On Feedback and Emotional Labour

Authors

  • El Spaeth Lecturer

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v6i3.359

Keywords:

assessment and feedback, emotional labour, compassion, emotions, workload

Abstract

This opinion piece argues that educators are performing emotional labour when giving feedback to students. I propose that this emotional labour is performed due to the desire to balance the promotion of student learning with the increasing need for efficiency and quality control. This attempt to balance an abundance of care with a dearth of time leaves a gap between the compassion an educator wants to provide, the guidelines that must be followed, and what is feasible from a workload perspective. Are we equipped to give effective feedback at scale, and what are the emotional strategies used for, and consequences of, doing so?

Author Biography

  • El Spaeth, Lecturer

    Ellen Spaeth is an Academic and Digital Development Adviser at the University of Glasgow. Ellen has particular interests in the pedagogically-led use of technology and the emotional impact of learning, teaching, and assessment practices.

References

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Published

2018-09-12

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 3 (2018): Special Issue on Compassionate Pedagogy

Section

Opinion Piece

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