ERIC Number: ED524112
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jul
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1694-609X
EISSN: N/A
Association between Emotional Variables and School Achievement
Randler, Christoph
Online Submission, International Journal of Instruction v2 n2 p3-10 Jul 2009
Recent psychological studies highlight emotional aspects, and they show an important role within individual learning processes. Hereby, positive emotions were supposed to positively influence learning and achievement processes and negative ones do the contrary. In this study, an educational unit "ecosystem lake" was used during which achievement (three tests) and emotional variables (interest, well-being, anxiety and boredom; measured at the end of three pre-selected lessons) were monitored. The research question was to explore correlations between emotional variables and the learning outcome of the teaching unit. Prior knowledge was regressed against the subsequent tests to account for its confounding effect. Regressions showed a highly significant influence of prior knowledge on the subsequent measurements of achievement. However, after accounting for prior knowledge, a positive correlation between interest/well-being and achievement and a negative correlation between anxiety/boredom and achievement was found. Further research and interventions should try to enhance positive emotions in biology lessons to positively influence achievement. (Contains 2 tables.)
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 8; Grade 9
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A