Epistemic Emotions in Learning: Using Qualitative Inquiry to Explore Implications for Veterinary Educators in Responding to Student Emotions in Their Classrooms

Veterinary students frequently experience heightened emotions which can stimulate or compromise learning. The impact of student emotions on educators, or the ways that educators can respond to these is less well known. This has potential impacts for educators’ own emotional responses, and for educators’ effectiveness in supporting learning. To better support educators in facilitating student learning, this study sought to further understand how students’ epistemic emotions are experienced by educators. We explored the experiences of educators from three international veterinary schools, using iterative interpretive analysis of workshop discussions designed and implemented for the purpose of the study. Analysis revealed that veterinary educators experience a range of emotions in the course of teaching their students, arising from events, such as emotional topics or clinical situations; receipt of grades; and the experience of uncertainty, e.g., in teaching methods or open-ended tasks. The educators’ responses to these included feeling overwhelmed and anxious - wanting to help facilitate student learning but lacking the tools to do so. Consequently, educators felt unable to engage effectively with students, and learning was deactivated. This could occur even when students were interested and curious. Educators’ responses were particularly challenged by time and assessment pressures (needing to remain on topic and teach to learning outcomes). Strategies for responding to student emotions and to support development of educator emotional intelligence have been generated, which include a need for institutional recognition of the time resources necessary for educators to reflectively learn from complex situations experienced in their classrooms.