How Do Emotions Experienced During Problem Solving Relate to Students' Perceived and Actual Performance?

• In Event: Examinations of Emotions in Technology-Based Learning Environments

Abstract

This research investigates the relationship between concurrent achievement emotions and participants’ perceived and actual performance on a diagnostic reasoning task in a technology rich learning environment, BioWorld. We found that participants could be organized into three groups using a cluster analysis based on the emotions they reported: a positive, negative, and low emotion cluster. Participants assigned to the positive emotion cluster had the highest perceived performance; however, they had lower levels of actual performance when compared to learners assigned to the low emotion cluster, and had actual performance levels comparable to learners in the negative emotion cluster. These results provided preliminary evidence for fostering low emotionality while learners engage in performance oriented achievement tasks.

Authors

• Amanda Jarrell, McGill University

• Jason Matthew Harley, University of Alberta

• Susanne P. Lajoie, McGill University