Thomas Goetz

Academic emotions from a social-cognitive perspective: Antecedents and domain specificity of students' affect in the context of Latin instruction

This study concentrates on two assumptions of a social-cognitive model outlining the development of academic emotions (emotions directly linked to learning, classroom instruction, and achievement), namely on their antecedents and domain-specific organization. Our sample consisted of 200 students from Grades 7 to 10. Proposed relationships concerning the antecedents of academic emotions were tested in the context of Latin language instruction. Correlational analyses substantiated our assumptions concerning the relationships between academic emotions, students cognitions, and aspects of the social environment. The mediating mechanisms proposed in the model were also confirmed using linear structural equation modelling. Subjective control- and value-related cognitions were found to mediate the relationship between aspects of the social environment and students emotional experience. Our results further suggest that academic emotions are largely organized along domain-specific lines, with the degree of domain specificity varying according to the emotion in question. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Between- and Within-Domain Relations of Students' Academic Emotions.

The authors investigated between- and within-domain relations of academic emotions, including students enjoyment, pride, anxiety, anger, and boredom experienced in mathematics, physics, German, and English classes (N = 542; Grades 8 and 11). Corroborating assumptions of domain specificity, the between-domains relations of these emotions were weak and inconsistent. However, there was more domain specificity of academic emotions in Grade 11 students compared with Grade 8 students, suggesting that between-domains differentiation increased as a function of grade level. Concerning within-domain relations, emotional experiences of enjoyment and pride, anxiety, and anger and boredom were clearly differentiated. The strength of within-domain relations of academic emotions differed considerably across the 4 academic domains. However, for each of the 4 domains, within-domain relations were similar for the 2 grade levels. Methodological and educational implications as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Beyond test anxiety: Development and validation of the test emotions questionnaire (TEQ)

Measures of test emotions other than test anxiety are lacking. In a series of six studies, we developed a multi-scale questionnaire assessing test-related joy, hope, pride, relief, anger, anxiety, shame, and hopelessness (Test Emotions Questionnaire, TEQ). Consisting of subscales measuring affective, cognitive, physiological, and motivational emotion components, the scales can be used to identify both trait and state test emotions, and are available in German- and English-language versions. Using a rational-empirical strategy of test construction, we first developed theoretical models of the component structures, antecedents, and effects of different test emotions. We then conducted two exploratory, qualitative studies on the occurrence and structures of these emotions. Finally, based on theory and our exploratory data, we constructed, analyzed, and revised the scales of the TEQ in four quantitative studies. Findings of correlational and confirmatory factor analysis indicate that the scales are reliable, structurally valid in terms of representing different test emotions and components within emotions, and externally valid in terms of correlating significantly with personality, learning, academic achievement, and perceived health problems. Many of these correlations proved to be stronger for test emotions other than anxiety, implying that test anxiety is neither the only relevant test emotion, nor necessarily the most important one.

The Domain Specificity of Academic Emotional Experiences

The authors analyzed the domain specificity of emotions and focused on experiences of enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom in the domains of mathematics, Latin, German, and English. On the basis of assumptions in R. Pekruns (2000; in press) control-value theory and findings of pilot studies, the authors hypothesized the existence of a largely domain-specific organization of emotional experiences. The sample consisted of 721 students from grades 7 to 10. Confirmatory multitrait-multimethod factor analysis of the 2-faceted dataset (emotions and domains) corroborated assumptions of domain specificity. Furthermore, using multilevel analysis, the authors found that emotions were significantly more domain-specific than students grades, with enjoyment being the most domain-specific of the three emotions under investigation. The authors discuss implications for future research and practice.

Primary and secondary control in academic development: gender-specific implications for stress and health in college students

Abstract During the first year of college, students are faced with numerous educational and personal stressors which can negatively impact their psychological and physical health. The present study examined the benefits of primary and secondary control for self-rated health in students based on Rothbaum, Weisz, and Synders (1982) dual-process model of control, and examined stress and gender as potential mediating variables. College students’ (n=888) primary and secondary academic control and perceived stress were assessed in the first semester, and self-rated global health, illness symptoms, and illness-related behaviors were assessed at the end of the academic year. For males, primary control was indirectly related to better overall health and fewer symptoms through lower stress levels, and both primary and secondary control directly corresponded to lower illness behaviors. For females, only secondary control was related to better overall health and illness symptoms, albeit indirectly through reduced stress. The mediational roles of stress and gender in health research on primary/secondary control and potential control-enhancing interventions are discussed.

Achievement Emotions in Germany and China A Cross-Cultural Validation of the Academic Emotions Questionnaire—Mathematics

The aim of this study was to establish the construct comparability and cross-cultural utility of the German and Chinese versions of the Academic Emotions Questionnaire—Mathematics (AEQ-M). Based on data from 312 German and 579 Chinese eighth-grade students, mean and covariance structures analysis revealed that the AEQ-M shows a high degree of measurement invariance across cultures. In addition, the emotions assessed by the AEQ-M showed similar patterns of relationships with self-reports of achievement, parental achievement expectations, and attributions of success and failure across the German and Chinese samples. Confirming earlier findings, Chinese students were found to experience higher levels of anxiety in mathematics. They were also found to experience more enjoyment, pride, and shame, and less anger, than German students. This research supports the use of the AEQ-M in cross-cultural research and provides data about a broader range of achievement emotions than has been investigated previously.

Antecedents and Effects of Teachers' Emotional Experiences: An Integrated Perspective and Empirical Test

In this chapter we focus on teacher emotions resulting from appraisals of success or failure (i.e., teachers’ achievement emotions) with respect to achieving instructional goals. We present our theoretical assumptions and empirical findings regarding the antecedents and effects of achievement emotions more generally, and specify those for the context of teaching. Assuming that teachers’ emotions impact their instructional behaviour and are affected by their appraisals regarding succeeding or failing during instruction, we propose a model depicting the interplay between teachers’ emotions, their instructional behavior, and student outcomes. We present results from two quantitative studies testing assumptions brought forward by the model.

Is the grass always greener on the other side? Social comparisons of subjective well-being

This study investigates subjective well-being (SWB) among residents of Munich (nu2009=u2009380) and Venice (nu2009=u2009545) with respect to their individual SWB and their judgments of SWB for residents of their own city and those living in the other city. Our results indicate that egocentrism rather than striving for self-enhancement guided peoples judgments of SWB. For people with low individual SWB, a below-average effect was found, whereas for people with high individual SWB, a better-than-average effect emerged. Also in line with the egocentrism approach, judgments of individual SWB were positively related to the judgments of SWB for residents of their own city, but unrelated to SWB of those living in the other city. Implications for future research are discussed.