The interactive effects of control-value appraisals and academic emotions on achievement

The study tested the assumptions of the control-value theory of achievement emotions (Pekrun, 2006). The interactive effects of control-value appraisals and academic emotions on achievement were examined in 1345 engineering students. The Academic Emotions Questionnaire-Math (Pekrun, Goetz, & Frenzel, 2005) was used to assess how positive (enjoyment and pride) and negative academic emotions (anger, anxiety, boredom, shame, and hopelessness) moderated the relationships between control-value appraisals and trigonometry achievement. The Control-Value Scales (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia, & McKeachie, 1991) was used to assess control appraisal (self-regulation, self-efficacy, and control beliefs) and value appraisal (task value, intrinsic goal, and extrinsic goal) in predicting achievement (final grade and test scores). Results showed that positive emotions and control-value appraisals positively predicted achievement, but negative emotions and extrinsic goal negatively predicted achievement. Positive emotions exerted enhancing moderated effects but negative emotions exerted buffering moderated effects. Results suggest that the relationship between control-value appraisal and achievement is strengthened for students with high levels of positive emotions as opposed to those with lower levels of positive emotions, but weakened for students with higher levels of negative emotions as compared to those with lower levels of negative emotions. Thus, the influence of control-value appraisals on achievement is facilitated or inhibited depending on the level of academic emotions

Critical thinking, negative academic emotions, and achievement: A mediational analysis

The study tested the control-value theory\u27s (Pekrun, 2006; Pekrun, Goetz, Titz, & Perry, 2002) assumptions regarding the cognitive-motivational effects of emotions on achievement. Specifically, the link between critical thinking and achievement was examined among 220 engineering students. The Academic Emotions Questionnaire (Pekrun, Goetz, & Frenzel, 2005) was used to assess how specific negative academic emotions mediated the effect of critical thinking on achievement. Results showed that critical thinking was positively associated with achievement, but negative emotions (anger, anxiety, shame, boredom, and hopelessness) were negatively correlated with achievement. Anxiety and hopelessness were found to completely mediate the relationship between critical thinking and academic achievement. The results suggested that when students engage in critical thinking, their cognitive resources are used appropriately for the task to be completed, making them less anxious and less hopeless, thereby increasing their achievement. © 2011 De La Salle University, Philippines

Beyond math anxiety: Positive emotions predict mathematics achievement, self-regulation, and self-efficacy

Research on the affective dimensions of mathematics learning and achievement has tended to focus on negative emotions and on mathematics anxiety in particular, with much less work on positive emotions. Drawing from a positive education perspective, we aim to contribute to the growing literature on positive emotions and learning. We hypothesize that positive emotions are associated with learning and achievement in mathematics, even when mathematics anxiety is considered. Filipino students enrolled in a college trigonometry course completed the Academic Emotions Questionnaire-Mathematics and scales assessing their self-efficacy and self-regulation in trigonometry. Students’ final grades for the course were recorded with their informed consent. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that enjoyment and pride explained a significant amount of variance in the final grades, self-regulation, and self-efficacy, even after accounting for the variance explained by gender and anxiety. Although the results cannot be interpreted as indicating a causal relationship between positive emotions and achievement, the results indicate how positive emotions in mathematics learning can contribute to a more balanced picture of the role of affective states in mathematics learning. © 2015, De La Salle University

Positive academic emotions moderate the relationship between self-regulation and academic achievement

Background.Research has shown how academic emotions are related to achievement and to cognitive/motivational variables that promote achievement. Mediated models have been proposed to account for the relationships among academic emotions, cognitive/motivational variables, and achievement, and research has supported such mediated models, particularly with negative emotions. Aims.The study tested the hypotheses: (1) self-regulation and the positive academic emotions of enjoyment and pride are positive predictors of achievement; and (2) enjoyment and pride both moderate the relationship between self-regulation and achievement. Sample.Participants were 1,345 students enrolled in various trigonometry classes in one university. Methods.Participants answered the Academic Emotions Questionnaire-Math (Pekrun, Goetz, & Frenzel, 2005) and a self-regulation scale (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia, & McKeachie, 1991) halfway through their trigonometry class. The students\u27 final grades in the course were regressed to self-regulation, positive emotions, and the interaction terms to test the moderation effects. Results and Conclusions.Enjoyment and pride were both positive predictors of grades; more importantly, both moderated the relationship between self-regulation and grades. For students who report higher levels of both positive emotions, self-regulation was positively associated with grades. However, for those who report lower levels of pride, self-regulation was not related to grades; and, for those who reported lower levels of enjoyment, self-regulation was negatively related to grades. The results are discussed in terms of how positive emotions indicate positive appraisals of task/outcome value, and thus enhance the positive links between cognitive/motivational variables and learning. ©2012 The British Psychological Society