Introduction
Emotions play a significant role in an individual’s success as a learner. Emotions impact our
motivation to learn, dictate the information we retain and forget, and our response to these
emotions determine how we react when we achieve success and face challenges. Facilitators
must not only be aware of how emotions affect the adult learner but must be able to anticipate
and be responsive to the learner’s needs. As a veteran teacher, I understand and have
witnessed emotions impact learners both positively and negatively.
Theoretical Points
A skilled instructor is attuned to the fact that new learning can cause an
insurmountable degree of stress on the adult learner and will create a safe and welcoming
learning environment for the learner. Emotions also establish what a student dares to learn.
Learning is associated with friction, with being pushed out of your comfort zone, with
understanding that your current view on how things are does not align with new information.
This is both exciting and frightening: anybody who has been exposed to completely new
challenges will recognise how both of these powerful emotions occur in tandem (Schuwirth
2013). Respectful, safe and supportive relationships were thought to promote joy/happiness
and love. Several academics drew attention to the importance of creating safe and containing
learning environments (both physical locations and “emotional” spaces) (Rowe, Fitness, &
Wood 2015). Facilitators would be wise to spend some time during the first few learning
sessions, deliberately lowering anxiety to a manageable level (Knowles, 1970, 1990;
Wlodkowshi & Ginsberg, 1995, as cited in Mackeracher 2004). For adults to become
engaged in learning, they must feel relatively safe, and be willing and able to channel their
motives into change processes. For these reasons adults need a supportive and encouraginglearning environment that does not threaten them. This is facilitated when relationships with
the facilitator and learners are built on trust (Mackeracher 2004). Anxiety is reduced when
the learner feels satisfied, experiences success in learning, and perceives the learning
situation to be nonthreatening. Anxiety is also reduced when learners know what to expect
through a course outline, an agenda for a single session, an outline of how evaluation will be
conducted and instructions for contacting the facilitator if they encounter a problem
(Mackeracher 2004).
Facilitators should be knowledgeable about and acknowledge the presence of learners’
emotions, emotional responses, and ways to assist these learners in achieving desired
outcomes. Educators should be aware of and understand emotional reactions and their
intensity to support adequate learning experiences. At the same time, everybody needs
emotional competence (cf. Goleman, 1995) to improve their self-management skills and
pursue continuous learning in a hectic and fragmented working life, where there is no time
for emotional connection. Zins et al. (2004, p. vii) argue that ‘social and emotional learning
facilitates academic learning’. An understanding of emotions in student learning is critical
and even mandatory for creating successful learning experiences (Ekström, Raatikainen &
Isacsson 2020). Emotions shape how deeply and critically people engage with ideas and
experiences, and the goals and motivations that inhibit or enable behaviours (Lerner et al.,
2015, as cited in Hill, Healey, West & Déry 2021). Learners who are anxious, angry, fearful,
or depressed don’t learn. Learners who are happy and satisfied can learn almost anything
(Mackeracher 2004).
Motivation is another aspect that can positively or negatively affect the adult learner
in their educational journey. Motivation in learning can be described as being either a drive to
reduce uncertainty and meet unmet needs or a drive towards positive growth through
exploring the unknown (Mackeracher 2004). The deficit needs, growth needs, and motiveswith which learners enter a learning program determine their initial participation in the
activities. Thereafter, their motives for continuing in the program will depend on whether
they feel they are successfully and satisfactorily moving towards their anticipated or desired
outcomes (Mackeracher 2004).
In summary, facilitators should acknowledge and be responsive to stress experienced
by learners caused by new learning. They should be knowledgeable about emotions,
emotional responses and how to help learners work through these factors to achieve success.
The facilitator should be aware of how motivation can impact the learner.
Application
The first theoretical point was that new learning can cause a great amount of stress in
adult learners. Stress can be reduced when a welcoming, safe and judgement free
environment is created by the facilitator. It is important for the facilitator to be intentional
about initial tasks and assignments given to students and to remember that adults equate self-
worth with success and failure. Adults have a fear of failure which makes them less likely to
engage in learning when failure is an option and/or appears imminent. Adults would rather
remain stagnant due to fear of failure, than take a risk, and engage in learning that could
successfully advance them toward their goals. Facilitators can create assignments where there
are no right or wrong answers such as the following: Prior Knowledge Assessment (gauge
learners previous understanding of the subject matter), Define Goals (learners can write down
what they hope to learn from the course and how they will apply this learning to future
endeavors) and Reflection Journals (require adults to discuss newfound knowledge gained
and how their understanding of material has evolved based on completing assignments,
engaging in discussions, and reading required material). The facilitator should create andpromote a safe learning environment, where the adult learner feels a sense of belonging and
that they will not be harshly criticized or judged. This can be accomplished through having
learners engage in introductory activities where they get to know about their facilitator and
peers and inviting students to collaborate to establish class norms. These activities
demonstrate that you care about and value the adult learner. Facilitators should reveal the
expectations and learner responsibilities through sharing a syllabus, including clear and
detailed instructions for assignments with due dates and help students access tools and
resources that will deepen their understanding of the course concepts.
