Emotional labor of early childhood educators: Relationships with students and parents

Mukhlis, Akhmad ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8901-5481, Elvira, Melly ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6047-5348, Santoso, Sandy Tegariyani Putri ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0523-1727 and Sainuddin, Syamsir ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2783-0181 (2026) Emotional labor of early childhood educators: Relationships with students and parents. European Journal of Educational Research, 15 (1). pp. 53-63. ISSN 2165-8714

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Abstract

This study examines the emotional labor of early childhood educators and its relationship with interactions involving children and parents, with a focus on emotional regulation and demographic influences. This study aimed to investigate the impact of emotional regulation strategies and demographic variables on educators’ emotional well-being during professional interactions. A quantitative approach was adopted, with data collected through structured questionnaires. The analysis concentrated on emotion suppression and surface acting in relation to well-being. Results indicated that teachers experienced considerable emotional burden, with emotion suppression being more prevalent than surface acting, particularly in interactions with parents. Fifty-three percent of educators reported a high emotional burden in parent-related suppression, compared to 38% in interactions with children. Additionally, 38% reported high suppression in self-regulation, while 29% experienced no burden from surface acting. Emotion suppression in parent interactions had the most significant impact on well-being (standardized coefficient = 0.4044, p < .001), followed by education level (coefficient = 0.1646, p < .001). Factors such as generation, teaching experience, salary, and certification were not statistically significant. The model explained 18.7% of the variance in emotional well-being. These findings align with existing literature that highlights the emotional burden of teaching and the psychological toll of unaddressed regulation challenges. Therefore, culturally and contextually appropriate suppression-management training, together with enhanced institutional support, is essential to reduce the emotional burden on Indonesian early childhood educators.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	Early childhood educator; emotional labor; emotion regulation; parent-teacher interaction; well-being
Subjects:	13 EDUCATION > 1301 Education Systems > 130102 Early Childhood Education 13 EDUCATION > 1303 Specialist Studies In Education > 130313 Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators
Divisions:	Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teaching Training > Department of Islamic Early Childhood Education
Depositing User:	Melly Elvira
Date Deposited:	27 Oct 2025 08:55

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