Teachers' discrete emotions: the role of anger on teachers' self-efficacy

Anger is one of the most commonly experienced emotion during the teaching process, which has significant effects on teachers' levels of burnout, job satisfaction, and emotional exhaustion. In addition, teachers who frequently experience anger also tend to reveal less dedication to the teaching process. In other words, anger can affect teachers' well-being and the educational process, so it is important to examine which issues are associated to experiencing this emotion in the educational context. The goal of the study was to explore the relation of teachers' anger oriented to students, parents, peers and the educational system with several dimensions of teacher self-efficacy (Instruction, Adapting, Motivating, Discipline, Cooperating and Changes). A sample of 1159 Brazilian elementary and high school teachers participated in this study. The results of the multiple regression analyses showed that anger oriented towards several educational actors has a distinct effect on several dimensions of self-efficacy. In most cases, this relation is negative, yet in some cases positive relations also occur. Taking into account that the professional life of teachers is guided by a diversity of emotions (positive and negative), it is recommended to expand research on teachers' emotions, exploring other emotions directed at educational actors, in addition to anger. This may provide a deeper understanding of the role of emotions in shaping teachers' beliefs about their abilities in various areas of teaching activity, contributing to a better understanding of the relationship between emotions and teacher self- efficacy.