Affective Issues in Mathematical Problem Solving: Some Theoretical Considerations

Mathematics students often report feelings of frustration or satisfaction when they work on nonroutine problems. These affective responses are an important factor in problem solving and deserve increased attention in research. Mandler's theory of emotion is suggested as a framework for investigating affective issues in problem solving. Several dimensions of the emotional states of problem solvers are specified, including the magnitude and direction of the emotions, their duration, and the students' level of awareness and level of control of the emotions. The implications of this framework for research on affective issues in problem solving are also discussed.