Mapping supervisors’ emotional landscape in undergraduate thesis supervision: an emotional geographies perspective

While teacher emotions have long been an established research topic in education, the emotional experiences of undergraduate thesis supervisors remain significantly understudied. Drawing on multi-sourced data including interviews, annotated drafts and screenshots of feedback interactions, this qualitative study mapped the emotional landscape of ten Chinese undergraduate supervisors through the lens of emotional geographies. Thematic analysis of the data identified thirteen distinct emotional reactions, collectively shaped by a dynamic interplay of relational distance and closeness with students, colleagues and institutional practices. The findings revealed a dominant prevalence of negative emotions, which were closely tied to five forms of distance, with the purpose-driven moral distance lying at the core. In contrast, relational closeness with students and colleagues emerged not only as a key source of positive emotions but also as a critical buffer against negative ones. This study calls for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to better support the emotional well-being of supervisors, arguing that a more productive and sustainable supervision practice can be achieved by intentionally nurturing relational closeness and bridging relational distance.