Exploring the antecedents of students’ academic emotions

Abstract

The focus of this symposium is on the antecedents of students’ academic emotions. Knowledge on these antecedents is critically important for understanding the origins and development of students’ emotions, as well as for designing “emotionally sound” educational environments. The symposium aims to provide a differentiated account of ongoing research on this highly important topic by bringing together research conducted in the U.S., Canada, Switzerland, and Germany, incorporating varied theoretical perspectives (e.g., control-value theory, Pekrun, 2006; self-determination theory, Deci & Ryan, 1985), and presenting different methodological approaches (interviews, experience sampling, questionnaires; online as well as experimental studies). Common findings and discrepancies between these lines of research will be discussed as will efforts to better integrate divergent perspectives.