The Role of Academic Emotions in College Students’ Academic Performance: Evidence from Negative Emotional Effects

Abstract

This research focuses on elucidating the intricate role academic emotions play in college students' academic performance, with a particular emphasis on the impact of negative emotions, drawing evidence from a study centered on their effects. Utilizing questionnaires, data were gathered from 126 students enrolled in four-year universities located in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. A meticulous analysis was then conducted to explore the correlations among positive emotions, negative emotions, implicit theories of intelligence, and academic outcomes. The results unveiled a pronounced negative correlation between negative emotions and academic performance. Specifically, students experiencing elevated levels of negative emotions tended to exhibit lower academic achievements. This finding underscores the detrimental influence negative emotions exert on students' motivation, the adoption of effective learning strategies, and ultimately, their overall performance. In contrast, no statistically significant relationships were identified between positive emotions, implicit theories of intelligence, and academic success. This suggests that while positive emotions and beliefs about intelligence may not have a direct bearing on academic performance, they could potentially influence it indirectly through mediating factors such as motivation and learning approaches. The insights gleaned from this study enrich our understanding of the multifaceted ways in which academic emotions and beliefs about intelligence interact to shape college students' academic performance. The findings particularly highlight the critical need to address negative emotions and cultivate positive emotional states among students, as these measures are essential for enhancing learning efficiency and fostering academic success.