The Hidden Cost of Aesthetic Pedagogy: Emotional Labor’s Mediation of Job Demands on Teacher-Student Relationships

Teacher–student interaction critically influences learning outcomes, yet the mechanisms linking rising teacher work demands to interaction quality remain unclear, particularly regarding the role of emotional labor in Chinese educational settings. This study examined whether emotional labor mediates the relationship between perceived work demands and teacher–student interaction, and assessed the relative contributions of surface and deep acting to interaction quality. A cross sectional survey of 394 primary and secondary teachers in Zhejiang Province, China, used validated scales for work demands, emotional labor (surface, deep acting), and interaction frequency; structural equation modelling with bootstrapped 5 000 sample confidence intervals tested direct and indirect effects controlling for age, gender, and school type. Work demands showed a positive association with emotional labor. Emotional labor positively predicted teacher–student interaction, while the direct path from work demands to interaction was non significant. The indirect effect of work demands on interaction via emotional labor was significant, accounting for 79% of the total effect and indicating full mediation. Model fit was acceptable. Emotional labor fully transmits the impact of work demands on teacher–student interaction, suggesting that fostering adaptive emotion regulation may mitigate workload pressures and enhance classroom engagement, ultimately guiding policy initiatives for teacher well being and instructional effectiveness in high demand educational systems.