Examining Enjoyment in the Classroom: Validating the Use of Facial Expression Analysis

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 9
  In Poster Session: Motivation in Education SIG Poster Session: The Role of Parents, Peers, and Teachers

Abstract

Research on teachers’ and students’ emotions is dominated by studies using self-report only. To overcome this limitation, we developed a methodology using multiple synchronized video cameras and automated facial expression analysis to examine enjoyment in real-life classrooms. In this study, we tested the feasibility of our methodology, analyzed the validity of automated coding software by examining correlations with manual codes and self-report, and explored prevalences and dynamics of facially expressed enjoyment. Our results clearly support the feasibility of our approach and the validity of automated coding software, when judged against manual coding. However, teachers’ and students’ facial expressions were uncorrelated with their retrospective self-report. Prevalences and dynamics of facially expressed enjoyment proved to be highly varied across individuals and groups.

Authors

• Anton Karl Georg Marx, University of Munich

• Anne C. Frenzel, University of Munich (LMU)

• Reinhard Pekrun, University of Essex

• Katarina Kosovac, University of Munich

• Mitho Mueller, University of Munich

• Corinna Reck, University of Munich