‘I Still Have Tears in My Eyes’: A Situational Psychological Approach of Teachers' Emotional Labour in Special Needs Education

ABSTRACT Special needs education represents an emotion‐laden context for teachers. The aim of this study was to analyse the forms and inducers of teachers' emotional labour in this specific context. Using a situational psychological approach, we analysed 167 critical incidents experienced by 50 special education teachers. Qualitative analysis revealed three passive forms of emotional labour (52.3%), particularly ‘To feel and express the positive emotions generated by a pleasant situation’, and three active forms (47.7%), especially ‘To master the negative emotions generated by an unpleasant situation’. These forms of emotional labour emerged from four categories of positive inducers (55.9%), particularly ‘Teachers' successful interventions with students’, and from four categories of negative inducers (44.1%), especially ‘Students' displays of aggressiveness’. Statistical analysis highlighted a strong association between passive forms and positive inducers, and between active forms and negative inducers. These results are discussed in relation to the specificities of teaching in special needs education.