Exploring the Emotional Experiences of Learning Support Assistants When Supporting Secondary School Children and Young People to Emotionally Regulate

Over the past 25 years in the United Kingdom (UK), the prevalence of emotional needs amongst children and young people (CYP) has gradually increased. During that same period, the Learning Support Assistant (LSA) role has broadened and they are increasingly supporting CYP with their emotions. Despite LSAs making up around 27% of the UK’s school workforce, very little is known about their emotional experiences, particularly for those working in secondary schools. Previous studies have largely ignored and marginalised the voices of LSAs, and there does not seem to be any research exploring how LSAs support CYP during instances of dysregulation and how they manage their own emotions. The current study therefore took an exploratory approach and aimed to better understand the emotional experiences of secondary school LSAs supporting CYP with their emotions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four LSAs working in a single mainstream secondary school. Utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), four main themes were identified. The first theme related to the LSAs appearing to have an important role in supporting students’ emotions. They reported using a variety of strategies to support their students to regulate, and they often went above and beyond to ensure their wellbeing. The second theme related to the very close relationships the LSAs could build with their students, which appeared to have many mutual benefits. The third theme related to how the school environment could shape many different positive and challenging emotions in LSAs and students, with emotional experiences appearing to be interconnected. Whilst the LSAs shared that their job was often rewarding, they also faced constant emotional challenges and had to frequently regulate their emotions. The final theme related to school support systems that could benefit the emotional wellbeing and development of students and staff members respectively. It is hoped that these findings can provide many new insights for those working in and with schools, and several suggestions have been outlined.