What is it about?

The major objectives of the study were to identify the effect of teaching methods on students’ academic achievement and to evaluate the relationship between affective learning conditions and students’ academic achievement. Based on four intact semesters, the population of the study comprised 140 students from the Bachelor of Business Administration Program. The control group (28 students) was taught through the interactive lecture method, whereas, the experimental group 1 (35 students), experimental group 2 (46 students) and experimental group 3 (31 students) were taught through the activity method, reflective learning method and cooperative learning method respectively. Results indicated a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores obtained in the achievement test as a result of the effect of teaching methods used for offering the emotionalized learning experiences. There was also a significant relationship between affective leaning conditions and students’ academic achievement.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Patel (2010) refers to affective education as emotionalized learning experiences, signifying tapping into the affective domain to impart affective content. The originator of the term, Patel believes that emotionalized learning experiences influence students’ behaviour and help them in demonstrating positive behavioural attitudes, such as self-restraint, empathy, fair-mindedness, and integrity. ELE promote affective behaviours such as self-confidence, self-motivation, teamwork, personal grooming, time management as well as etiquette and manners (National Guidelines for Educating EMS Instructors, 2002, pp. 4-5). These are in fact vital for both personal enrichment and professional growth. Much more than a catalyst, affective education (emotionalized learning experiences) is in fact quintessential for promoting learning (Perrier & Nsengiyumva, 2003), as without desire, willingness and motivation (affective characteristics) learning cannot occur (Stiggins, 2005). Furthermore, research suggests that pleasure of learning, desire for achieving success and satisfaction of an assigned task promote learning (Schutz & Pekrun, 2007). Researchers collectively agree that affective education must be integrated in the curriculum to cater for learners’ professional development (Baker, Andriessen, & Järvelä, 2013). Further, Stiff-Williams (2010) refers to affective education as value-based teaching and the provision of character development training that needs to be integrated with the normal course of studies based on the prescribed curricula. According to Kuboja and Ngussa (2015), educational institutions need to be successful in incorporating affective education within the curriculum to contribute towards students’ professional development as well as enable them to become socially responsible citizens.

Perspectives

Based exclusively on the affective domain, emotionalized learning experiences are geared towards personality and character development through interesting, though-provoking and relevant content. Their predominant purpose is to help students flourish in their personal, professional and social lives. Affective education is indeed effective education, as it affects students’ motivation and engagement towards the prescribed curriculum by bringing about a positive change in their attitudes and beliefs to inspire them to unlock the winner within them. Fundamentally, affective education or an emotionalized learning experience enables the educator to make affective connections with the students through invaluable life lessons beneficial for shaping their personalities and most importantly for becoming better human beings. In the process, it influences the attitudes, values, perceptions, beliefs and interests of both the educator and the students to affect behavioural change. Last, but not least, affective learning conditions facilitate the transfer of affective content through a lively, energetic, involving and meaningful learning environment that makes effective use of a wide variety of student-centric teaching methods.

Zane Asher Green
Preston University Pakistan

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Emotionalized learning experiences: Tapping into the affective domain, Evaluation and Program Planning, June 2017, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2017.02.004.
You can read the full text:

Read

Contributors

The following have contributed to this page