Idiosyncratic Constructed Emotions During Science Documentary Viewing

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Saturday 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Orienting to Affect, Culture, and Language in Science Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Some theories of how emotions affect science learning assert that positive emotions lead to greater learning, but others assert the opposite. Still others propose complex interactions between emotional valence, topic, and task. In contrast, the theory of constructed emotions suggests that emotions are not defined by valence. While watching a science documentary, participants rated the valence of their emotions on a scale and using text. Average valence did not correlate with posttest scores. Furthermore, neither the participants with the highest nor the lowest scores gave descriptions that followed a regular pattern. These results suggest that the relationship between students’ emotions and their science learning is idiosyncratic and does not follow lawful rules based on valence.

Author

• Brian W. Miller, Towson University