6.9.2024
Doctoral Thesis on cognitive appraisals and information-seeking achievement emotions
M.Sc. Claes Dahlqvist’s doctoral thesis in information studies will be put forth for public defence at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Business and Economics, and Law at Åbo Akademi University.
The thesis is entitled The emotional learning journey – Cognitive appraisals and information-seeking achievement emotions of Swedish primary teacher students.
The public defence of the doctoral thesis takes place on 13 September 2024 at 2PM in auditorium Argentum, Aurum, Henrikinkatu 2, Turku. You can also follow the defence online. Professor Jannica Heinström, Oslo Metropolitan University – Storbyuniversitetet, Norway, will serve as opponent and Professor Kristina Eriksson-Backa, Åbo Akademi University, as custos.
Summary
We can all relate to emotions and how they affect different types of learning situations. However, what emotions actually are and how they interact with cognitive experiences, such as thoughts, require closer exploration. In this compilation thesis, the emotions of primary teacher students and their relations to cognitive behaviours are studied in the process of learning information-seeking skills in connection with a research assignment. Primary teacher students’ learning of information-seeking skills is particularly important to understand, both for successful studies and future research-based professional practice as well as media and information literacy (MIL) educators during pupils’ first formative year in school.
The thesis shows the rich variety of emotions students experience in the interaction with cognitive experiences in a dynamic and complex information seeking and learning process. Having control over learning activities combined with the motivation to perform them led to emotions such as anger and joy. Emotions linked to the future learning goal, such as anxiety and hope, were the result of the degree of perceived certainty of succeeding in achieving it. The students’ success in achieving the learning goal resulted in emotions such as pride in their own achievement and relief at having achieved it.
The thesis also provides answers to what emotions, such as worry and boredom, primary teacher students experience in relation to how a research task’s instructions are perceived in terms of difficulty and motivation to perform them. The support offered by librarians was found to have an impact on the ability to master the instructions followed by positive emotions favourable for learning and the achievement of the learning outcome. Finally, the thesis provides suggestions on how librarians can be involved in the design of learning activities, instructions and learning goals in ways that further promote positive emotions and thus the learning of information-seeking skills.
Claes Dahlqvist can be reached by phone +46 735 328 054 or email claes.dahlqvist@abo.fi.
The doctoral thesis can be read online through the Doria publication archive.
Click here for a press photo of the doctoral student.
Instructions for following the doctoral defence remotely:
To follow the defence, you need the Zoom software or the Google Chrome browser. You do not need to create a Zoom account to follow the defence. If you install the application, you participate by clicking on the meeting link, after which you should allow the link to open in the Zoom app.