Ann Jones (2010)
Affective issues in learning technologies: emotional responses to technology and technology’s role in supporting socio-emotional skills
Journal of Interactive media in education
http://jime.open.ac.uk/2010/09
Considers the topic of affective issues in learning technologies by looking back at two projects ( Cicero in 1980 and Bubble dialogue in 1990s) and making comparisons between findings then and more recent work.
Note article also talks about anxiety
Definition of affect
Based on Oates & Nudy (1996) encompases , emotion, mood, attitude and value
Case study 1 -1980 – Cicero
students ( Brain and Behaviour) booked sessions at Regional centre. 4 interactive sessions available
Methods
questionnaires before, during, and after specifically looking at reactions, expectations, attitude.
37% used it – unprompted response from several that they found it to be fun
58% intended to do so.
Follow up interviews at Residential school as to why it was not used
P6 ‘in informal interviews, students were prepared to reveal more about their fears that they expressed in questionniares’
Findings
Barriers
· Scared
· Embarrassed about using it in front of others
· Iy or 2 y reports of a bad computer experience.
These findings were fed back into the construction of the final questionnaire when it was confirmed. ( KRO then don’t want to repeat this when students are working with others)
Students made a cost/ benefit analysis of perceived need which in turn depended on how well it was integrated into the course , the decision depending on the influence of affective factors ie fear, lack of confidence, embarrassment.
Led to a model of barriers that operated at three stages
· Access to hardware,
· access to the program,
· access to the course.
But p6 ‘ doesn’t point up inter-relatedness of the different barriers’
Comparisons with now
Kirkwood and Price (2008) assessment important for take up p 7 ‘ influences what gets studied and how it gets studied’
Confidence and access remain as issues
Case- study 2 Bubble dialogue -1990s nb one of the themes is about handling conflict
P15 ‘ The powerful aspects of bubble dialogue are
Cartoon like graphics, role play, identification, thought/specch distiction, layers of mediation
‘ can express difficult emotions without having to ‘own’ them by ascribing them to the characters that they role play’
2 levels of mediation
children involved didn’t talk directly to a person but interact through a computer, also the child is a character
