Inquiry on Emotions in Education

Abstract

This article examines some of the theoretical foundations on which future inquiry on emotions in education may proceed. The study of emotions has a lot of promise in informing the understanding of teaching, motivation, and self-regulated learning; however, it also indicates that inquiry on emotions presents a number of potential challenges. First, the article discusses assumptions about the nature of reality, the nature of the knower, and knowledge that guides the study of emotions. Then, there is a discussion of theoretical views on the nature of emotions that emerge from assumptions about reality and knowledge. Next, the article discusses potential approaches for investigating emotions that have emerged from beliefs about the nature of emotions and assumptions about reality and knowledge. Finally, the article discusses some potential directions for future inquiry on emotions in education. The article also suggests that as this area of inquiry matures, the continual examination of the theoretical foundations on which inquiry on emotions in education is based is seen as fundamental to the healthy development of this research community.