Is teacher happiness contagious? A study of the link between perceptions of language teacher happiness and student attitudes

• Published in: Innovation in language learning and teaching Vol. 15; no. 2; pp. 117 - 130
• Main Authors: Moskowitz, Sharona, Dewaele, Jean-Marc
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 15.03.2021; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Adult Learning; Adult Students; Attitudes; Correlation; emotional contagion; English; English (Second Language); English as a second language instruction; English teachers; Foreign language instruction; Happiness; language learning psychology; Language Teachers; Learning Motivation; Motivation; Perceptions; Positive Attitudes; Psychological Patterns; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Second language teachers; Student Attitudes; Students; Teacher attitudes; Teacher Characteristics; Teacher emotion; Teacher Student Relationship; Teaching Methods
• ISSN: 1750-1229; 1750-1237
• DOI: 10.1080/17501229.2019.1707205

There remains a dearth of research on the effects of student perception of teacher happiness and the ramifications of those perceptions on student feelings and attitudes. Using an online questionnaire, data were collected from 129 adult students of ESL/EFL across the world who were enrolled in formal English classes of intermediate to advanced level proficiency. Participants were asked about their perception of various aspects of their teachers' happiness, and about their own attitudes and motivation to learn English. Statistical analyses revealed that student perception of teacher happiness was significantly (and positively) linked with students' Overall attitude and motivation, as well as students' Attitude towards the teacher. This is interpreted as an illustration of the process of positive emotional contagion between teachers and students. Pedagogical implications of the results are discussed.