High school students' emotional experiences in mathematics classes

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative research is to identify Mexican high school students' emotional experiences in mathematics classes. In order to obtain the data, focus group interviews were carried out with 22 students. The data analysis is based on the theory of the cognitive structure of emotions, which specifies the eliciting conditions for each emotion and the variables that affect the intensity of each emotion. The participant students' emotional experiences in mathematics classes are composed of: (1) satisfaction and disappointment while solving a problem; (2) joy or distress when taking a test; (3) fear and relief during classes; (4) pride and self-reproach during classes; and (5) boredom and interest during classes. Finally, we discuss how the theory of the cognitive structure of emotions and our analysis contribute to emotion research in mathematics education.

Keywords:

• students' emotions
• emotional experiences
• cognitive structure of emotions
• research on emotions in mathematics education

Acknowledgements

The research reported in this article was supported by several research grants from the Research and Graduate Department of National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico (20131863, SIP20121519, SIP20111109) and the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACYT, Basic Scientific Research 2012: 178564). We appreciate the help of the teacher, Maria Patricia Colin Uribe, in conducting the fieldwork and the help of Marisa Miranda Tirado in revising this manuscript. We are very grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions for improving this article.