The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire: Validation for Pre-Adolescent Students

Multimodal measurements enhance insights into emotional responses to immediate feedback

Adaptive learning technologies often provide students with immediate feedback on task performance. This feedback can elicit various emotional responses, which, in turn, influence learning. Most recent studies capture these emotions by single data streams, contradicting the multi-componential nature of emotion. Therefore, this study investigated 32 university students solving mathematical problems using an adaptive learning technology. Students received immediate feedback on every step in the solution process, after which their physiological, experiential and behavioral responses to this feedback were recorded. Physiological arousal was measured by electrodermal activity, valence was measured by self-reports (experiential), and emotion types were measured by observations of facial expressions (behavioral). Results showed more peaks in electrodermal activity after feedback than was expected based on chance. These responses were comparable in strength after feedback on failure and success. Students' experiential responses conveyed mostly positive valence after feedback on success and mostly negative valence after feedback on failure. Behavioral observations showed more negative than positive emotion types after feedback on failure and more positive than negative emotion types after feedback on success. These results show that physiological arousal is a valuable objective indicator of emotional responses after immediate feedback but should be accompanied by other data streams in order to understand students' emotional responses. Both valence and emotion types can be used for this purpose. These outcomes pave the way for designing adaptive learning technologies that take students' emotions into account.

Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the achievement emotions questionnaire for physical education in university students

BACKGROUND

Achievement emotions have a significant impact on both the learning process and outcomes. However, there is currently no brief and effective questionnaire available to evaluate Chinese university students' achievement emotions in physical education courses. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Achievement Emotions for Physical Education Questionnaire (AEQ-PE) in a sample of Chinese university students, while also investigating its measurement invariance across gender and grade levels.

METHODS

A cluster randomization sampling method was used to select 694 first- and second-year university students in Shanghai, China for the survey. Descriptive statistics, item analysis, reliability testing, and measurement invariance testing were conducted on the full sample (n = 694). Subsequently, the full sample was randomly divided into two groups, with Sample 1 (n = 347) undergoing exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and Sample 2 (n = 347) undergoing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the structural validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the Chinese version of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire for Physical Education (AEQ-PE-C). Finally, Sample 3 (n = 45), which was retested one month later, was used to evaluate test-retest reliability.

RESULTS

The Chinese version of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire for Physical Education consists of 6 dimensions and 24 items, with good item discrimination. The EFA supported a 6-factor structure model, while the CFA demonstrated good model fit indices (χ2/df = 3.086, CFI = 0.928, TLI = 0.916, RMSEA = 0.078) and good convergent and discriminant validity. The questionnaire exhibits high internal consistency reliability (0.794) and excellent test-retest reliability (0.792). Furthermore, the multi-group analysis confirms that the AEQ-PE-C questionnaire has measurement invariance across gender and grade levels.

CONCLUSION

The Chinese version of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire for Physical Education has good reliability and validity, as well as measurement invariance across gender and grade levels, making it an effective tool for measuring achievement emotions in physical education among Chinese university students.

Investigating the effect of multimodality and sentiments on speaking assessments: a facial emotional analysis

This quasi-experimental study aimed to determine the relationship between (i) oral language ability and emotions represented by facial emotions, and (ii) modality of assessment (audios versus videos) and sentiments embedded in each modality. Sixty university students watched and/or listened to four selected audio-visual stimuli and orally answered follow-up comprehension questions. One stimulus was designed to evoke happiness while the other, sadness. Participants' facial emotions during the answering were measured using the FaceReader technology. In addition, four trained raters assessed the responses of the participants. An analysis of the FaceReader data showed that there were significant main and interaction effects of sentiment and modality on participants' facial emotional expression. Notably, there was a significant difference in the amount of facial emotions evoked by (i) the happy vs. sad sentiment videos and (ii) video vs. audio modalities. In contrast, sentiments embedded in the stimuli and modalities had no significant effect on the measured speaking performance of the participants. Nevertheless, we found a number of significant correlations between the participants' test scores and some of their facial emotions evoked by the stimuli. Implications of these findings for the assessment of oral communication are discussed.

