Transcript Mapping Students' Emotional Journeys

Mapping Students'
Emotional Journeys
Colin Beard
[email protected]
with
Karen Smith
& Sue Clegg
Sheffield Hallam University
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The individuals filling roles such as lecturer,
student, researcher, administrator or
manager are, like anyone else, prone to
experiencing a range of emotions – fear,
relief, joy, puzzlement, envy, excitement,
anger – in any one working day yet the
acknowledgement of their existence and
power is rarely encouraged.
(Mortiboys, 2002, p7).
Introduction
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Little mention of emotion in HE literature.
Acknowledging emotion is not 'theraputising'
or 'counselling'.
Students as persons which 'transcends the
cognitive focus of most discussions of
learning' (Ashworth, 2004, p. 150).
Emotions part of every pedagogic encounter.
Context of research
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Proposed Outcomes:
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Examine the role of socio-emotional climate and
its role in enhancing the quality of student learning
Identify and map the emotional agenda of a broad
student population
Offer guidance, advice and practical techniques
for lecturers to support the student learning
experience
Enhance student preparedness for lifelong
learning and employability
The Literature
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Long history embedded in the ‘rational-emotive’ debate…
Evolving language of affective states…
Attempts to classify emotions..
Significance of sociality in the redefining of ‘intelligence’….
Significance influence of sociality, identity and self esteem in
learning…
The notion of ‘balance’ and oppositional states….successpride/failure-shame…
Lack of recognition of affective states in contemporary HE
literature on learning ….
Social control, gender and power….
Data collection methods
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‘Blank sheets’
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Emotional mapping
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Focus group work ….string, trees, I am….
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Lecturer behaviour data. Students were
asked what lecturers might do more of or less
of in lectures and seminars.
Blank sheet analysis
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Leisure management students in Industry Context
lecture (total cohort 431)
Students invited to write positive and negative
feelings regarding their university experiences on
blank sheets
Results anonymous
Repeated on three occasions:
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During the induction week (23 September 2003) - 278
sheets.
Week seven of the first semester (10 November 2003) 230 sheets
Week seven of the second semester (2 March 2004) - 90
responses.
Analysis
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Data analysed inductively.
Sheets read and key words
highlighted.
Highlighted words grouped
and represented graphically.
Broad themes emerged from
the data.
Emergent themes were
congruent with the lifeworld
categories, which informed
the headings used in this
presentation (Ashworth 2003;
Ashworth 1999)
Analysis 2
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The student comments were coded as one of the following :
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Embodiment: relationship to feelings about their own body,
gender, disabilities and emotions;
Personal Project: how does the situation relate to their ability
to carry out the activities which are central to their personal
lives;
Academic Project: how do their academic experiences relate
to the rest of their lives;
Temporality: how is their sense of time affected by the
situation;
Spatiality: how is the geography and the environment in which
they live affected by the situation;
Sociality: their relationship with others and its impact on the
university experience;
Other: data which do not fall easily into any of the above
themes, but are important to the students when framing their
experiences.
Induction week
Introduction Week - Positive
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Introduction Week - Negative
Embodiment
Embodiment
Personal Project
Personal Project
Academic Project
Academic Project
Temporality
Temporality
Spatiality
Spatiality
Sociality
Sociality
Other
Other
Making new friends
Independence and
excitement
Nervous
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Worried about money,
the course and
leaving home
Missing friends, family
and partners
Week seven, semester one
Week 7 - Positive
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Week 7 - Negative
Embodiment
Embodiment
Personal Project
Personal Project
Academic Project
Academic Project
Temporality
Temporality
Spatiality
Spatiality
Sociality
Sociality
Other
Other
Made new friends
Like lecturers and enjoy parts
of the course
Settling in to independent life
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Some parts of course boring /
time-consuming
Motivation lacking
Looming assignments and
exams
Running out of money
Week seven, semester two
Week 7 Semester 2 - Positive
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Week 7 Semester 2 - Negative
Embodiment
Embodiment
Personal Project
Personal Project
Academic Project
Academic Project
Temporality
Temporality
Spatiality
Spatiality
Sociality
Sociality
Other
Other
Confidence following marks
for semester one
Closer relationships with
friends, peers and staff
Looking for accommodation
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Bad results for some
Overdrawn
Fatigue and bad health
Problems with peers,
flatmates and staff
Time management and
timetabling issues
Sociality
Friends
Lovers
Sociality
Family
Lecturers
Induction week sociality
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Meeting new friends and 'lovers'
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Missing friends, family and 'lovers'
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feel like I have a great chance to meet people and make
new friends. I am going to take every opportunity to do so
so far in three days, I've pulled three times
I'm scared about not making any new friends
miss my boyfriend - tears, broken heart
miss my friends and their ability to know what I'm thinking
without me saying anything
sad that I have my birthday in less than a week without my
best friends and parents
Little mention of lecturers
Week seven sociality
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Developing relationships with friends and lecturers
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getting to know people better
developed into amiable work-directed atmosphere among
colleagues
lecturers always help you when you need help
Missing family, lovers and missed opportunities
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still don't like being away from home
not seeing my boyfriend for long periods of time
I had my chance and blew it
Week seven sociality 2
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Problematic relationships
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find it hard to find a group friends - can't just
presume people want to be friends with me
concerned about presentations due to various
ones in my group we have still not met together
and are giving a presentation in 2 weeks. That
stresses me
a lecturer who doesn't seem to want to teach us won't make the effort to teach us - won't listen to
out views on how to help the situation
Week seven, semester two sociality
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Deepening relationships with friends and lecturers
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Problems with lecturers and friends
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have friends, who I've become close to
building a relationship with my lecturers
found a group that I work really well in
don't like the fact you have to arrange meetings to see your
lecturer
don't like my present flatmates
Less mention made of difficulties making friends.
Conclusions
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Striking similarity of responses
Possible to map some of the changing emotions
over the year
Data showed that students perceive emotions,
relations with others and the body to be as important
as the academic in the university experience
Therefore impossible to untangle them
Disposition to learn is grounded in social
relationships
Lecturers – more of/less of...
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The affective experience of learners is probably the
most powerful determinant of learning of all
kinds……Feelings and emotions provide the best
guides we have as to where we need to devote our
attention. This may be uncomfortable for animators,
especially if they are not reconciled with their own
emotional agendas, and they may be set aside
because of immediate circumstances, but we cannot
learn if they are continually denied.
(Boud & Miller, 1996, p17).
More of less of…
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Relationship management was central
concern….
Patronising/friendly/enjoyable/fun/know
us/involve us/interaction/passionate
about subject/treated like adults……
Voice was very important…represents
‘persona’…..monotone….’VEI’ leakage