Education Hinging on Emotions: An Emotional View of Education

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to review articles from indexed journals, dissertations, books and book chapters that deal with the issue of emotions, but more specifically, the topic of emotions in teaching. It takes into account the most important studies that were conducted worldwide from 1993 to 2016. An approach to the term “emotion” is presented based on contemporary theoretical referents and different fields of knowledge, such as neuroscience, psychology, sociology and philosophy. Then, the emotional work and the emotional geography of teaching are examined. The conclusion emphasizes that emotions play a key role in the teaching process, since the teacher’s willingness to instruct depends on them. Moreover, emotions are mediators in the teacher’s decision-making with respect to educational action. This work is part of “La ira, la alegría y la tristeza de los profesores: una mirada desde la enseñanza” (“Teachers’ Anger, Joy and Sadness: Explored from the Standpoint of Teaching”), a study developed for a master’s degree in education at the Universidad Católica de Manizales.