Effects of Classroom Activities on Affective State - A Comparison ofThird and Fifth Graders
Résumé
We analysed the influence of classroom activities on children’s affective states. Children perform many differentactivities in the course of an ordinary school day, some of which may trigger changes in their affective state andthus in the availability of their cognitive resources and their degree of motivation. To observe the effects of twosuch activities (listening to a text and performing a dictation) on affective state, according to grade, we asked 39third graders and 40 fifth graders to specify their affective state at several points in the day. Results showed thatthis state varied from one activity to another, and was also dependent on grade level. Third graders differed fromfifth graders in the feelings elicited by the activities. The possible implications of these findings for the field ofeducational psychology and children’s academic performance are discussed.