Recently there has been growing interest on the role of emotions in educational settings. Notably schools can not only be regarded as emotional places but also as social arenas, where dynamics of social inclusion/exclusion occur (Reicher/Matischek-Jauk 2018a). Social exclusion can be understood as a multifaceted phenomenon; it can range from rejection, ostracism, discrimination and dehumanization to social isolation (Riva/Eck 2016). The aims of this multimethod empirical study are to examine the relations of emotional experiences and well-being to factors associated with social inclusion/exclusion processes (bullying, social integration). The sample of the quantitative study based on questionnaires consists of a random sample of 1127 students (11-14 years) drawn from different regions in Styria. A variety of different social, academic and achievement emotions are rated on an emotion-checklist by adolescent pupils. Additionally well-being/psychosocial health and experienced and observed bullying (based on the items in the HBSC-studies) as well as indicators of social integration in the peer group are assessed. Furthermore a qualitative study based on photovoice interviews is conducted with 20 students. Additionally the interplay of different emotions with socio-contextual factors are examined with multivariate statistical analysis. Our research findings detect a complex interplay between social dynamics of exclusion and emotional distress. The results of the photovoice study point out, that positive emotions were mainly elicited by aspects such as project work, cooperative work and positive social experiences; whereas negative emotions were associated with perceptions of stress and being socially excluded. Regarding the experience of different emotions during the last two weeks interesting gender differences can be found: Girls significantly report more anxiety, depression and disappointment than boys. The results are discussed with respect to theoretical frameworks of emotions in education and practical aspects of fostering a social inclusive learning environment (Reicher/Matischek-Jauk 2018b).

Reicher, H., & Matischek-Jauk, M. (2018a). Sozial-emotionales Lernen in der Schule: Konzepte ‒ Potenziale ‒ Evidenzbasierung (Social-emotional learning in school: concepts – potentials – evidence). In M. Huber & S. Krause (Eds.), Bildung und Emotion (Education and emotion) (pp. 249–268). Wiesbaden: Springer. Reicher, H. & Matischek-Jauk, M. (2018b). Depressive adolescents at risk for social exclusion: The potentials of social-emotional learning in schools. Submitted for publication. Riva, P., & Eck, J. (2016). The many faces of social exclusion. In P. Riva & J. Eck (Eds.), Social exclusion. Psychological approaches to understanding and reducing its impact (pp. ix–xv). Heidelberg, Springer.