From Emotion to Action: The Impact of Teachers’ Affective Attitudes on Intercultural Classroom Engagement

Abstract

This study examines how teachers’ affective attitudes toward non-Chinese students relate to their evaluations of learning outcomes, teaching engagement, and perceptions of learning difficulties in intercultural classrooms. Based on 196 valid questionnaires from Chinese primary school teachers in Selangor, Malaysia, the study adopts a quantitative cross-sectional design using descriptive and inferential analyses. Results show that teachers’ affective attitudes (like / dislike / neutral) are not significantly associated with their teaching engagement or evaluations, indicating professional consistency beyond emotional preference. Background variables such as age, qualification, and homeroom status show no moderating effects. However, affective attitudes are significantly related to perceived learning difficulties (χ² = 30.7, p < .01, Cramér’s V = 0.280): teachers with positive attitudes emphasize expressive and literacy challenges, while negative-attitude teachers focus on memory and uncontrollable barriers. The findings suggest that affective attitudes influence teaching indirectly through attributional perceptions rather than direct behavioral engagement.