Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer

The cycle of student and staff wellbeing: Emotional labour and extension requests in Higher Education. A Practice Report

Abstract

This paper suggests that the sociological theory of emotional labour is a useful way to interpret how teaching practices in Higher Education often involve the simultaneous management of both staff and student wellbeing. This paper applies Berry and Cassidy’s Higher Education Emotional Labour model (2013) to the management of extension requests. We put forward a case study of processing a significant number of extension requests in a short space of time in a large, first year Health Sciences topic. We consider the responsibilities and risks for staff and students in this scenario, and ponder the implications for future practice and pedagogy. We argue that student and staff wellbeing must always be considered as interrelated, and that academic administrative procedures need to be developed with this mind. 

Published: 2016-03-02
Pages:65 to 71
Section:Practice Reports
How to Cite
Abery, E., & Shipman Gunson, J. (2016). The cycle of student and staff wellbeing: Emotional labour and extension requests in Higher Education. A Practice Report. Student Success, 7(1), 65-71. https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.v7i1.326

Author Biographies

Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
Australia Australia
Lecturer, Social Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Faculty Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. Flinders University, Adeliade, South Australia
Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
Australia Australia
Lecturer, Social Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Faculty Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. Flinders University, Adeliade, South Australia
Open Access Journal
ISSN 2205-0795