The second theoretical point focused on how it is imperative for facilitators not only
to be aware of, but to acknowledge the learner’s emotions and emotional responses. The
facilitator must consider the role that emotions and emotional response play in the learner’s
education and then must assist them in achieving optimal success. Facilitators can anticipate
conflicts that will arise due to school demands, work demands and life demands. Anticipating
the learners’ needs and obstacles that will keep them from being successful is a part of the
instructor’s responsibility. The facilitator must consider learners’ emotions when creating the
course structure, make necessary adjustments and provide supports as needed. The
instructor’s success is directly reflected by their students’ success. Facilitators can provide
opportunities for students to work in groups or independently, depending on the learners’
needs and preferences. They can present information in engaging ways by using visual aids,
mnemonics and discussing shared experiences. Facilitators should incorporate activities that
align with the adult learners’ future career goals, provide relevant and authentic activities that
allow the adult learner to draw from firsthand experiences and allow adult learners to
participate in simulations. They should include relevant curriculum and readings, to enable
the adult to become a participatory learner.The last theoretical point explored how motivation can have a positive or negative
impact on the adult learner’s success, depending on the facilitator’s approach and strategies
employed. The facilitator can help motivate the learner through providing supports that will
make learning accessible to the student and increase their probability of success. When
learners accomplish and feel success based on feedback, it provides them with
encouragement and motivation to continue their participation in the program. On the
contrary, when they feel failure and embarrassment due to not being able to meet the
standards or criteria of the course, their motivation decreases, and they are more likely to
discontinue their learning. Facilitators should provide students with structure and a safe
forum for students to pose questions without fear of being viewed as incompetent by their
peers. These learners require immediate feedback, which can be in the form of comments or
grades. They benefit from informational sessions that help them navigate the educational
platform and how to access available resources. Facilitators should provide clear and detailed
instructions for all assignments with accompanying examples.
Reflection: Highlights & Process
The highlights of this theory are that although emotions can adversely affect the adult learner
and hinder their ability to achieve success, practitioners can aid learners in overcoming
challenges to help them achieve optimal success. Practitioners can use multiple approaches,
employ strategies, and incorporate supports to assist the adult learner in successfully
completing their course. Practitioners can play a significant role in the failure or success of
their students.
I decided to begin by reading Chapter 6 in Making Sense of Adult Learning by
Mackeracher. This was a good place to start since it is a required class reading and hasdeepened my understanding of the course material by engaging in weekly discussions about
the information presented. After this, I went to the Article Database in the BSU Library and
did a search using keywords related to my topic (ex. emotions in learning, impact of emotions
on education). As I read information, I highlighted key points, created annotated notes in a
Google Doc and synthesized the information.
Table 1: Summary of the Theoretical Ideas
Idea #: Major Theoretical
Points
Application
1 Facilitators
understand that
new learning can
cause significant
stress on adult
learners and
therefore should
initially find ways
to alleviate some of
the stress when
assigning activities
early in the course.
• Facilitators should create assignments that have no
right or wrong responses. These assignments play a
role in reducing stress and allowing the adult learner
to experience success after completing these tasks.
• Facilitators should create and promote a welcoming
and safe environment for learners. This can be
accomplished through engaging the learner in
introductory activities and creating class norms as a
group.
• Facilitators should provide a syllabus, instructions for
assignments and a section with available tools and
resources that can assist students with the learning.
2 Facilitators must be
aware of and
acknowledge the
learner’s emotions,
the learner’s
emotional
responses and how
these factors affect
learning so that
they can assist the
learner in
achieving success.
• Facilitators need to understand that the adult learner
has many responsibilities associated with work and
life and understand that this can cause different
emotions in the learner.
• Facilitators can provide opportunities for learners to
work individually or with a group; depending on their
needs and preferences.
• Facilitators can be responsive to emotions by
presenting information in engaging ways, providing
relevant and authentic activities that allow the adult to
draw from firsthand experiences, incorporating
activities that align with future goals and allowing the
adult learner to participate in simulations.
3 Motivation can
both positively and
negatively affect an
adult learner’s
• Facilitators should have structure and a safe forum for
learners to ask questions.
• Facilitators need to provide the learner with immediate
feedback- comments and/or grades.success in the
program depending
on the facilitator's
approach and
strategies
employed.
• Facilitators should provide informational sessions to
assist learners with navigating the educational
platform and how to access available resources.
• The facilitator should provide clear and detailed
instructions for assignments with accompanying
examples.
References
Hill, J., Healey, R. L., West, H., & Déry, C. (2021). Pedagogic partnership in higher
education: Encountering emotion in learning and enhancing student wellbeing. Journal of
Geography in Higher Education, 45(2), 167- 185.
https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2019.1661366
MacKeracher, D. (2004). Making sense of adult learning. (2nd ed.). University of Toronto
Press.
Rowe, A. D., Fitness, J., & Wood, L. N. (2015). University student and lecturer perceptions
of positive emotions in learning. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education,
28(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2013.847506
Schuwirth, L. (2013). 'emotions in learning' is more than merely 'learning of emotions'.
Medical Education, 47(1), 14-15. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.12078
Between despair and joy – emotions in learning. (2021). Journal of Applied Research in
Higher Education, https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-08-2019-0215
No comments:
Post a Comment