Teachers’ Affects and their Approaches to Teaching

Previous research shows that positive and negative affects experienced by teachers lead to different approaches to teaching on their part. Those demonstrating positive affects, such as joy, enjoyment, warmth, and love more often utilize flexible approaches whereas those who more often experience negative affects use such approaches less frequently. To explore this issue among Ahvazi teachers, a group of 132 volunteer elementary school teachers in District one was given two questionnaires on affects and approaches. The correlation between the two sets of scores obtained indicates the existence of predicted relationship, as those with positive affects use more flexible approaches. From among positive affects only love could predict the use of student-centered approach to teaching. It is, hence, recommended that the positive affects, especially love, be the focus of teaching in all approaches to teaching.