Do individual and school-related predictors influence students’ experience of the emotions of enjoyment and boredom after the transition to secondary school?

Abstract

Previous studies have primarily focused on affect-related factors in primary and secondary school students. Positive school-related self-efficacy expectations and intrinsic motivation, in particular, promote positive emotions and inhibit negative emotions during secondary school. However, there is currently insufficient evidence on the period following the transition from primary to secondary school. This is due to a lack of systematic longitudinal studies that examine factors that influence the development of achievement emotions. The objective of this longitudinal study is to analyse the influence of individual factors, such as school-related self-efficacy expectations and motivation, as well as contextual predictors, such as classroom management, clarity, and structure, on the experience of enjoyment and boredom. A total of 584 students (Mage = 10.19 years, SD = 0.45, 84.9% female; 56.2% at middle track schools, 43.8% at higher track schools) were surveyed at three measurement points during the first year of lower secondary school. The results of multilevel growth curve models indicate that the decrease in enjoyment is primarily a consequence of a decline in school-related self-efficacy expectations, while the increase in boredom is mainly due to the aspects of teaching quality.