Validation of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire for Experimental Science Education (AEQ-S)

The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ), based on the control-value theory of achievement emotions, has been used in many fields of knowledge and has been translated into many languages. The main objective of this study was to adapt and validate it for the experimental sciences. A sample of 491 participants aged between 11 and 17 years (M = 13.73, SD = 1.19) from secondary schools in different localities in the provinces of Huelva and Lanzarote, Spain was used. The results obtained from the various statistical analyses showed that the questionnaire was valid and reliable. The main contribution of the work presented is to broaden the field of application of a test on emotions, AEQ-S, to experimental sciences. The AEQ-ES will allow us to learn the emotional profiles of students, thus providing information to teachers, and will be very useful for future research aimed at the study of emotions in experimental sciences.

Academic enjoyment, behavioral engagement, self-concept, organizational strategy and achievement in EFL setting: A multiple mediation analysis

Motivated by the positive psychology movement in the English as Foreign Language (EFL), existing studies have demonstrated that subject-related enjoyment has a positive correlation with academic achievement. However, quite a few studieshave examined why academic enjoyment can predict positive academic achievement. This study aimed to investigate whether behavioral engagement, self-concept, and organizational strategy mediated relations between academic enjoyment and achievement in EFL setting. 528 Chinese secondary school students (Male: N = 280; Female: N = 248) participated in the survey and completed the questionnaires on EFL-related enjoyment, behavioral engagement, self-concept, organizational strategy, and academic performance. Structural equation model (SEM) analyses showed that students’ academic enjoyment positively predicted their English achievement. Academic engagement, self-concept, and organizational strategy had parallel multiple mediating effects between academic enjoyment and English achievement. Multi-group SEM analysis demonstrated that the model had invariance across genders, indicating that the model is applicable to both male and female students. Limitations and implications are discussed.

Detecting Emotions through Electrodermal Activity in Learning Contexts: A Systematic Review

There is a strong increase in the use of devices that measure physiological arousal through electrodermal activity (EDA). Although there is a long tradition of studying emotions during learning, researchers have only recently started to use EDA to measure emotions in the context of education and learning. This systematic review aimed to provide insight into how EDA is currently used in these settings. The review aimed to investigate the methodological aspects of EDA measures in educational research and synthesize existing empirical evidence on the relation of physiological arousal, as measured by EDA, with learning outcomes and learning processes. The methodological results pointed to considerable variation in the usage of EDA in educational research and indicated that few implicit standards exist. Results regarding learning revealed inconsistent associations between physiological arousal and learning outcomes, which seem mainly due to underlying methodological differences. Furthermore, EDA frequently fluctuated during different stages of the learning process. Compared to this unimodal approach, multimodal designs provide the potential to better understand these fluctuations at critical moments. Overall, this review signals a clear need for explicit guidelines and standards for EDA processing in educational research in order to build a more profound understanding of the role of physiological arousal during learning.

Adolescent emotion scale for online lessons: A study from Turkey

People's day-to-day routines have changed drastically since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the changes to take place has been the transition to online learning due to the changing conditions in learning environments. One of the factors that guide students through learning environments is their emotions. The few existing scales that measure the emotions of adolescents in learning environments have been developed with consideration of face-to-face learning environments and their items do not adequately express the state of online environments. For this reason, this study aimed to develop a scale which reveals the emotions of adolescents that may affect their academic success with regard to this transition of learning environments as they attend online lessons. A total of 3,655 middle and high school students living in Istanbul, Turkey, participated in the study. The scoring system was designed with regard to the frequency with which each student reading an item experiences the relevant emotion for the item in the online learning environment. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted show the scale to possess a four-dimensional structure. These dimensions are enjoyment-pride, boredom-hopelessness, loneliness and anxiety. For all dimensions of the scale, Cronbach alpha values range between .93 and .83. 'Positive and Negative Affects Schedule-Children' was used to confirm the scale's criterion-related validity, and correlations between dimensions were examined. After validity and reliability studies, the Adolescent Emotion Scale for Online Lessons was found to be sufficient. The scale can be used by experts and teachers who wish to determine adolescents' emotions during a period of online learning.

