Abstract:
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 preselected 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.
