Abstract
With the aim to deepen our understanding of the between-domain relations of academic emotions, a series of three studies was conducted. We theorized that between-domain relations of trait (i.e., habitual) emotions reflected students' judgments of domain similarities, whereas between-domain relations of state (i.e., momentary) emotions did not. This supposition was based on the accessibility model of emotional self-report, according to which individuals' beliefs tend to strongly impact trait, but not state emotions. The aim of Study 1 (interviews; N = 40; 8th and 11th graders) was to gather salient characteristics of academic domains from students' perspective. In Study 2 (N = 1709; 8th and 11th graders) the 13 characteristics identified in Study 1 were assessed along with academic emotions in four different domains (mathematics, physics, German, and English) using a questionnaire-based trait assessment. With respect to the same domains, state emotions were assessed in Study 3 (N = 121; 8th and 11th graders) by employing an experience sampling approach. In line with our initial assumptions, between-domain relations of trait but not state academic emotions reflected between-domain relations of domain characteristics. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Highlights
Empirical educational research has largely neglected the role of students’ emotional experiences, with the exception of extensive research on test anxiety (Sarason and Mandler, 1952; Zeidner, 1998, 2007) and on emotions in achievement settings based on attribution theory
The present analysis does not allow for a causal interpretation of the results, the strength of between-domain relations of domain characteristics may be interpreted as an antecedent of the strength of relations of reports of habitual academic emotions experienced across those domains
If students think that certain academic subjects are similar or dissimilar in nature with respect to characteristics of these domains, they might judge their academic emotional experiences related to those domains as being similar or dissimilar
Summary
Empirical educational research has largely neglected the role of students’ emotional experiences, with the exception of extensive research on test anxiety (Sarason and Mandler, 1952; Zeidner, 1998, 2007) and on emotions in achievement settings based on attribution theory (see Weiner, 1985, 2001). An important area of research related to the latter topic is the investigation of betweendomain relations of academic emotions (e.g., Goetz et al, 2007), with studies examining the degree to which students’ emotional experiences in one academic domain (e.g., mathematics) are related to their experiences in another domain (e.g., English). This topic is important, as understanding the nature of betweendomain relations of academic emotions can guide assessment (i.e., domain-specific vs domain-general measurement) and can inform teachers of whether or not making generalizations about students’ emotions from one domain to another are warranted
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