Alberto Bellocchi

Methods for Sociological Inquiry on Emotion in Educational Settings

Sociological approaches to inquiry on emotion in educational settings are growing. Despite a long tradition of research and theory in disciplines such as psychology and sociology, the methods and approaches for naturalistic investigation of emotion are in a developmental phase in educational settings. In this article, recent empirical studies on emotion in educational contexts are canvassed. The discussion focuses on the use of multiple methods within research conducted in high school and university classrooms highlighting recent methodological progress. The methods discussed include facial expression analysis, verbal and nonverbal conduct, and self-report methods. Analyses drawn from different studies, informed by perspectives from microsociology, highlight the strengths and limitations of any one method. The power and limitations of multimethod approaches is discussed.

Interaction ritual approaches to emotion and cognition in science learning experiences

Learning science involves situated social practices that are inherently emotional. Despite this fact, research in science education has focused predominantly on learning as a cognitive process with scant attention directed at emotion in the past. There are now a growing number of studies of emotion and affect partly due to international concerns regarding student disaffection with school science. In this chapter, I discuss theoretical orientations to the sociology of emotion that have attracted increasing interest from science education researchers in recent years. In particular, interaction ritual theory has provided a way forward for understanding science learning as an emotional and situated social practice. Fruitful perspectives about emotional engagement have been developed from its application in empirical studies of school science and preservice teacher education classes. I begin with an overview of interaction ritual theory and by outlining the outcomes of selected empirical studies to illustrate the basic tenets of the theory. In the second part of the chapter, I consider what else we can learn about the interrelationships between emotion and cognition by taking up some of the roots of interaction ritual theory in Emile Durkheim’s social epistemology of knowledge. From this foundation, I propose in the third part of the chapter a microsociology of learning as a fruitful direction for research on learning experiences.

Emotional Climate of a Pre-Service Science Teacher Education Class in Bhutan.

This study explored pre-service secondary science teachers’ perceptions of classroom emotional climate in the context of the Bhutanese macro-social policy of Gross National Happiness. Drawing upon sociological perspectives of human emotions and using Interaction Ritual Theory this study investigated how pre-service science teachers may be supported in their professional development. It was a multi-method study involving video and audio recordings of teaching episodes supported by interviews and the researcher’s diary. Students also registered their perceptions of the emotional climate of their classroom at 3-minute intervals using audience response technology. In this way, emotional events were identified for video analysis. The findings of this study highlighted that the activities pre-service teachers engaged in matter to them. Positive emotional climate was identified in activities involving students’ presentations using video clips and models, coteaching, and interactive whole class discussions. Decreases in emotional climate were identified during formal lectures and when unprepared presenters led presentations. Emotions such as frustration and disappointment characterized classes with negative emotional climate. The enabling conditions to sustain a positive emotional climate are identified. Implications for sustaining macro-social policy about Gross National Happiness are considered in light of the climate that develops in science teacher education classes.

Context-based assessment: creating opportunities for resonance between classroom fields and societal fields

ABSTRACT There is on-going international interest in the relationships between assessment instruments, students’ understanding of science concepts and context-based curriculum approaches. This study extends earlier research showing that students can develop connections between contexts and concepts – called fluid transitions – when studying context-based courses. We provide an in-depth investigation of one student’s experiences with multiple contextual assessment instruments that were associated with a context-based course. We analyzed the student’s responses to context-based assessment instruments to determine the extent to which contextual tests, reports of field investigations, and extended experimental investigations afforded her opportunities to make connections between contexts and concepts. A system of categorizing student responses was developed that can inform other educators when analyzing student responses to contextual assessment. We also refine the theoretical construct of fluid transitions that informed the study initially. Implications for curriculum and assessment design are provided in light of the findings.

Emotions, Aesthetics and Wellbeing in Science Education: Theoretical Foundations

This internationally edited collection on emotions, aesthetics, and wellbeing emerged following an exploratory research workshop held in Luxembourg associated with the journal Cultural Studies of Science Education (CSSE). The workshop was entitled ‘Innovation and collaboration in cultural studies of science education: Towards an international research agenda.’ Authors were invited to articulate the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of their research, offering empirical elaborations to illustrate applications of these conceptual and methodological foundations. An outcome of this international collaboration is the rich and diverse range of perspectives represented in this collection. This book will serve as a useful reference for those seeking to study emotions, aesthetics and wellbeing, and others who wish to develop deeper engagement with theoretical and philosophical traditions informing such research. Possibilities for future research are elaborated within the collection generating scope for further collaborative and international studies informed by perspectives represented in the collection. In the present chapter, we outline the origin of this edited collection against the background of existing research interest in the field of science education. We then provide an overview of each chapter in the collection.

Exploring Emotions, Aesthetics and Wellbeing in Science Education Research

This book addresses new research directions focusing on the emotional and aesthetic nature of teaching and learning science informing more general insights about wellbeing. It considers methodological traditions including those informed by philosophy, sociology, psychology and education and how they contribute to our understanding of science education. In this collection, the authors provide accounts of the underlying ontological, epistemological, methodological perspectives and theoretical assumptions that inform their work and that of others. Each chapter provides a perspective on the study of emotion, aesthetics or wellbeing, using empirical examples or a discussion of existing literature to unpack the theoretical and philosophical traditions inherent in those works. This volume offers a diverse range of approaches for anyone interested in researching emotions, aesthetics, or wellbeing. It is ideal for research students who are confronted with a cosmos of research perspectives, but also for established researchers in various disciplines with an interest in researching emotions, affect, aesthetics, or wellbeing.