Highlighting the consequences of ignoring children's emotions in schools: Case of 30 pupils in three Algerian primary schools

This research paper probes the potential effects that disregarding academic emotions in the educational milieu might have on primary school pupils in Algeria. It mainly focuses on revealing various emotions children have in and toward their schools. To investigate this issue, we have used relevant theories and approaches to underpin the present study, notably Reinhard Pekrun’s works (2006, 2000, 2010,201, and 2017) and Goleman’s emotional intelligence theory (1995). Correspondingly, we opted for observation and focus group discussions as the main research instruments to examine the selected pupils’ emotions toward school and teachers. More specifically, we selected three different primary schools in Oran and Mostaganem cities (Algeria) to observe and interrogate 30 pupils. Our participants’ age varied from six to eleven years old. The findings showed that most children have negative feelings inside the educational milieu. Also, the participants revealed that they hate school, for they consider themselves imprisoned in this milieu, and most of them do not like their teachers for various reasons. As a matter of fact, the present research accentuates that positivizing the educational milieu at the primary level must be a priority for teachers, parents and the ministry of education in Algeria. Our study also emphasizes the significance of fostering children’s emotional intelligence