Emotions and emotional energy in the science classroom: a discussion of measurement

In this commentary, I consider different theoretical and methodological aspects of Davis and Bellocchi’s study. I begin by identifying definitions of constructs of emotions and emotional energy. Next, I offer an alternative perspective for the reported findings in light of the control-value theory of achievement emotions. After that, I discuss different methods of measuring emotions, focusing specially on their merits and shortcomings. The paper then ends with a discussion about the important contributions of Davis and Bellocchi’s study wherein I outline a number of points science education researchers could consider in studying emotions.