Emotional contagion in schools: A research on teachers

Emotional contagion is explained as one of the important results of interpersonal communication, as individuals are affected by each other's emotions and tend to imitate them. The pandemic refers to a process that needs to be examined in terms of its results, as a process in which communication is significantly negatively affected and people have to stay at home. In this study, emotional contagion among teachers is discussed after the pandemic process. In this context, data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 21 teachers. The obtained data were analyzed by qualitative analysis method. According to the results of the research, emotional contagion among teachers is quite intense. Teachers are significantly influenced by the emotions of their colleagues. Therefore, while having positive feelings towards positive, helpful and sincere colleagues, they are afraid to communicate with incompatible, negative co-workers. Since the contamination of negative emotions will lead to a decrease in productivity and job satisfaction in the work environment, it is thought that emotional contagion should be addressed more in the literature in terms of its consequences.