Assessment as an emotional practice: Emotional challenges faced by L2 teachers within assessment

Abstract

Assessment and evaluation create many complex emotions (e.g., anxiety, concern, pride) for all teachers. High-consequence assessments engender stronger and more negative emotions. Alongside all teachers, L2 teachers share the pressures, emotions, and concomitant labour to maintain positive and constructive responses engendered by assessments. This chapter adds to the small body of literature on L2 teacher emotions in assessment with three case studies of L2 teachers. These cases expose the range of emotions L2 teachers experience and describe the labour they must carry out in order to remain professional and effective. Nonetheless, L2 teachers have to help students acquire competence in a new language in a brief time, exacerbating the emotional labour they work with. Extensive research into teacher emotions in assessment is required.