The role of achievement emotions in primary school mathematics: Control–value antecedents and achievement outcomes

Abstract

Background. Appraisals of control and value are proposed as proximal antecedents of achievement emotions, which, in turn, predict achievement. Relatively few studies have investigated how control and value may interact to determine achievement emotions, or subsequent achievement mediated by emotions. Aim. To examine whether control, value, and their interaction predicted mathematics test score directly, and indirectly, mediated by three salient achievement emotions: enjoyment, boredom, and anxiety. Method. Data were collected from 1,298 primary schoolchildren. Participants completed self-report measures of control, value (i.e., intrinsic, attainment, and utility), and achievement emotions (i.e., enjoyment, boredom, and anxiety), in the context of mathematics. Participants then undertook a curriculum-based mathematics test in class. Results. Higher control and value were related to a higher mathematics test score directly, and indirectly, mediated via higher enjoyment and lower anxiety. The interaction of control and intrinsic value predicted mathematics test score directly, and indirectly, mediated via enjoyment. Conclusion. Intrinsic value amplified the direct positive relation between control and mathematics test score. Intrinsic value also protected mathematics test scores at lower levels of control indirectly, through higher enjoyment. Helping students to maximize control and value will be beneficial for their learning experience and outcomes. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Control and value appraisals and online multiple‐text comprehension in primary school: The mediating role of boredom and the moderating role of word‐reading fluency

“…Moreover, it is worth noting that detecting different links between boredom and performance in the two examined settings can also shed some light on the reasons underlying some inconsistent results of previous research involving primary-school students, in which boredom was not examined according to different settings (Di Leo et al, 2019;Lichtenfeld et al, 2012;Muis, Psaradellis, et al, 2015;Muis, Ranellucci, et al, 2015;Obergriesser & Stoeger, 2016;Putwain et al, 2018Putwain et al, , 2020Putwain et al, , 2021Raccanello et al, 2019;Robertson et al, 2004;Zaccoletti et al, 2020). Distinguishing homework and tests might have helped to identify another moderator of the relations between boredom and performance, that is, setting, which has been frequently neglected in previous literature (for an exception, see Raccanello et al, 2013).…”

“…For example, in mathematics boredom is linked to academic performance as evidenced by small to moderate negative correlations (ranging from À.16 to À.42) as well as by small positive correlations (Di Leo et al, 2019;Lichtenfeld et al, 2012;Muis, Psaradellis, Lajoie, Di Leo, & Chevrier, 2015;Putwain et al, 2018;Raccanello et al, 2019). In other cases, researchers found that achievement predicted boredom but not vice versa (Putwain et al, 2021;Putwain, Wood, & Pekrun, 2020). For science learning, small negative correlations emerged (Obergriesser & Stoeger, 2016).…”

Achievement emotions and academic achievement: Reciprocal relations and the moderating influence of academic buoyancy.

“…In secondary school students, Ahmed et al (2013) found unique statistically significant relations with mathematics achievement for enjoyment (positively), and boredom and anxiety (negatively). However, Raccanello et al (2019; elementary school students) and Putwain et al (2020;primary school students) found that only enjoyment and anxiety, but not boredom, remained statistically significant unique predictors of subsequent mathematics achievement.…”

Predicting Academic Engagement Based on Academic Optimism, Competency Perception and Academic Excitement in Students

“…Emotions of progress (Pekrun & Stephens, 2010) emphasize not only consequential emotions, but also emotions related to activities such as enjoyment of learning, fatigue during training, and anger at homework requirements. Academic excitement is directly related to academic achievement (Bhansali & Sharma, 2020), which affects student performance and subsequently enhances learning and academic achievement (Putwain, Schmitz, Wood & Pekrun, 2020). Research has confirmed the two-way relationship between academic excitement and academic achievement.…”