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Understanding the Role of Negative Emotions in Adult Learning and Achievement: A Social Functional Perspective

The role of emotions in adult learning and achievement has received increasing attention in recent years. However, much of the emphasis has been on test anxiety, rather than the wider spectrum of negative emotions such as sadness, grief, boredom and anger. This paper reports findings of a qualitativ...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Rowe, Anna D., Fitness, Julie
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2018
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836010/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29461487
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/bs8020027
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author Rowe, Anna D.
Fitness, Julie
author_facet Rowe, Anna D.
Fitness, Julie
author_sort Rowe, Anna D.
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description The role of emotions in adult learning and achievement has received increasing attention in recent years. However, much of the emphasis has been on test anxiety, rather than the wider spectrum of negative emotions such as sadness, grief, boredom and anger. This paper reports findings of a qualitative study exploring the experience and functionality of negative emotions at university. Thirty-six academic staff and students from an Australian university were interviewed about emotional responses to a range of learning events. Data analysis was informed by a prototype approach to emotion research. Four categories of discrete negative emotions (anger, sadness, fear, boredom) were considered by teachers and students to be especially salient in learning, with self-conscious emotions (guilt, embarrassment, shame) mentioned by more students than staff. While negative emotions were frequently viewed as detrimental to motivation, performance and learning, they were also construed under some circumstances as beneficial. The findings are discussed in relation to the value of social functional approaches for a better understanding of the diverse roles of negative emotions in learning and achievement.
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spelling pubmed-58360102018-03-07 Understanding the Role of Negative Emotions in Adult Learning and Achievement: A Social Functional Perspective Rowe, Anna D. Fitness, Julie Behav Sci (Basel) Article The role of emotions in adult learning and achievement has received increasing attention in recent years. However, much of the emphasis has been on test anxiety, rather than the wider spectrum of negative emotions such as sadness, grief, boredom and anger. This paper reports findings of a qualitative study exploring the experience and functionality of negative emotions at university. Thirty-six academic staff and students from an Australian university were interviewed about emotional responses to a range of learning events. Data analysis was informed by a prototype approach to emotion research. Four categories of discrete negative emotions (anger, sadness, fear, boredom) were considered by teachers and students to be especially salient in learning, with self-conscious emotions (guilt, embarrassment, shame) mentioned by more students than staff. While negative emotions were frequently viewed as detrimental to motivation, performance and learning, they were also construed under some circumstances as beneficial. The findings are discussed in relation to the value of social functional approaches for a better understanding of the diverse roles of negative emotions in learning and achievement. MDPI 2018-02-20 /pmc/articles/PMC5836010/ /pubmed/29461487 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/bs8020027 Text en © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Rowe, Anna D.
Fitness, Julie
Understanding the Role of Negative Emotions in Adult Learning and Achievement: A Social Functional Perspective
title Understanding the Role of Negative Emotions in Adult Learning and Achievement: A Social Functional Perspective
title_full Understanding the Role of Negative Emotions in Adult Learning and Achievement: A Social Functional Perspective
title_fullStr Understanding the Role of Negative Emotions in Adult Learning and Achievement: A Social Functional Perspective
title_full_unstemmed Understanding the Role of Negative Emotions in Adult Learning and Achievement: A Social Functional Perspective
title_short Understanding the Role of Negative Emotions in Adult Learning and Achievement: A Social Functional Perspective
title_sort understanding the role of negative emotions in adult learning and achievement: a social functional perspective
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836010/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29461487
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/bs8020027
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