How Students Learn to Moderate Group Work: The Role of Enjoyment and Boredom

Abstract

Fostering oral communication competences constitutes a primary goal of higher education. However, research on the acquisition process is sparse, especially when the role of learning-related emotions is considered. Based on control-value theory, this study therefore investigated the interplay between learning-related boredom and enjoyment and the build-up of moderation competence throughout an university course to foster oral competences. A longitudinal quasi-experimental study with two teaching conditions was conducted. About 160 students were assigned either to a control group (CG: autonomy supportive teaching enriched with basic levels of competence support and relatedness support) or an experimental group (EG: autonomy supportive teaching enriched with high levels of competence support and relatedness support). Perceived moderation competence and emotions were assessed three times (T) by self-report: after completion of the course introduction (T1), half way (T2), and at the end of the course (T3). The students’ behavioral performance during a practical moderation exam was graded at T3. Path analyses revealed differential effects of enjoyment and boredom on students’ perceived moderation competence and their grades over time: an activating, learning-enhancing effect of enjoyment on moderation competence was demonstrated, especially if teachers supported students’ experience of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Boredom, in contrast, had a detrimental effect on the behavioral performance in the practical moderation exam.

Keywords:

• Academic performance
• boredom
• enjoyment
• learning-related emotion
• moderation competence

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank the students for their cooperation in making this study possible.

Author Notes

Ana Nanette Tibubos, PhD, is Senior Researcher at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. She studied Psychology in Germany and Australia at the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Goethe University Frankfurt and University of New South Wales. Her research focuses on emotions, mental health and psychological assessment.

Sonja Rohrmann, PhD, is head of the Department of Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnostics at the Goethe University Frankfurt. Her research focuses on stress and emotions.

Tobias Ringeisen, PhD, holds a position as Professor in Applied Psychology at the Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany. His research focuses on competence development in students and young professionals, related teaching concepts, and educational assessment, addressing the interplay between learning processes, related emotions, and performance.

Additional information

Funding

The research reported in this article was supported by a grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research within the Education Pact 2020 [grant numbers 0300414003, 210819].