THE IMPORTANCE OF EMOTIONS IN CREATING LASTING IMPACT AND LEARNING THROUGH EXPERIENTIAL OUTDOOR EDUCATION ________________________________________________ A thesis submitted in part fulfilment of The degree of Master of Education Jean Cory-Wright 29782129 University of Canterbury 2019 __________________________________________________ i ABSTRACT The motivation for this research arose from my experiences in education outdoors and through conversations with colleagues and students, which suggest that the outdoors is a high impact learning space. People generally remember their experiences at outdoor camps fondly, in detail and with an element of satisfaction. There is some research to support this but most of it is not conclusive enough to support long term educational planning. This thesis is a research project on the long-term impacts of education in the outdoors. It is looking in particular at the learning of theoretical concepts in an outdoor setting using experiential teaching methods, which aim to stimulate high emotional engagement. The thesis is underpinned by a qualitative methodology using emergent theme analysis of the participants constructed memories and learning. The data collected was analysed using both manual and Nvivo techniques to search for emerging emotions themes. These were then unpacked further in relation to Scherer’s Geneva Emotions Wheel. The research influenced the ongoing development and delivery of the engaging sessions. The research design used in depth interviews with 13 graduates from a course, which had utilised the engaging outdoor and experiential methods. The time since the participants had the experiences was between 1 and 15 years before the interview. The interviews were conducted in a way, which initially minimised any prompting of memory so that the participants’ unsolicited narratives of their experiences and emotions at the time could emerge. Some expected themes emerged resolutely in many stories, such as enjoyment, excitement and interest. There was also an observable difference between the interesting and enjoyment experiences, with interest being something that grew out of an enjoyable experience. It was remarkable that theoretical learning had been recounted as much as practical learning. An unexpected theme was the occurrence of negative emotions such as frustration and annoyance, but there was a strong trend of adapting to these with emotion regulation skills. A significant occurrence was the many vivid and strong memories of recalled experiences that had had a high learning impact, named in this thesis as “High Impact Learning Moments”. These seemed to link both emotions and cognition into a memorable and deep learning experience. A model is presented to use as a reflection tool for all learning moments, as the data suggested that there is a strong connection between the emotions and learning. Conclusions are presented and recommendations for future research suggested. Finally, the exciting implications of embedding these engaging methods into practice is illuminated. This research lends further weight to the power of emotional engagement in learning experiences in the outdoors and is a small contribution to the growing body of research on the emotions and learning. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express sincere thanks to my supervisors Dr Veronica O’Toole and Dr Chris North for their unwavering support during the whole of this thesis process. I really appreciate their patience and belief in me to complete this, and their timely reminders for me to move on to the next phase of the work. I would also like to thank my work colleagues for their encouragement and in particular Dr David Irwin and Dr Allen Hill for their academic advice and Dr Jo Straker for her encouragement and support. Another colleague who I wish to thank from the bottom of my heart is Michelle Moyle, who often ends up taking on extra work when I am in study mode. To the graduates who participated in this study, thank you for sharing your stories with me, they were fascinating. I also pass on thanks to all the students who have ever been part of my classes and field trips, for your keen engagement. My parents are not around anymore but I heartily thank them for encouraging me to work in the education field as it is a passion of mine and they recognised this. To my dear husband Alistair, I thank you for your encouragement and listening ear. To my children, Ed and Katie, I thank you for just being you, but also for responding so wonderfully to my educational and psychological parenting. I dedicate this thesis to my whole family because each of you has contributed so much to my thinking and practice. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 Overall Aims ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction and Background from the Researcher: ........................................................................... 1 The Emergence of the Research Exploration and Methods ................................................................ 3 Definitions of Terms ...................................................................................................................................... 3 A Brief Overview of the Purpose of each Chapter ............................................................................. 3 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................... 5 Emotions and Learning ....................................................................................................................... 5 Emotions and Educational Theory ...................................................................................................... 6 Emotions and Positive Psychology in Learning ................................................................................. 8 Emotions and Experiential Learning................................................................................................... 9 Emotions and Outdoor Learning ....................................................................................................... 10 Emotions and Learning: the Biological Basis ................................................................................... 12 Emotions and Learning: Models and Theories Supporting the Analysis .......................................... 13 Scherer’s Component Process View ........................................................................................................ 13 Scherer’s Geneva Emotions Wheel (2014) .............................................................................................. 14 Fredrickson Broaden and Build Theory................................................................................................... 17 Jacobs and Gross Process Model of Emotion Regulation ....................................................................... 17 Hidi and Renninger: Four Phase Model of Interest Development (2006) ............................................... 19 Markey & Loewenstein Information Gap Theory .................................................................................. 21 The Reward and Seeking Systems: Panksepp (1998), Kang et al. (2006) Ainley and Hidi, (2014). ....... 21 Damasio’s Emotion- Cognition Model .................................................................................................... 22 Emotions and Memory: Schacter (1996), Walker, Vogl and Thompson (1997) ..................................... 23 Summary of Literature Review ......................................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................ 25 Theoretical Background .................................................................................................................... 25 Research Design................................................................................................................................ 27 Ethical Considerations ...................................................................................................................... 28 iv Trustworthiness ................................................................................................................................. 29 Researcher Bias ............................................................................................................................................ 30 Procedures and Instruments .............................................................................................................. 31 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................................... 35 Summary of Methodology ................................................................................................................ 40 CHAPTER 4 OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS ................................................................ 42 First Impressions ............................................................................................................................... 42 Significant Principal Memories for each Participant ........................................................................ 43 Percentages of Sessions Remembered and Timing of Recall ..........................................................