Positive and Negative Affects: The Importance of the Emotions in University Students

Abstract

The positive and negative affects influence print or negatively in future initial education teachers. For these motives the target of the present investigation was to analyze the levels of positive affections (AP) and negatives (AN), and its influence in the academic self-regulation. The sample was of 148 students (100% women) between 16 and 52 years old (Mage = 26.20, SD = 6.53) of the first one to the third studies cycle of the initial education career of a university private of Lima – Peru. The results demonstrated the predominance of the positive affections in contrast to the negatives. And the analyses of multiple linear retrogressions demonstrated that the positive affections predict to the suitable academic self-regulation (β =.42, p <.001), and to the ideal academic performance (β =.20, p <.01). But the negative affections predict the inadequate academic self-regulation this being the interest of study in early education students (β =-.17, p <.05).

Keywords: Initial education careernegative affectspositive affects

Introduction

The recent conceptualizations of emotions refer to these as manifestations or emotional experiences that are molded socially and that depend on the environment (Stanley, 2017); thus, in this context in which people live, they can express their positive affections (PA) (enthusiasm, engagement, pleasure or concentration), ambiguous affections or negative affections (NA) (dislike, anger, contempt, fear or anxiety) (Gray & Watson, 2007). These affective polarities (positive affect PA and negative affect NA) are significantly related to psychological well-being, mental health (Alkhalaf, 2018), the degree of psychological balance and satisfaction with the life that each person experiments; being also of vital importance in future teachers (Gonzáles et al., 2017). Workers who upon graduation and being in the exercise of their career have been considered as the professionals with the highest levels of stress since the 90s of the last century (Pithers & Fogarty, 1995) and in the first decade of this century (Extremera et al., 2010) due to the excessive workload and low salary, which end up exhausting him (a) physically and mentally (Castillo & Montero, 2010). On a physical and mental level, teachers experiment fatigue, irritability, anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, absenteeism (Prieto & Bermejo, 2006), demotivation (Silvero, 2007), heart problems, poor empathy with the student and planning of their learning sessions (Burke et al., 1996).

It is known that PAs have positive effects on well-being and academic performance (Gonzáles et al., 2017), and ANs such as anxiety or stress negatively affect the overall functioning of students (Alkhalaf, 2018), being important to investigate in university students in education careers. For example, the importance of PA and NA in future teachers could be confirmed in the empirical studies of Gonzales, Gonzales and San José in which in a sample of 143university students of the initial and elementary education careers. In this study identified that the PA were significantly related to adequate academic achievement, optimal mental health and adequate levels of life satisfaction (psychological well-being). Then it was identified that the NA are negatively related to mental health and life satisfaction; evidencing that NA are associated with mental problems and dissatisfaction, frustration or discomfort with life.

Finally, concluding that the PA and NA allowed predicting the mental health of future teachers of initial and primary education. Even in this study it was identified that in the students of the professional career of initial education there was a greater predominance of positive affects than in the students of the professional career of primary education (Gonzáles et al., 2017). These studies are essential because they allow us to observe how the emotional state of teachers and teachers could express some kind of positive or negative affect that affects their well-being and mental health (Alkhalaf, 2018), having as harmful consequences for themselves and their work, educational, affecting their relations with the student (Burke et al., 1996). Of course, taking into account that the relations between the teacher and the students are the essence of the teaching and learning processes (Brinkworth et al., 2018). Being these, the reasons why it is relevant to study the expressions of the PA and the NA in students of the education career in the Peruvian context. In addition, while it is known in Peru, secondary school teachers are the teachers with the greatest emotional distress (Marenco-Escuderos & Ávila-Toscano, 2016), in this study we want to explore the levels of PA and NA in students of the professional career of initial education, who are predominantly of the female sex (Consejo Nacional de Educación, 2014). Moreover, with greater reason, because the female teaching population is more prone to psychiatric problems at the time of exercising the professional career (Bermejo-Toro & Prieto-Ursúa, 2014).

