Emotions influencing learning are often overlooked in engineering education, which emphasizes rationality and technical competence. However, recent studies highlight the impact of emotional experiences on outcomes such as academic achievement, engagement, and persistence, particularly for first-year engineering students facing transitional challenges. This study explores how emotional factors, specifically valence and arousal, affect the early transformative experiences of these students. Drawing on the Circumplex Model of Affect and Transformative Learning Theory, it examines how these affective dimensions intersect with the transformative learning journey. Data were collected through surveys including a validated emotion scale and the Learning Activities Survey (LAS) instrument. Results reveal a strong match between students’ affective measures and their transformative learning experience. Findings highlight the need for emotionally intelligent teaching practices to support students’ transformative experience, resilience, personal growth, and academic development. Integrating emotionally responsive pedagogical approaches can better prepare students for the complexities of academic and professional engineering environments.
Kwuimy et al. (Mon,) studied this question.