Patterns of Academic Emotions and Their Associations With Expectancies and Values in Science and Other Academic Domains

• In Event: 45.074 - Patterns and Associations Between Intra-Individual and Interindividual Experiences of Academic Emotions and Motivation

Abstract

1. Objectives and Theoretical Framework
Students experience a wide variety of positive and negative emotions while studying, and some emotions co-occur in different learning situations. However, the co-occurrence of academic emotions has seldom been studied. Moreover, academic emotions are often associated with students’ situational task values, expectancies, and perceptions of ability. These associations become especially important in science domains where students’ interest has been continuously declining (Zeyer, et al., 2013). Consequently, drawing from the control-value theory of achievement emotions (CVT; Pekrun, Goezt, Titz, & Perry, 2002) and the expectancy-value theory of motivation (EVT; Eccles & Wigfield, 2002) the present study examined patterns of students’ situational academic emotions during science and other academic classes and their associations with situational task values, expectancies, and perceptions of ability among Finnish high school students.

2. Methods
The data was gathered with Experience Sampling Method (ESM) via smartphones. The data was gathered during five days when the students had science classes. Students were signaled during the day, and on average, it took about 90 seconds to complete the ESM items. Students (N = 186; 2992 beeps; 63% female) from three secondary schools at the Helsinki area participated the study.
To measure situational academic emotions students rated their experiences of happiness, pride, feeling excited, active, enjoyment, anxiety, stress, boredom, and confusion with a 4-point scale (1=not at all; 4=very much). Similarly, situational task values, expectancies, and perceptions of ability were measured with questions concerning students’ interest, perceptions of current and future importance, and experience of confidence and skills while being engaged in the current task.

3. Results
The results were analyzed with multilevel latent profile analysis using Mplus. The results showed that two distinct patterns of situational (e.g., intraindividual) academic emotions could be identified: high positive emotions pattern (60% and 57% of the situations in science/other academic classes ) and negative/mixed emotions (40% and 43% of the situations in science/other academic classes) pattern. In addition, small domain-specific differences could be found in the patterns. Moreover, two similar student-level (interindividual) emotion profiles were identified: 53% and 56% of the students typically experienced high positive emotions in science/other academic classes, and rarely experienced negative/mixed emotions in science, whereas 47% and 44% of the students typically experienced negative/mixed emotions. The results further showed that situational task values, expectancies, and perceptions of ability predicted the probability of high positive emotions rather than negative/mixed emotions in science. In addition, female students more often experienced negative/mixed emotions in science. Similar results were found for other academic domains.

4. Scientific Significance of the Study
The present results support both the CVT and EVT theories showing that high expectations and motivation are associated with experiences of positive emotions both at the situational and individual student levels. Moreover, by promoting students’ situational task values, expectancies, and ability perceptions teachers could support students’ positive learning experiences and engagement during science classes.

Authors

• Katja Upadyaya, University of Helsinki

• Katariina Salmela-Aro, Cicero Learning, University of Helsinki