EMOTION AND COGNITION IN PHYSICS EDUCATION: TENSIONS, CONTRADICTIONS, AND EXPANSIVE LEARNING

Abstract

This article is an excerpt from a study on the relationships between emotion and cognition in teaching and learning processes, taking as a reference the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, based on the formulations of Leontiev, Vygotsky, Davydov, and Engeström. The study investigated the relationship between emotions and cognition in the context of physics teaching, analyzing how the participants’ feelings influence the meaning of the action and their engagement in teaching and study activities. The research, qualitative in nature, used participant observation, field diary, recordings, and focus group. The analysis was grounded in Activity Theory and highlighted three central categories: tensions, transformations, and expansive learning. The results show that tensions and contradictions, often triggered by external elements or new demands, act as a driving force for transformations in the activity, and that the valence of emotions — Motive Approach (APM) or Motive Avoidance (AFM) — decisively influences participants’ persistence or withdrawal in relation to the object of the activity. It is concluded that emotion management and teacher mediation are fundamental for enhancing expansive learning, indicating the importance of pedagogical strategies that integrate cognitive, emotional, and motivational aspects into the educational process.