Affective Factors Influence Classroom Learning - …

1 Richard E. Ripple promote effective and efficient student Learning aimed at developing all human abilities and nourishing appropriately wholesome Affective characteristics. The Factors influencing student Learning are numerous and diverse. To arrive at a useful conceptualization of Classroom Learning it is necessary to classify these Affective Factors variables into manageable categories. Gallagher (1964) has proposed a model of productive thinking as a func Influence tion of motivational, personality, and cognitive Factors operating in different environmental situations. He sees a Classroom large number of different patterns of in tellect, motivation, personality, and en vironment leading to productive think Learning ing. It is suggested, for example, that an individual operating under high mo tivation might overcome the effects of an inadequate environment, or that negative personality Factors might be compensated by a good environment.

2 More closely related to Classroom SOCIAL psychologists warn us Learning , Klausmeier (1961) has pre that communication between members sented a conception of Factors affecting teaching- Learning processes in any be of different subgroups in our culture is havioral setting for Learning . Six main fraught with peril. Mindful of this peril, the writer presents in this paper a review Factors are identified: learner character of some research on the Influence of af istics, teacher characteristics, learner fective Factors on Classroom Learning . A and teacher behaviors, group character istics, physical characteristics of the be frame of reference is presented first. This havioral setting, and outside forces. As is followed by a review of research on Klausmeier uses the term, behavior im teacher-learner Affective characteristics plies verbalizing, doing, and feeling and interactions, and some concluding the entire range of cognitive, psycho- remarks.

3 Motor, and Affective activities engaged in Doubtless the general goal of educa by teachers and learners. tion can be stated in many different ways. From the point of view of an edu These general formulations suggest cational psychologist the writer would the complex interrelationships of many- define this general objective as the ar Factors and classes of variables affecting rangement of conditions which will Classroom Learning . Specifically for the purposes of this paper, these formula Richard E. Ripple i* Attociate Profettor of tions call attention to the important in Educational Ptychology, Cornell Vnivernly, fluence of Affective Factors . As used here, Ithaca, JVew York. Affective Factors are those referring to 476 Educational leadership personal-soc'ial-cmotional behaviors of There is evidence from research done teachers and learners and to rhe feeling in Classroom settings to support the no tone of the Learning environment gener tion that students react positively to ated by their interactions.

4 Teacher behavior characterized as warm Current emphasis centers on cognitive and nurturant. This type of behavior can processes. The many curriculum reform perhaps best be described as consider projects are based on a cognitive ap ate, understanding and friendly with a proach (Ripple and Rockcastle, 1964). tolerance for some release of emotional Piaget, whose Influence is recently being feeling by students. Reed (1962) found felt in American education, is concerned that teachers so characterized had a with the developmental nature and proc favorable Influence on students' interest ess of cognition (Flavell, 1963). Guil- in science. Cogan (1958) found that stu ford's model of intellect emphasizes the dents with warm, considerate teachers individual differentiation of cogni produced unusual amounts of original tive abilities (Guilford, 1959).

5 Bruner poetry and art. In a correlational study, (1964), another psychologist with an in Ryans (1961) noted strong positive re creasing Influence on educational prac lationships in elementary school class tice, is mainly concerned with cognitive rooms between observers' assessment of growth. productive student behavior ( , alert There are some voices being raised in ness, participation, confidence, respon warning against an exclusive concern sibility) and identified patterns of with cognition. For example, Sears and teacher behavior, such as understanding, Hilgard have written: friendly Classroom behavior; organized, In these days of emphasis upon cognitive businesslike Classroom behavior; and processes, it is quite possible for the pendu stimulating, original Classroom behavior.

6 Lum to swing too far, and hence to defeat In secondary school classrooms these re the attainment of the very cognitive goals lationships were less pronounced, with that are being sought.. the teacher's stimulating, original tearher behavior awareness of the Affective interaction with showing a higher correlation with stu pupils is as important in a curriculum di dent behavior than the other teacher rected toward cognition as one with other behavior patterns. goals, such as those of social competence or In an exploratory study of relation personal adjustment (Sears and Hilgard, 1964, page 197). ships between selected teacher and pupil characteristics, Christensen (1960) found warmth of teachers significantly related Affective Characteristics to student vocabulary and arithmetic and Interactions achievement.

7 Teacher warmth and It would seem evident that teacher the directiveness-permissiveness of the behavior has an effect on student be teacher in teaching subject matter were havior. Although it is not expected (or studied as separate dimensions. Results desired) that all teachers have identical are interpreted as supporting the con personalities, several investigations of tention that the teacher's Affective re the Affective dimension of teacher be sponse is more important for growth in havior have yielded guidelines for fos achievement than permissiveness. tering productive student behavior and In order for productive Learning to go mental health. on, teachers must maintain a sense of '477. April 1965. order and decorum in (lie Classroom . The of teacher dominative behavior to pro way the teacher manages students' be duce student dominative behavior.)

8 Havior in Classroom settings is another Flanders (1949) investigated how form of teacher behavior having Affective Learning and achievement arc influenced consequences. A series of studies of by the nature and quality of teacher- Classroom management by Kounin and pupil interactions. Students experienced ". Gump (1961a, 1961b) is revealing in two different Learning situations. Social- this regard. emotional differences between the two It was found that the teachers' tech situations were created by the role of the niques of handling a misbehaving kin teacher. In one situation teacher behavior dergarten child had different degrees supported the teacher first, the prob of socializing success on other children lem second, and the student third. In in the Classroom .

9 Control techniques the other situation teacher behavior sup high in clarity (defining the misbe ported the student first, the problem sec havior and specifying how to stop) ond, and the teacher third. In the first were most successful. Control techniques teacher role, student behavior reflecting high in firmness ( , standing closer interpersonal anxiety took precedence to the child and looking at him until over behavior oriented to the Learning he stopped misbehaving) were success content. Also, it appeared that demand ful only for audience children who were ing, deprecating teacher behavior re misbehaving at the time. Control tech sulted in aggression, hostility and apathy niques high in roughness (showing anger toward Learning . Teacher behavior or and physical handling) were least suc iented toward supporting the learner cessful and tended to be followed by elicited less interpersonal anxiety in stu behavior disruptions, decreased involve dents, more problem solving behavior, ment in school work, and overt anxiety.

10 And a greater degree of emotional inte A study conducted with first graders gration. yielded the conclusion that children with Several research reviews suggest that punitive teachers, as compared to chil the role of anxiety in the Learning situ dren with nonpunitive teachers, manifest ation is exceedingly complex (Bronfen- more aggression in their misconducts, brenner and Ricciuti, 1960; Ruebush, are more unsettled about misconduct in 1963). While a mild degree of anxiety school, and are less concerned with appears to facilitate Learning , Symonds Learning . Similar results were found with (1958) proposed that teachers should eighth and ninth grade classes. not deliberately arouse anxiety in learn Research by Anderson and Brewer ers. Most Learning situations are suffi (1945, 1946) was also addressed to the ciently anxiety producing in themselves nonintellectual concomitants of teacher and the better approach is to reduce dominance.