Affect as Outcome: Centering Emotion and Equity in learning Sciences Research

Abstract

Our field often takes an instrumentalist approach to the role of affect in learning. This session examines the topic of emotions in learning environments, but we do not frame emotion as an antecedent or lever for engagement or motivation to learn. Rather, the papers in this session treat emotion as a critical outcome, and as a vital focus for research in and of itself. Whether the learning environments in question are designed or naturally occurring, the perspective and experience of learners takes center stage. Results across the collection of papers demonstrate that emotion is not only a critical factor to investigate in learning, but it can also be an equity issue as well, which makes it all the more worthy of attention in future research.