Emotions Associated with Achievement and their Relationship to Cognitive Processing Levels among High School Female Students in Riyadh city – Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study aimed to detect emotions associated with achievement during classes including, anxiety, pride, shyness, pleasure, despair, anger, and boredom. These are common among high school female students in Riyadh City. The other objective was to detect cognitive processing levels among the same students. These levels include deep processing, formal study, retention of scientific facts, detailed processes. The third objective was to identify the differences in cognitive processing levels between students of high and low sense of emotions associated with achievement during classes. The last objective was to investigate the possibility of predicting cognitive processing levels of information through emotions associated with achievement during classes. The study used two scales: one for emotions associated with achievement during classes, and one for cognitive processing levels. The first was developed by Pekrun, Goetz, Titz & Perry (2002) and translated by Alwatban (2013), and the second was developed by Schmeck (1983) and translated by Al-Ghurairy (2003). These scales were applied to a sample of 523 high school female students in general education schools in Riyadh, with different levels of study and section: Arts and science.  Descriptive and correlational method was used to find averages and standard deviations of the emotions associated with achievement (during classes), levels of cognitive processing, differences in cognitive processing levels which were attributed to the level of the emotions associated with achievement (during classes) using the t-test. The predictability of cognitive processing levels was verified through the emotions associated with achievement (during classes), using the analysis of multiple linear regression. The study concluded with the following results: emotions associated with achievement (during classes) common among the study sample were in order from strongest to weakest, great pride and pleasure, mild boredom and anger, weak despair, and weak shyness and anxiety. Cognitive processing levels common among high school female students were in order from strongest to weakest, retention of facts, deep processing, detailed processing and formal study. There were no differences between the low and high emotions associated with achievement during classes, which were pride and pleasure, boredom and anger, shyness and, anxiety, despair in cognitive processing levels. It was impossible to predict cognitive processing levels through the emotions associated with achievement during classes, which pride and pleasure, boredom and anger, shyness and anxiety, despair.

Keywords: Emotions associated with achievement, Cognitive processing levels, High school female students.