Routines and Emotions of Teachers as a Structural Element of the Educational System During Distance Learning

Abstract

The sudden transition to distance learning in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic required teachers to adjust by creating new teaching routines. This process was accompanied by complex emotional experiences as they tried to live their professional and personal lives. To point to the importance of maintaining routines for the sake of ontological security and social integration, and the relevance of emotions during distance learning, we utilise Giddens' theory of structuration, focusing on routinisation and regionalisation of interactions, and Turner's analysis of integration processes and the role of emotions in them. We examine (i) how teaching routines were shaped and regionalised and (ii) what positive and negative emotions teachers experienced during distance learning in interactions with various actors. In the paper, the interviews conducted in 2020 with 32 subject teachers were analysed using deductive-inductive thematic analysis. Three themes were constructed; the permeation of the public sphere in teachers' personal space, the establishment of routines and emotional experiences, including sub-themes. This paper indicates that the preservation and creation of new