Emotions in Learning Science

Abstract

Our purpose in this chapter is to review a discerning selection of recent science education research on the topic of emotions. Within the theme of theoretical foundations, we firstly discuss the big ideas influencing this body of literature that we describe in terms of ontology, epistemology and time; emotion and embodied experience; mindfulness; expression of emotion; and, emotional energy and emotional climate. We then review the most recent of these studies to highlight the outcomes of these investigations as they relate to school classrooms or teacher education. The studies included in this overview offer a foundation for future research, and support the forthcoming chapters of this collection that document emotional events in a range of contexts and from complementary and new perspectives.