Emotions as a specific aspect of Higher Education

Emotion as a phenomenon in education has long been recognised; however, it can be argued, that it has never been fully acknowledged by the higher education institutions. Therefore, the findings of this research project offer an opportunity for the audience to ‘enter the world of the student’s emotion’. The project explored the relationship between the emotion of eight mature female students and their academic performance, and the impact on their work related life by the end of the three years full-time study. Participants agreed to share their views through a written task and a follow-up unstructured interview. Their narratives were analysed using the feminist post-structuralist approach, which highlights the ongoing debate between emotion and education, reflecting on the dualism of ‘rational/emotional, mind/body, public/private, masculine/feminine split’ (Leathwood and Hay, 2009, p. 429). Each account revealed the participant’s own point of view and personal experience. In this paper I share some of the challenges I come across in my research particularly the ways in which the narratives were analysed