Students‟ classroom emotions: Socio-cognitive antecedents and school performance

Introduction. This study examined (a) students‟ experienced emotions in classes of Mathematics and Language, (b) the role of students‟ emotions in perceiving their school performance in the same school subjects as successful or unsuccessful, and (c) the effects of students‟ self-beliefs (performance expectations, value beliefs, ability self-perceptions and perceived task-difficulty) on their emotions, on the impact of their perceptions of their teachers (value beliefs, achievement pressure, competence support and flow experience in classes)- and classmates (value beliefs, competence support, task-difficulty and flow experience in classes)- related factors on the same emotions, and in turn on school performance.Method. A total of 344 students, of both genders, of Grade 10 participated in the study. A questionnaire with separate versions for Mathematics and Language was used. It consisted of self- scales, and scales of students‟ perceptions of classmates- and teacher- related factors.Data were collected at the beginning of the second (final) school term.Results. The results showed that the students experienced a rich variety, and a variation of intensity, of emotions in the classes which positively influenced their perception of performance as successful or not (mainly, in Mathematics). Self-beliefs, perceived teachers- related factors, and perceived classmates- related factors had positive effects on the generation of the emotions, but their predictive strength varied across the school subjects and within each school subject. Self-factors (particularly, ability self-perceptions in Mathematics and perceived task-difficulty in Language) affected the impact of the perceived teachers -and students- related factors in most of the emotions. Finally, the three sets of predictors had positive and complementary consequences for performance in both school subjects.Discussion and Conclusion. This research suggests the significant role of students‟ experienced emotions in the classes on their life and academic achievement. The present findings also reveal the interaction of the self - factors and the perceived significant others (teachers and classmates)- related factors on emotions, which in turn affect achievement. These effects are also subject-specific rather than global, and largely develop in classroom context.