Conceptualizing Emotions in Social Studies Education

Abstract

This review of research investigates how the field of social studies education conceptualizes emotions within its literature. Analysis indicates a lack of theoretical and empirical engagement with emotions, even when the presence of emotions is explicitly acknowledged. Drawing on Michalinos Zembylas’s framework for researching emotions in education, the authors reveal multiple conceptions of emotions undergird research and practice, yet these are largely unexamined in the literature. The complicated nature of emotions requires careful attention, and attempting to understand the roles they play in teaching and learning provides significant opportunities for growth in social studies research and practice.

Keywords:

• affect
• emotions
• research
• social studies

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maia Sheppard

MAIA SHEPPARD is an Assistant Professor in The Graduate School of Education and Human Development’s Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052. She can be contacted at [email protected].

Doran Katz

DORAN KATZ is a Doctoral Candidate in The Graduate School of Education and Human Development’s Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052. She can be contacted at [email protected].

Tanetha Grosland

TANETHA GROSLAND is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Advanced Studies, Leadership, and Policy at Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251. She can be contacted at [email protected].