“Learning to like learning”: an appreciative inquiry into emotions in education

Abstract

Various learning philosophies, such as humanistic, constructivist, and sociocultural approaches, have accentuated the importance of emotion in learning. In this article, we reviewed these approaches and explored the affective dimensions of learning. We conducted focus group and individual interviews with a group of female students in the humanities enrolled in an academic facilitation programme employing a student-centred, experiential, and collaborative learning approach. Through a process of appreciative inquiry, we discovered which learning techniques, experiences, and educational climates encouraged learning. Students reported that a learning climate that elicits positive emotional experiences promoted increased personal involvement in learning, broadened thought processes and actions, and resulted in change and development on emotional, cognitive, and behavioural levels. These findings formed a basis for suggesting learning principles / criteria for a curriculum that has the promise to offer students constructive learning experiences towards deeper and more holistic learning. These principles include the importance of creating a safe learning environment, enhancing students' autonomy and involvement in the learning process, and providing authentic and intrinsically valuable learning experiences.

Academics’ knowledge and experiences of interprofessional education and practice

“…[6] Appreciative inquiry was the philosophical stance that underpinned the methodological processes of data gathering and analysis. [7] The appreciative inquiry process [8] involves four movements: (i) discovery (i.e. defining the concept and discovering what has worked); (ii) dreaming (i.e.…”

“…Sensitised by the principles of appreciative inquiry, we conducted data analysis of these transcripts, following an inductive process of thematic analysis, where data were read and reread, coded and categorised into themes. [7] As proposed by Braun and Clarke, [10] thematic analysis, which involves the identification of themes or intersecting patterns in qualitative data, was used to analyse the data. This allowed for indepth and direct data examination and consideration of the different meanings of participants' experiences and perspectives, from which emerging patterns and themes could be generated.…”

“…This allowed for indepth and direct data examination and consideration of the different meanings of participants' experiences and perspectives, from which emerging patterns and themes could be generated. [7] The initial themes and codes were validated by three independent coders and consensus was reached regarding the analysis. …”

Didactic Games in Social Studies in Primary School

“…As children grow and develop, concepts of how to acquire and organise information in their minds become more complex. The methods, forms and didactic strategies that are to be used in social studies lessons must be suitably combined with regard to the students' ages, characteristics, goals of the lessons and circumstances (Martin, 2001;Maxim, 2010;Naude, Bergh, & Kruger, 2014). In the national curriculum for teaching social studies is among others a recommended didactic strategy experiential learning (Budnar et al, 2011).…”

Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Constructivist Teaching of Social Studies in Primary Schools (With the Emphasis on Learning Forms)

“…All students do not necessarily have the same mental capacity, so teaching should take into account their stage of development, since only then will all students have equal opportunities for work and activity. As children grow and develop, the concept of how to acquire and organize information in their minds becomes more complex [2,4,7].…”