E-MOTE: A Conceptual Framework for Emotion-Aware Teacher Training Integrating FACS, AI and VR

Vision (Basel). 2026 Jan 19;10(1):5. doi: 10.3390/vision10010005.

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes E-MOTE (Emotion-aware Teacher Education Framework), an ethically grounded conceptual model aimed at enhancing teacher education through the integrated use of the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Virtual Reality (VR). As a conceptual and design-oriented proposal, E-MOTE is presented as a structured blueprint for future development and empirical validation, not as an implemented or evaluated system. Grounded in neuroscientific and educational research, E-MOTE seeks to strengthen teachers' emotional awareness, teacher noticing, and social-emotional learning competencies. Rather than reporting empirical findings, this article offers a theoretically structured framework and an operational blueprint for the design of emotion-aware teacher training environments, establishing a structured foundation for future empirical validation. E-MOTE articulates three core contributions: (1) it clarifies the multi-layered construct of emotion-aware teaching by distinguishing between emotion detection, perception, awareness, and regulation; (2) it proposes an integrated AI-FACS-VR architecture for real-time and post hoc feedback on teachers' perceptual performance; and (3) it outlines a staged experimental blueprint for future empirical validation under ethically governed conditions. As a design-oriented proposal, E-MOTE provides a structured foundation for cultivating emotionally responsive pedagogy and inclusive classroom management, supporting the development of perceptual micro-skills in teacher practice. Its distinctive contribution lies in proposing a shift from predominantly macro-behavioral simulation toward the deliberate cultivation of perceptual micro-skills through FACS-informed analytics integrated with AI-driven simulations.

PMID:41718248 | PMC:PMC12921945 | DOI:10.3390/vision10010005