Joy in Learning
When Children Feel good and Realize They Learn
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24834/educare.2021.3.3Keywords:
Compulsory school, emotions, joy in learning, life world, phenomenologyAbstract
Both in research and in the Swedish curricula, positive emotions such as joy, pleasure and desire are said to stimulate learning. However, it is not clear what the meaning of joy is in relation to learning. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to gain knowledge about the essential meanings of the phenomenon joy in learning for children aged 9 and 12 years in compulsory school. The questions are as follows: What meanings constitute the phenomenon joy in learning in the current context? What implications do the findings have for teaching? The study is phenomenological and is based on interviews with or written stories by the participating children. The findings indicate how joy stimulates learning and emerges when children understand and ‘own’ their learning process. Teachers are important as ‘facilitators’ for joy in learning through being supportive and inspiring. Joy in learning during lessons is related to joy and friendship during school breaks. Teachers’ decisive importance for joy is discussed in relation to various modalities of pedagogical contact. Conclusions can be drawn that school breaks need attention from a learning perspective and that children need teacher support to understand their learning process.
References
Alerby, E. (2003). ‘During the break we have fun’: a study concerning pupils’ experience of school. Educational Research, 45(1), 17-28. DOI: 10.1080/0013188032000086091
Brez, C. & Sheets, V. (2017). Classroom benefits of recess. Learning Environ Res, 20, 433–445. DOI 10.1007/s10984-017-9237-x
Carr, D. (2006). Professional and personal values and virtues in education and teaching. Oxford Review of Education, Vol. 32(2), 171–183.
Clarke, K.M. (2018). Benching Playground Loneliness: Exploring the Meanings of the Playground Buddy Bench. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education 11(1), 9-21.
Cronqvist, M. (2015). Yrkesetik i lärarutbildning - en balanskonst. Diss. Göteborg :Göteborgs universitet, 2015. Göteborg.
Cronqvist, M. (2021). Glädje, lust och motivation. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Dahlberg, K. (2006). The essence of essences – the search for meaning structures in phenomenological analysis of lifeworld phenomenon. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, (1), 11-19.
Dahlberg, K., Dahlberg, H. & Nyström, M. (2008). Reflective lifeworld research. 2. ed. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Deveci Topal, A., Coban Budak, E. & Kolburan Gecer, A. (2017). The effect of algorithm teaching on the problem-solving skills of deaf-hard hearing students. Program, 51(4), 354-372.
Ehrhardt-Madapathi, N., Pretsch, J. & Schmitt, M. (2018). Effects of injustice in primary schools on students’ behavior and joy of learning. Soc Psychol Educ, 21:337–369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-017-9416-8
Else-Quest, N.M., Hyde J.S. & Hejmadi A. (2008). Mother and Child Emotions during Mathematics Homework. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 10(1), 5-35. doi=10.1080/10986060701818644
Graziano, K.J. (2011). Working with English Language Learners: Preservice Teachers and Photovoice. International Journal of Multicultural Education 13(1).
Henriksen, J. & Vetlesen, A.J. (2013). Etik i arbete med människor. [Ethics in work with people]. (3., [rev.] uppl.). Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Immordino-Yang, M. & Damasio, A. (2007). We feel, therefore we learn: The relevance of affective and social neuroscience to education. Mind, Brain and Education, 1(1), 3–10.
Kazanci, Z. & Okan, Z. (2009). Evaluating english language teaching software for kids: Education or entertainment or both? Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology - TOJET, 8(3), 30-38.
King, D., Ritchie, S., Sandhu, M. & Henderson, S. (2015). Emotionally Intense Science Activities. International Journal of Science Education, 37(12), 1886-1914.
Lgr 11 (2019). Läroplan för grundskolan, förskoleklassen och fritidshemmet: reviderad 2019. [Curriculum for compulsory school, preschool class and leisure home]. Stockholm:Skolverket. https://www.skolverket.se/publikationsserier/styrdokument/2019/laroplan-for-grundskolan-forskoleklassen-och-fritidshemmet-reviderad-2019
Meyer, D. & Turner, J. (2002). Discovering emotion in classroom motivation research. Educational Psychologist, 37, 107–114.
Noack, P. (2004). The family context of preadolescents’ orientations toward education: Effects of maternal orientations and behavior. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 714–722.
Osguthorpe, R. D. (2008). On the Reasons We Want Teachers of Good Disposition and Moral Character. Journal of Teacher Education, 59(4), 288-299.
Peter, F. & Dalbert, C. (2010). Do my teachers treat me justly? Implications of students’ justice experience for class climate experience. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 35(4), 297–305.
Pretsch, J., Ehrhardt, N., Engl, L., Risch, B., Roth, J., Schumacher, S., et al. (2016). Injustice in school and students’ emotions, well-being, and behavior: A longitudinal study. Social Justice Research, 29(1), 119–138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-015-0234-x.
Rantala, T. & Määttä, K. (2012). Ten theses of the joy of learning at primary school. Early Child Development and Care, 182(1), 87-105.
Sanderse, W. (2013). The meaning of role modelling in moral and character education. Journal of Moral Education, 42(1), 28-42.
Schutz, P. & DeCuir, J. (2002). Inquiry on emotions in education. Educational Psychologist, 37(2), 125–134.
Schutz, P. & Lanehart, S. (2002). Introduction: Emotions in education. Educational Psychologist, 37(2), 67–68.
Seifert, T. (2004). Understanding student motivation. Educational Research, 46(2) 137–149.
Sriprakash, A. (2009). ‘Joyful Learning’ in rural Indian primary schools: an analysis of social control in the context of child‐centred discourses. Compare, 39(5), 629-641. DOI:10.1080/03057920903125677
Tobin, K., Ritchie, S., Oakley, J., Mergard, V. & Hudson, P. (2013). Relationships between emotional climate and the fluency of classroom interactions. Learning Environment Research, 16, 71–89.
Van Manen, M. (2012). The Call of Pedagogy as the Call of Contact. Phenomenology & Practice, 6(2), 8-34.
Van Manen, M. (2016[1997]). Researching lived experience: human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. (Second edition.). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Williams, N. L. & Bauer, P. T. (2006). Pathways to affective accountability: Selecting, locating, and using children’s books in elementary school classrooms. The Reading Teacher, 60(1), 14–22.
Zitomer, M.R. (2016). ‘Dance Makes Me Happy’: experiences of children with disabilities in elementary school dance education. Research in Dance Education, 17(3), 218-234.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Marita Cronqvist
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
