Lyston Louks, Theory Review

Theory Review

Lyston Louks

EDAC-635

Spring 2022

Dr. Bo Chang

February 6, 2022

Your Name	Commented On
Lyston Louks	Logan Marlatt
	Amy Hurt

Theory Review: Emotions in Learning and Social Emotional Learning

Main Theoretical Points

Education is generally seen as a field of logic, where emotions do not have a large presence. Recently, the topic of emotions in learning has become more popular, and researchers have been looking at how our emotions can impact our learning and performance. Our emotions can assist us with forming relationships, which can be conducive to our learning experience. Within the field of childhood education, social and emotional learning, or SEL, are becoming more common, but should also be applied within higher education for adults. Five of the most important ideas behind SEL are student emotions, instructor emotions, forming relationships, motivation, and performance. 

Student emotions are vital to the learning experience, as they are directly experienced by the student. Värlander states that emotions “are central to our ways of knowing, and they can either impede or motivate learning” (2008). Often, our emotions drive our decision making, and can directly impact our daily lives. While more neurotic emotions such as grief, anger, and anxiousness can be seen as negative to our learning, “all emotions can actually be helpful signals of how to learn better” (Värlander, 2008). Emotions that are seen as negative can be an opportunity to grow, and it is important to be optimistic about our learning and potential. Social and emotional learning emphasizes how learners can manage their emotions in a healthy and positive way (Elmi, 2020). Every person experiences emotion, but it is important to know how to manage our emotions in a healthy way and learn from our experiences. 

While student emotions are important, it is also important to look at the emotions of the instructor. Instructor emotions can impact both how learners are able to retain information, as well as how student-teacher relationships are formed (Quinlan, 2016). If an instructor is able to show emotions with their students, it is more likely to form a bond between the learners and the instructor. Teacher behavior and attitude can have an either positive or negative influence on student interest in the subject or learning in general (Mendzheritskaya & Hansen, 2019). Instructor emotion and their portrayal of emotion can also either impede or benefit learners and their ability to learn, due to the environment it creates. If an instructor is happy and shows it, learners will be more excited about the subject at hand. Within social and emotional learning, it is important to ensure the instructors are also aware of their emotions and how they impact learners. 

Forming relationships is an important aspect of social and emotional learning, as we form relationships in our everyday lives. These relationships can be between learners, or between learners and instructors. Quinlan states that “the way teachers communicate affects students emotionally. When students perceive that their teachers listen and show immediacy through behaviors that generate a sense of closeness, they experience the class more positively, feel emotionally supported, and can express their own emotions more authentically” (2019). When students feel appreciated and supported, they report more positive experiences with the class and are able to be themselves with their instructors. This also ties in with instructors’ emotions, but this allows for students to feel a connection with their instructors. Peer relationships are also extremely important. Interactions with peers “mediate a number of key educational outcomes including changes in values and attitudes” (Quinlan, 2019).  When students interact with peers, students grow and learn new perspectives. 

Our motivation can be either helped or hindered by our emotions, whether the emotions are positive or negative. Positive emotions have been found to have a generally positive impact on our motivation and performance, while negative emotions can be either positive or negative to our motivation and performance (Rowe & Fitness, 2018). Having peer relationships can also help with motivating us and our performance, as they give us another support system we can lean on outside of our instructors. We may feel intimidated by instructors, but feel comfortable with going to our peers, which can help with our performance. 

Applications

Implementing social and emotional learning can be extremely helpful within a higher education setting. Teaching learners of all ages more about their emotions can be conducive for learning, and ensure students are able to manage their emotions at all ages. Entering higher education is a significant commitment, and it is important to be prepared for those life changes. Having some form of SEL at all stages of our life can help us with major life changes, and managing our emotions and stress. This can also help instructors with bonding with their students, and being able to express their own emotions in a healthy way that does not hinder the learning process for students.

Social and emotional learning can help us with maintaining relationships, as we are able to express our emotions and how we feel to others. If we are able to control our emotions and learn how to interact well with others, we will be able to build and maintain better relationships. As we get older and have more responsibilities, it may be harder to maintain friendships, as life gets in the way. Having SEL to teach us about maintaining relationships as we get older can help us with our learning, as we can better interact with our peers. 

Motivation and performance are a large part of higher education, since our success is largely determined by our motivation. Through SEL, we can learn how to manage our emotions and utilize our negative emotions and make them positively impact our motivation and performance. When we are able to use both positive and negative emotions to our advantage, we are likely to be more successful within our academic paths. 

Reflection

Highlights

I really enjoyed this project, and I feel that I took a unique perspective when looking at emotions in learning from a sociological perspective. I am a sociologist at heart, and it is difficult for me to look at things from a perspective that isn’t sociological. I think adding a sociological perspective gave my review a unique aspect. 

Process

With this project, I personally had a slow start. When I write papers, I try to start with gathering all of my sources, and writing my references page. I feel that it helps to keep myself somewhat grounded, and I don’t feel overwhelmed. I also try to play music to keep myself grounded, and keep myself in a somewhat quiet environment. When it comes to time management, it is a good idea to set goals ahead of time, and make a list of things you want to accomplish by a certain date. I usually try to do this, but with some extenuating circumstances I was unable to for this assignment. When working with a group, the best thing one can do is to communicate. Let your group members know if you are unable to do something, if you are struggling, or if you feel confused. 

Table 1. Summary of the Theoretical Ideas

Main Ideas	Application
Student emotions can impact their learning.	Implementing SEL within higher education will allow for students to learn more about how to manage their emotions with the growing responsibilities attached to higher education.
Teacher emotions can impact both student learning and student-teacher relationships.	Instructors need to be mindful about their behaviors and mannerisms, as their mood can impact student learning. Instructors also partaking in SEL can be helpful.
Relationships are essential to education and can make students feel welcomed and valued.	Forming bonds between both instructors and peers is essential for learning and emotions, SEL can assist learners with maintaining relationships.
Motivation and performance can be determined by our emotions as well as our perception of value. If we feel valued by our instructors, we gain motivation.

References

Elmi, C. (2020). Integrating social emotional learning strategies in higher education. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 10, 848-858. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe10030061

Mendzheritskaya, J., & Hansen, M. (2019). The role of emotions in higher education teaching and learning processes. Studies in Higher Education, 44(10), 1709-1711. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1665306

Quinlan, K. M. (2016). How emotion matters in four key relationships in teaching and learning in higher education. College Teaching, 64(3), 101-111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2015.1088818

Rowe, A. D., & Fitness, J. (2018). Understanding the role of negative emotions in adult learning and achievement: A social functional perspective. Behavioral Science, 8(27), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs8020027

Värlander, S. (2008). The role of students’ emotions in formal feedback situations. Teaching in Higher Education, 13(2), 145-156. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510801923195