Getting to the heart of the matter: Discursive negotiations of emotions within literacy coaching interactions

In this study, a microethnographic approach to discourse analysis was used to explore how literacy coaches and teachers discursively enacted emotions as they negotiated issues of identity, power, and positioning during video-recorded literacy coaching interactions. The coaches and teachers avoided shame, fear, and guilt as they positioned themselves and each other in relation to idealized notions of best practices and good teacher. Findings suggest that literacy coaches and teachers may benefit from acknowledging the emotional aspects of their work and from entering into discussions about emotions in order to support the development of a shared vision for teaching and learning.