Volume Two - Academic Conferences

Fauziah Redzuan et al.
According to Clapper (2010), positive emotion can be positively associated with learning. Recent
brain research also indicates that emotions are essential to learning (Rager 2009). In order for
learning to take place, the attention of the learner must first be engaged, and emotional responses
can ‘trigger’ the learners’ attention (Rager 2009: 29). Rager (2009) also suggested that emotional
issues could not be ignored and should be included in all types of learning, and stressed that more
research is needed in this area.
Many researchers highlight the importance of positive emotion in learning, such as in becoming more
efficient, and creative problem solvers, Hirt et al (in Capota, van Hout and van der Geest 2007); to
affect information processing and learning outcomes (Domagk, Schwartz and Plass 2010); to promote
knowledge construction and problem solving (Um, Song and Plass 2007); to improve creativity and
flexibility, Isen (in Chaffar and Frasson 2005); in motivating students (Wang et al 2010); and to help in
performing difficult tasks (MacFadden 2005). However, negative emotion poses several risks
including making simple tasks difficult (MacFadden 2005) and impairing individuals’ abilities to think or
learn efficiently, Goleman (in Chaffar and Frasson 2005).
However, de Jong (2009) implied that emotion in learning is rediscovered. This renewed discovery
may be based on the direction of research from being teacher-centred to learner-centred. This is a
new light to emotion in education, and rejects MacFadden’s (2005) argument that emotion has been
neglected in education and online education, which was reported due to the heavy emphasis on
cognition and rationality. According to him, historically, emotion has not been very appropriate in
education (MacFadden 2005). Additionally, MacFadden also asserted that more investigation was
needed to identify ways that the focus on emotions can inform and strengthen the web-based learning
experience (MacFadden, 2005).
Linnenbrink-Garcia and Pekrun (2011) also highlighted the importance of studying emotions,
especially in the context of a student’s engagement and learning. These authors emphasised that
research on emotions was still limited in educational psychology, a point that was previously stressed
by (Domagk, Schwartz and Plass 2010).
In conclusion, it is evident from the above literature that emotions, especially positive emotions, are
indeed very important and powerful in engaging learners either traditionally or online. Hence, putting
this argument forward, the research reported in this article was conducted in order to investigate the
emotional experience that students would have in online learning, looking into the possibilities to
cluster significant emotions and thus, distinguish between positive and negative emotions.
3. Problems in eLearning
Three important problems that are uniquely associated with the design within the eLearning
environment have been identified from the literature. The first problem, as highlighted by (Vrasidas
2004), focuses on the eLearning design itself, with regard to some problems in the Learning
Management System (LMS). The second problem is associated with the course design in the
eLearning environment, as discussed by (Yang and Cornelius 2004; Fisher and Wright 2010). The
third issue concerns the design of the learning material in the online course, as discussed below.
Although many issues remain, especially related to design in the eLearning environment, the focus of
this research is only on the emotional experience evoked by the design of the learning material in the
online environment.
One of the general problems in web-based design, according to Lokman (2011), is that web-based
design always produces a conflict between the designer’s specification and the user’s conformance.
Her argument agrees with that of Liu’s (2007) that posited that there is a discrepancy between the
designs of eLearning and the learners’ need or preferences, which results in poor learning among
students. This idea is further supported by Stephenson et al (2007), who state that designers should
employ the principles of a user- or learner-centred design. Even though many eLearning materials do
employ multimedia elements, as well as interactivity, these elements still do not meet the expectations
of the user, as noted by Greitzer (in Stephenson et al 2007). The root cause of this problem may be
poor design, organisation of the content or usability.
Furthermore, van Schaik and Ling (2008) also emphasised that poorly designed pages can rapidly
turn users away. O'Brien and Toms (2008) also stated; “a Web interface that is boring, a multimedia
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