Topic Emotions Survey

Abstract

The Topic Emotions Survey (TES) is a specialized psychometrics instrument designed to capture the intensity of specific, self-reported emotions experienced by individuals when engaging with or reflecting upon a particular academic topic, concept, or challenging learning situation. Originating primarily from research in educational psychology concerning cognitive and affective processes, the TES utilizes a 16-item list covering a spectrum of positive, negative, and epistemic affective states. It serves as a vital tool for researchers investigating how emotional responses mediate cognitive outcomes, such as attitude formation, deep learning, and successful conceptual change. The scale is highly adaptable, allowing the prompt to be tailored to specific research contexts, ranging from controversial science topics (e.g., Pluto’s reclassification, Genetically Modified Organisms) to general academic difficulty.

Keywords

Emotions, Affect, Learning, Conceptual Change, Educational Psychology, Attitude, Motivation, Science Education, Academic Achievement, Topic-Specific Affect.

Authors

Suzanne H. Broughton, Gale M. Sinatra, E. M. Nussbaum.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Topic Emotions Survey is to provide a standardized, quantitative measure of the affective responses elicited by a specific stimulus within a learning environment. Unlike broader measures of mood or general anxiety, the TES focuses on **topic-specific affect**, offering a snapshot of the emotional state directly tied to the subject matter being studied or evaluated. This specificity is crucial for discerning which emotions (e.g., frustration versus interest) are most predictive of engagement and learning success.

The scale is frequently employed to test theoretical models that position emotions as active drivers of cognitive processing. For instance, researchers use the TES to explore how feelings of hopefulness or confidence might mitigate the negative cognitive load associated with difficult material, thereby facilitating deeper processing and positive conceptual change.

Construct

The Topic Emotions Survey measures the construct of **Contextualized Academic Emotions**. This construct acknowledges that emotional experiences in educational settings are multidimensional and transient, varying significantly based on the content or task at hand. The 16 items included in the survey are designed to capture a comprehensive range of feelings, which are typically grouped into two or three primary factors in subsequent analysis: Positive Affect (e.g., Enjoyment, Excited, Confident) and Negative Affect (e.g., Angry, Anxious, Shame).

The inclusion of emotions such as Confused and Frustrated allows the scale to tap into epistemic emotions—those emotions specifically related to the process of knowledge acquisition and evaluation. Measuring these distinct facets of affective experience allows researchers to understand the complex relationship between emotional state, metacognition, and achievement motivation in diverse academic contexts.

Validity

The validity of the Topic Emotions Survey is supported by strong evidence of **construct validity** derived from its consistent application across various studies (Broughton et al., 2013; Heddy et al., 2016). The scale demonstrates meaningful correlations between derived affective subscales and relevant cognitive and motivational outcomes. For example, positive affect consistently correlates positively with measures of conceptual understanding and open-mindedness toward new information.

Furthermore, **predictive validity** has been established in studies showing that initial emotional responses (measured by the TES) to a topic significantly predict subsequent behavioral engagement and success in overcoming deeply held misconceptions, a core component of conceptual change. The adaptability of the prompt, while maintaining the same 16-item structure, contributes to the scale’s strong ecological validity across different subjects and learner populations.

Reliability

Reliability for the TES is typically demonstrated through high internal consistency when the 16 individual items are aggregated into broader subscales (e.g., Positive Affect, Negative Affect). Research utilizing the scale generally reports Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients well within acceptable ranges (often exceeding 0.80) for these composite scores, indicating that the items measuring a specific type of affect are highly correlated and reliable within the context of that measurement.

While the scale measures transient states, which makes traditional test-retest reliability less appropriate, the consistent factor structure identified through factor analysis across diverse samples (elementary students, college learners) supports the structural reliability and consistency of the instrument as a measure of topic-specific emotions.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the Topic Emotions Survey typically reveals a robust, multi-dimensional structure. The most common finding is a clear differentiation between **Positive Affect** and **Negative Affect** factors. For instance, studies examining college students’ responses often extract two primary factors that account for a significant portion of the variance in the items.

More nuanced analyses, particularly those focused on learning contexts, sometimes reveal a third factor encompassing **Epistemic Emotions** (e.g., Confusion, Frustration), distinct from general anxiety or sadness. This consistent structural integrity across studies focused on science education (Pluto, GMOs) and general academic challenges validates the instrument’s ability to distinctly measure these affective components, crucial for understanding achievement motivation.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report measure of academic affect/topic-specific emotions.

Format: 16 items rated on a 5-point Likert Scale.

Language Available: English (Primary studies).

Population Group: Educational setting learners (Elementary students to University adults).

Age Group: Varies, typically 9 years old and above through adulthood.

Population Details: Used with samples investigating conceptual change in science education, and college students examining the relationship between perfectionism and well-being in difficult courses.

Test Methodology: Respondents are presented with a specific topic or context (e.g., a difficult class, a scientific concept) and asked to rate how strongly they feel each of the 16 listed emotions using the 5-point scale.

Keywords

Affective Measurement, Educational Assessment, Student Emotions, Science Education, Psychometrics, Academic Well-being, Cognitive Conflict, Assessment.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not Provided

Affiliation Email addresses: Not Provided

Correspondence Address: Not Provided

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Topic Emotions Survey is widely used in academic research, and the instrument is typically available for use upon citation of the original works (Broughton et al., 2012, 2013). No explicit fee is associated with its use in non-commercial academic settings. The earliest major usage and publication establishing the instrument occurred in **2012**.

Reference’s

Broughton, Suzanne H., Sinatra, G.M., and Nussbaum, E.M., (2012). “Pluto Has Been a Planet My Whole Life!” Emotions, Attitudes, and Conceptual Change in Elementary Students Learning about Pluto’s Reclassification. Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications. Paper 288. (Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/teal_facpub/288)

Broughton, S. H., Sinatra, G. M., & Nussbaum, E. M. (2013). “Pluto has been a planet my whole life!” Emotions, attitudes, and conceptual change in elementary students learning about Pluto’s reclassification. Research in Science Education, 43(2), 529-550.

Farkas, Tracy Anne. (2014). Perfectionism: The relationship to well-being and achievement motivation in college learners. University of Oklahoma. Doctoral dissertation. (Available at: https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/14056/2014_Farkas_Tracy_Dissertation.docx?sequence=1)

Sinatra, G. M., Broughton, S. H., Lombardi, D. (2014). Emotions in science education. In R. Pekrun, & L. M. Linnenbrink-Garcia (Eds.), International handbook of emotions in education (pp. 415-436). New York: Taylor & Francis/Routledge.

Heddy, Benjamin C., Danielson, Robert W., Sinatra, Gale M. & Graham, Jesse. (2016). Modifying Knowledge, Emotions, and Attitudes Regarding Genetically Modified Foods, The Journal of Experimental Education. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~jessegra/papers/Heddy%20et%20al%20GMOs%202016.pdf (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2016.1260523)

Items of the Topic Emotions Survey

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

When I think about the most difficult class in my degree program‚ I feel:

1. Angry
2. Hopeful
3. Anxious
4. Happy
5. Confused
6. Interested
7. Frustrated
8. Hopeless
9. Enjoyment
10. Satisfaction
11. Shame
12. Sad
13. Proud
14. Excited
15. Disappointed
16. Confident

1= Not at all‚ 2= Very little‚ 3= Moderate‚ 4= Strong‚ 5= Very strong