The Domain Specificity of Academic Emotional Experiences

The authors analyzed the domain specificity of emotions and focused on experiences of enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom in the domains of mathematics, Latin, German, and English. On the basis of assumptions in R. Pekrun’s (2000; in press) control-value theory and findings of pilot studies, the authors hypothesized the existence of a largely domain-specific organization of emotional experiences. The sample consisted of 721 students from grades 7 to 10. Confirmatory multitrait–multimethod factor analysis of the 2-faceted dataset (emotions and domains) corroborated assumptions of domain specificity. Furthermore, using multilevel analysis, the authors found that emotions were significantly more domain-specific than students’ grades, with enjoyment being the most domain-specific of the three emotions under investigation. The authors discuss implications for future research and practice