The Emotions of Pretenure Faculty: Implications for Teaching and Research Success

The current mixed-method study examined the emotions experienced by pretenure faculty regarding teaching and research, specifically their emotion frequency, antecedents, and relationships with perceived success. Interviews with 11 faculty identified 46 discrete emotions with the most common being enjoyment, frustration, excitement, happiness, and anxiety. A survey of 102 pretenure faculty found more enjoyment, happiness, pride, satisfaction, and relaxation regarding teaching; conversely more frustration, anxiety, worry, fear, envy, shame, loneliness, and hopelessness in research. Path analyses revealed faculty control, value, and positive/negative affect mediate the relationships of collegiality and balance with self-reported success. The results have implications for faculty development.