Open Access“Since Feeling is First”: Exploring the Affective Dimension of Teacher Licensure Exams
Author(s) -
Emery Petchauer,
Kira J. BakerDoyle,
Lynnette Mawhinney,
Brian CiarKowski
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
multidisciplinary journal of educational research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.181
H-Index - 3
ISSN - 2014-2862
DOI - 10.17583/remie.2015.1495
Subject(s) - licensure , feeling , psychology , dimension (graph theory) , test (biology) , demographics , class (philosophy) , social psychology , teacher preparation , mathematics education , medical education , teacher education , medicine , sociology , paleontology , demography , mathematics , pure mathematics , biology , artificial intelligence , computer science
Teacher licensure exams directly shape the racial demographics of the teaching profession. This is particularly the case for “basic skills” exams that are program entrance requirements in the United States and expanding into other countries. This qualitative study explored an important yet overlooked dimension of these exams for test takers: emotional and affective states. Specifically, we were interested in the affective dimension of the test-taking event. Our findings reveal a number of positive and negative affective states that both African American and White preservice teachers experience during the exam and the processes of appraisal that produce these states. Our findings also highlight the importance of preparation activities prior the exam to help alleviate negative affective states during the exam.