

    Ergas, O., & L. L. Hadar. (2019). Mindfulness in and as education: A map of a developing academic discourse from 2002 to 2017. Review of Education 7(3), 757–797. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3169

    Fayda-Kinik, F.S. & Kirisci-Sarikaya, A. (2025). Teachers' emotion regulation in the workplace: A comparative systematic review. European Journal of Education, 60, 70060. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.70060

    Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218-226. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218

    Frenzel, A. C., Goetz, T., Stephens, E. J., & Jacob, B. (2009). Antecedents and effects of teachers' emotional experiences: an integrated perspective and empirical test. In P. A. Schutz, & M. Zembylas (Eds.), Advances in teacher emotion research: The impact on teachers' lives (pp. 129-151). Springer.

    Gong, S., Chai, X., Duan, T., Zhong, L., & Jiao, Y. (2013). Chinese teachers' emotion regulation goals and strategies. Psychology, 4, 870-877. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/psych.2013.411125

    Goroshit, M., & Hen, M. (2016). Teachers’ empathy: Can it be predicted by self-efficacy?. Teachers and Teaching, 22(7), 805-818. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2016.1185818

    Grommisch, G., Koval, P., Hinton, J. D., Gleeson, J., Hollenstein, T., Kuppens, P., & Lischetzke, T. (2020). Modeling individual differences in emotion regulation repertoire in daily life with multilevel latent profile analysis. Emotion, 20(8), 1462. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000669

    Gross, J. J. (1998a). The emerging field of emotion regulation: an integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2, 271-299. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.271

    Gross, J. J. (1998b). Antecedent- and response-focused emotion regulation: divergent consequences for experience, expression and physiology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 224-237.

    Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2014.940781

    Gustems-Carnicer, J., C. Calderón, & D. Calderón-Garrido. (2019). Stress, coping strategies and academic achievement in teacher education students. European Journal of Teacher Education 42(3), 375–390. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2019.1576629

    Hadar, L. L., Ergas, O., Alpert, B., & Ariav, T. (2020). Rethinking teacher education in a VUCA world: student teachers’ social-emotional competencies during the Covid-19 crisis. European Journal of Teacher Education, 43(4), 573-586. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1807513

    Hagenauer, G., Hascher, T., & Volet, S.E. (2015). Teacher emotions in the classroom: Associations with students’ engagement, classroom discipline and the interpersonal teacher-student relationship. European Journal of Psychology of Education 30(4), 385–403. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-015-0250-0

    Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2005). Can instructional and emotional support in the first-grade classroom make a difference for children at risk of school failure? Child Development, 76, 949-967. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14678624.2005.00889.x

    Hargreaves, A. (1998). The emotional practice of teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 14, 835-854. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(98)00025-0

    Hulburt, K., B. Colaianne, & R. Roeser. (2020). The calm, clear and kind educator. In O. Ergas & J. Ritter (Eds.), Exploring self toward expanding teaching, teacher education and practitioner research, (Vol. 34, pp. 17–36). Emerald Publishing.

    Jiang, J., Vauras, M., Volet, S., & Wang, Y. (2016). Teachers' emotions and emotion regulation strategies: Self-and students' perceptions. Teaching and Teacher Education, 54, 22-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.11.008

    Jones, S. M., & S. M. Bouffard. (2012). Social and emotional learning in schools: From programs to strategies. Social Policy Report 26 (4), 3–22.

    Kasperski, R., & Hemi, M. E. (2024). Promoting socio-emotional learning competencies in teacher education through online clinical simulations. European Journal of Teacher Education, 47(4), 805-820. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2022.2134006

    Kraft, T. L., & Pressman, S. D. (2012). Grin and bear it: The influence of manipulated facial expression on the stress response. Psychological Science, 23(11), 1372-1378. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612445312

    Laukkonen, R. E., H. Biddel., & Gallagher R. (2019). Preparing humanity for change and artificial intelligence: Learning to learn as a safeguard against volatility, Uncertainty,complexity, and ambiguity. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/g5qwc

    Li, L., Huang, L., & Liu, X. P. (2023). Primary school teacher's emotion regulation: Impact on occupational well‐being, job burnout, and resilience. Psychology in the Schools, 60(10), 4089-4101. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22982

    Methlagl, M., & Vogl, P. (2024). Latent profiles of student teachers’ intra-and interindividual emotion regulation strategies and their links with grit. European Journal of Teacher Education, 47(3), 449-465. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2022.2096003

    Milkie, M.A., & Warner, C.H., (2011). Classroom learning environments and the mental health of first grade children. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour. 52(1), 4-22. https://doi.org//10.1177/0022146510394952

    Morris, S., & J. King. (2023). University language teachers' contextually dependent uses of instrumental emotion regulation. System, 116, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103080

    Oberle, E., & K. A. Schonert-Reichl. (2016). Stress contagion in the classroom? The link between classroom teacher burnout and morning cortisol in elementary school students. Social Science & Medicine, 159, 30–37. https://doi.org/1016/j.socscimed.2016.04.031

    Poulou, M. S. (2017). Social and emotional learning and teacher-student relationships: Preschool teachers’ and students’ perceptions. Early Childhood Education Journal 45, 427–435. https://10.1007/s10643-016-0800-3

    Redecker, C. (2017). European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators: DigCompEdu, (Ed. Yves Punie), EUR 28775 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2017, https://doi.org/10.2760/178382

    Roberts, A. P., Stanton, N. A., Plant, K. L., Fay, D. T., & Pope, K. A. (2020). You say it is physical, I say it is functional; let us call the whole thing off! Simulation: an application divided by lack of common language. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, 21(5), 507-536. https://doi.org/10.1080/1463922X.2019.1683913

    Savina, E., Fulton, C., & Beaton, C. (2025). Teacher emotional competence: A conceptual model. Educational Psychology Review, 37(2), 1-34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10018-2

    Schonert-Reichl, K. A. (2017). Social and emotional learning and teachers. The Future of Children, 27(1), 137–155. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2017.0007

    Sutton, R. E. (2004). Emotional regulation goals and strategies of teachers. Social Psychology of Education, 7, 379-398. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-004-4229

    Sutton, R.E., & Harper, E. (2009). Teachers’ emotion regulation. In L.J. Saha, & A. G. Dworkin (Eds.), International handbook of research on teachers and teaching. Part one (pp. 389-401). Springer.

    Sutton, R. E., & Mudrey-Camino R., & Knight, C.C. (2009). Teachers' emotion regulation and classroom management. Theory into Practice, 48(2), 130-137. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405840902776418

    Taxer, J. L., & Frenzel, A. C. (2015). Facets of teachers' emotional lives: A quantitative investigation of teachers' genuine, faked, and hidden emotions. Teaching and Teacher Education, 49, 78-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.03.003

    Taxer, J. L., & J. J. Gross. (2018). Emotion regulation in teachers: The “why” and “how”. Teaching and Teacher Education, 74, 180–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.05.008

    Uzuntiryaki-Kondakcı, E., Z. D. Kirbulut, E. Sarıcı, & O. Oktay. (2022). Emotion regulation as a mediator of the influence of science teacher emotions on teacher efficacy beliefs. Educational Studies 48(5), 583–601. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2020.1793300

    Yin, H. B., & Lee, J. C. K. (2012). Be Passionate, but be Rational as Well: Emotional rules for Chinese teachers' work. Teaching and Teacher Education 28(1), 56–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2011.08.005