Problem Statement

• In the Peruvian context, there is a great demand for initial education teachers and at the same time there is a demand to train initial education teachers with a suitable psychological and emotional profile to practice the profession (Consejo Nacional de Educación, 2014). For these reasons, it is essential to carry out a diagnosis of PA and NA (Gray & Watson, 2007) in future teachers.

Research Questions

What are the levels of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) in students of the professional career of initial education of a private university in Lima-Peru?

Purpose of the Study

According to the above, the objective of this research is to analyze the levels of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) in a sample of students of the professional career of initial education of a private university in Lima-Peru, view figure 1 .

Additionally, the following hypotheses are proposed:

• The positive affect (PA) positively predicts to academic performance, studies cycles and academic self-regulation, and,

• The negative affect (NA) negatively predicts to academic performance, studies cycles and academic self-regulation.

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Research Methods

In accordance with the hypotheses, the present study proposes a quantitative methodology (Appelbaum et al., 2018).

Findings

Analysed the psychometric properties (validity and reliability) was analyzed results in the following order:

Boxplots Analysis

To identify more particular cases in this boxes analysis (Boxplots) (Helsel, 2011) X deposited in the axis variable age group and in the axis Y the variable frequency of positive affects (figure 2 ). With regard to this analysis and in accordance with the status of the scale (1 never – 5 always) appreciates that the central cases of all groups (between the percentile 25 and 75 of the 1st one and the 3rd Tukey hinge) possess a median between 3 to 5 level that refers to that the frequency of positive affects is of “usually”. Only the student 52 is an atypical case.

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Then, next boxes analysis (Boxplots) (Helsel, 2011) X deposited in the axis variable age group and in the axis Y the variable frequency of negative affects (figure 3 ). With regard to this analysis and in accordance with the scale (1 never – 5 always) appreciates that the central cases of all groups (between the percentile 25 and 75 of the 1st one and the 3rd Tukey hinge) possess a median between 2 to 3 level that refers to that the frequency of negative affects is of “hardly ever”. Only the 147 student is a case with highest value, and the 64 student is a case with lowest value.

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Relation between variables

Then, analyzing relationships between variables it was made by Pearson's r correlation coefficients and evaluated with criteria Cohen (1992) for Social Sciences ( light, r = 10-23; moderate, r = .24 -. 36; strong, r = 0.37 more ). Thus, in Figure 4 it shows that the variable “positive affects” demonstrated a moderate positive relationship with the “academic performance” ( r = .24, p <.01 ), other strong positive relationship with the “academic self-regulation” ( r = .48, p <.001 ), and a moderate negative relationship with the “negative affects” ( r = -.33, p <.001 ). Then, the variable “negative affects” demonstrated a light negative relationship with the “academic performance” ( r = -.19, p <.05 ), and other moderate positive relationship with the “academic self-regulation” ( r = -.31, p <.001 ).

Also, the variable “studies cycle” demonstrated a light negative relationship with the “academic self-regulation” ( r = -.19, p <.05 ). Finally, the variable “academic self-regulation” demonstrated a light positive relationship with the “academic performance” ( r = .17, p <.05 ).

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Multiple linear regression

Identifying significant relationships linear regression analysis was performed to estimate the predictive value among the variables studied (Bingham & Fry, 2010). Thus, in figure 5 shows that the variable “positive affects” predicts a positive and significant to “academic self-regulation” ( β = .42, p< .001 ). Then, the variable “negative affects” predicts a negative and significant to “academic self-regulation” ( β = -.17, p< .05 ). Variables observed they explained 24% of the variance ( R² = .24 ). Anova ^{Dependent variable: Academic Self-regulation} ( Squares sum = 12.601, df =2, f = 24.084, p <.001 ^{Predictor: Positive affects, and negative affects} ).

This finding allows to observe that the positive affections (enthusiasm, engagement, pleasure, or concentration) of the students of the initial education career will allow them the adequate and responsible organization of the educational activities. But on the contrary, negative affects (dislike, anger, contempt, fear or anxiety) will negatively influence the academic organization of students.

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Conclusion

Acknowledgments

The present investigation has been developed thanks to the constant support of Andrea Liberata Blas, Maximiliano Bravo and Martha Cunza.

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