Recognizing Joy in Play: The Impact of Dual Affect in Learning Science

• In Event: 51.027 - Pedagogies of Joy :) Joy as Resistance at the Intersection of STEM Learning Pathways

Abstract

Objective
This poster will present findings on how joy—joy from learning through play and the joy of learning how to improve the world we live in—provided students with opportunities to engage deeply in, and learn, scientific phenomena. The study, as part of the Science through Technology Enhanced Play project, asks: How does the experience of dual affect in play (i.e., where students have positive emotions, such as joy, while playing negative events) impact students’ engagement while learning science?

Theoretical Framework
Drawing from Vygotsky (1978), pretend play includes roles, rules, and imaginary situations. Through imagination, children in play take on a role and act according to the rules of behavior. During play, children experience dual affect when the emotional state of the imaginary situation co-exists and differs from the emotional state of the actor (Bundy, Piazzoli & Dunn, 2015; Vygotsky, 1966/2016). In this case study, we investigate the precipitating events and consequences of joy during learning through play. In particular, we argue that the dramatic displays of despair seen in dual affect, were in fact joyful experiences that led students to learn and care about the scientific phenomena they were studying.

Data Source
Students in this study were from two classrooms of 1st & 2nd graders (6-8yrs) and played as bees or flowers in a mixed reality play environment (Danish, Enyedy, Saleh, Lee, & Andrade, 2015). Following interaction analysis (Jordan & Henderson, 1995), transcripts of students’ talk were created from video data to chart development of ideas. This case study followed one classroom (n=25) as students learned about pollination through play (Figure 1).

Findings
For pollination to occur in this simulation, students needed to visit same-type flowers more than once (i.e. pollen from red flowers needs to be transported to other red flowers). In the situation described, there was only one blue flower (Figure 1). Ren, who played as the blue flower, never grow. Ren’s personification of the blue flower and his dramatic, but joyful, display of sadness while he died led students to discuss and wonder how to help both bees and flowers to flourish in our world (Figure 2).
Ren’s dramatic death led students to discuss how to help flowers and bees survive. Towards the end of the discussion, Ren suggested that the class create a bee paradise (Line 11). To create this paradise, students created art pieces and signs that advocated and urged the school community to help save the pollinators in our ecosystem (Figure 3).

Discussion
Findings illustrated the significance and potential of joy for not only driving inquiry, but empowering students to lead a course of action as a result of emotionally connecting with the death of Ren as the blue flower. The shared experience of joyfully connecting with the dying flower promoted a pathway for students to lead a school-wide effort in learning about the importance of pollinators. Findings also shed light on how we can redefine joy by recognizing a variety of emotional experiences, like dual affect, as shaping students’ learning.

Authors

• Christine Lee, University of California - Los Angeles

• Noel D. Enyedy, Vanderbilt University