Date
6-2018
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Chair
Joseph F. Fontanella
Keywords
Academic Achievement, Academic Performance, Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ), Emotions, Learning Environments, Nursing Education
Disciplines
Education | Educational Psychology | Higher Education
Recommended Citation
Kirwan, Susan, "Relationships between Achievement Emotions and Academic Performance in Nursing Students: A Non-Experimental Predictive Correlation Analysis" (2018). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 1754.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/1754
Abstract
The purpose of this non-experimental predictive correlation study was to investigate the relationships between achievement learning emotions and academic performance in 155 nursing students from one faith-based academic institution in the mid-Atlantic of the U.S.A. The theory guiding this study was the Control-Value Theory of Achievement Emotions. The study was designed to answer two study research questions: (a) “What are the relationships between the outcome variable (academic performance) and predictor variables (achievement emotions during learning) in Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students?” and (b) “How accurately can the outcome variable (academic performance) be predicted from a linear combination of predictive variables (achievement emotions during learning) in BSN nursing students?” Predictor variables were measured using the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ) for positive emotions (enjoyment, hope, pride) and negative emotions (anger, anxiety, shame, boredom, hopelessness). Outcome variable was measured using the standardized Assessment Technologies Institutes course mastery exam. The results found no statistically significant relationships between achievement emotions and ATI scores was found. Emotions were ranked from highest to lowest as enjoyment, anxiety, shame, boredom, pride, hopelessness, hope, and anger supporting the positive relationship between student and faculty as well as feelings of shame of their performance and being overwhelmed by the material. The AEQ subscales had reliability (Cronbach alpha), discrete validity, and corrected item-total correlations (rit) congruent with the original AEQ Manual. Further research is needed using the AEQ tool and qualitative inquiry in designing emotion-sensitive learning environments.
