How teachers’ dominant interpersonal behavior shapes student emotions in mathematics classrooms: a multimodal voice analysis and critical incident study

Introduction Teacher’s interpersonal behavior plays an active role in guiding students to mathematical learning. This exploratory study aim to investigate the complex relationship between teachers’ dominant interpersonal behavior and students’ achievement emotions in Chinese secondary mathematics classrooms. Methods Moving beyond traditional self-reports, this study introduces a novel methodological framework that integrates the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) with multi-modal voice analysis. Results Through in-depth interviews and acoustic analysis of classroom interactions involving 16 secondary students from four distinct school types in China, the findings reveal that students hold ambivalent emotional responses toward teachers’ dominant interpersonal behavior. Discussion When the instructional structure inherent in teachers’ dominant behavior was conveyed through a supportive vocal tone, characterized by moderate pitch, melodic variation, and fluent pacing, students perceived it as valuable pedagogical guidance, which they associated with enjoyment and pride. In contrast, when the interpersonal dominance was expressed through an authoritarian vocal tone, marked by high, sharp pitch, rushed speech, and vocal tension, students perceived it as restrictive social control, which was associated with self-reports of shame and hopelessness. Conclusion Grounded in control-value theory, these findings suggest that students’ emotional reactions are not monolithic but are shaped by the acoustic delivery of dominance and their subsequent appraisals of control and value. This study extends control-value theory by identifying interpersonal style as a critical antecedent and validates the utility of multi-modal voice analysis as a powerful tool for capturing the nuanced socio-emotional fabric of classroom interactions, highlighting important implications for teachers’ use of dominant interpersonal strategies in mathematics teaching.