Communication and emotional regulation in the classroom: a challenge for the education of the future

Abstract

Children progressively develop emotional regulation skills, and school is currently a privileged setting for emotional education, as it is where they spend most of their time with their peers. To detect sequential communication patterns related to emotional regulation in the classroom, a study using an observational methodology, which is considered a mixed-method approach in itself, systematically observed students between 10 and 12 years old and teachers from nine classrooms for five sessions each. The observations were audio-recorded and then coded according to the Guidelines for the Observation of Communication and Emotional Self-Regulation (OCAE). Once data quality was ensured, a lag sequential analysis (GSEQ5) was performed to detect existing regularities and sequences, and polar coordinate analysis (HOISAN) was performed to obtain an interrelational map between categories. Both types of analysis led to the identification of multiple cases. The results detail the use of informative, directive, and expressive language, as well as the communication sequences observed in classroom interactions. The discussion and conclusions problematize the roles of expressive and directive languages, commenting on the teacher’s role in students' emotional regulation, which constitutes a relevant aspect of future education.