Emotion in Teaching and Learning: Development and Validation of the Classroom Emotions Scale

Abstract

Although scholars from across the field of communication have highlighted the importance of emotion in interpersonal relationships, persuasive messages, and organizations, the topic has yet to receive systematic attention from scholars who study classroom communication. Using interdisciplinary literature from communication and other fields as a foundation, the Classroom Emotions Scale (CES) was created to assess students' perceptions of emotional experiences in classes. Study 1 situates the scale within theory connecting emotions with classroom communication. The study reports initial evidence on scale dimensionality and connections between classroom emotions and three teacher communication variables: nonverbal immediacy, clarity, and communication competence. Study 2 extends those results by reporting a confirmatory factor analysis testing dimensionality of the scale; criterion and divergent validity evidence is also presented. Results of the two studies provide reliability and validity evidence for the CES, show that teachers' communication behaviors are related to students' reports of emotional experiences in classes, and document relationships between students' emotional experiences and various indicators of their motivation, affective, and cognitive learning. Findings are discussed as they relate to previous emotional response theory as well as philosophical works seeking to reduce binaries between emotion and reason.

Keywords:

• Emotional Response Theory
• Emotion Work
• Teacher Communication Competence
• Teacher Immediacy
• Teacher Clarity

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Anita James, Ohio University, for her feedback on the manuscript

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Scott Titsworth

Scott Titsworth (Ph.D. University of Nebraska, 1999) is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University

Margaret M. Quinlan

Margaret Quinlan (Ph.D. Ohio University, 2009) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Joseph P. Mazer

Joseph P. Mazer (Ph.D. Ohio University, 2010) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Clemson University