The development of students’ achievement emotions after transition to secondary school: a multilevel growth curve modelling approach

This empirical study focuses on students’ development of positive and negative achievement emotions during the first year and the beginning of the second year of secondary school. Using multilevel growth curve modelling, the development of the achievement emotions enjoyment, pride, anxiety, hopelessness and boredom during class in general was investigated. Data from 584 students (taken at three different time points during the first year and the beginning of the second year of secondary school in Germany) was analysed by controlling for gender and the type of school. The results confirm the main assumption: positive achievement emotions decline, whereas negative achievement emotions increase after transition to secondary school. The assumption regarding the effects of type of school was also confirmed: students entering a higher track school (German Gymnasium) experience more positive achievement emotions than students in middle track schools (German Realschule) do. However, the decline in these achievement emotions in higher track schools is comparatively worse than for students in middle track schools. The results are discussed with regard to students’ further studies, as well as the wider educational implications.

Validation of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire for Physical Education (AEQ-PE)

The fundamental role of emotions in education has been revealed in recent years. The control-value theory of achievement emotions has been postulated as one of the most used theories in this field. Thanks to the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ), achievement emotions have been measured in different subjects and countries. The purpose of this research was to adapt and validate this questionnaire to assess achievement emotions in physical education. The sample of participants consisted of 902 (Mage = 13.15, SD = 1.17) secondary education students from various secondary schools in Spain. The psychometric properties of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire for Physical Education (AEQ-PE) indicate that the scales are reliable and valid, as demonstrated by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, temporal stability, internal consistency and regression analysis. Considering the results achieved in the present study, the AEQ-PE opens a range of possibilities for both teachers and researchers. This instrument will help to understand the role of emotions in student learning and their motivation towards physical education.

The role of academic buoyancy and emotions in students' learning-related expectations and behaviours in primary school

BACKGROUND

Academic buoyancy refers to students' ability to come through ordinary challenges they face in the academic context, and it can positively contribute to students' beliefs and behaviours in learning situations. Although buoyancy has been found to be related to positive academic outcomes, previous studies have not examined how buoyancy influences academic emotions in learning situations and how these emotions further affect students' learning-related expectations and behaviours.

AIMS

This study investigated to what extent academic buoyancy predicts students' failure expectations, avoidance behaviour, and task-oriented planning in learning situations, and to what extent academic emotions mediate the effect of academic buoyancy on these expectations and behaviours.

SAMPLE

A total of 845 Finnish students in the sixth grade of primary school.

METHODS

Self-report data for academic buoyancy and academic emotions in the autumn semester and learning-related expectations and behaviours in the spring semester were analysed using structural equation modelling, controlling for gender, grade point average, and previous levels of learning-related expectations and behaviours.

RESULTS

The findings showed that high academic buoyancy indirectly predicted lower avoidance behaviour, fewer failure expectations, and higher task-oriented planning via academic emotions. High academic buoyancy was related to high enjoyment and hope as well as low boredom and hopelessness, which further predicted low failure expectations. High hope and low boredom also predicted low avoidance behaviour, and high hope was associated with high task-oriented planning.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that academic buoyancy supports positive expectations and adaptive behaviours in learning situations through the regulation of emotions.

Towards Conceptualizing Language Learning Curiosity in SLA: An Empirical Study

Why do some students frequently ask questions and actively seek out answers in the classroom, while others avoid this? Many language teachers might have commonly asked themselves this question. The present study is an empirical investigation of the concept of curiosity in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). Using a mixed-methods design, we aim to conceptualize language learning curiosity (LLC) within the framework of interest/deprivation (I/D) model of curiosity (Litman and Jimerson in J Personal Assess 82(2): 147-157, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa8202_3 ) and see how it may be recognizably distinct from L2 psychological constructs, as well as how it connects with related constructs such as willingness to communicate, enjoyment, and anxiety. To measure LLC and depict its underlying dimensions, a new curiosity scale was developed and validated in this study. Overall, our results suggest that LLC can be conceived as an affective-cognitive variable reflecting an inquiry-driven interest and desire to learn and use a foreign language.