What Are You Feeling Right Now? Moving Beyond Self-Report as a Method for Measuring Epistemic Emotions
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Epistemic emotions are those that arise in the act of knowing or in response to knowledge (Vogl et al., 2020). Existing literature has identified a specific function for each particular emotion within the learning process. They have been observed primarily through self-report questionnaires. While these instruments have proven valuable, they also present limitations that could constrain our insight into the construct. Therefore, this article aims to illustrate alternative ways to operationalize epistemic emotions, specifically regarding their measurement. To this end, a literature review of current measurement instruments was conducted, and a prototype codebook was developed based on Henríquez’s (2022) coding matrix, which was subsequently modified through video analysis and the reviewed literature. This prototype enabled the coding of the seven epistemic emotions described in the literature. These emotions were coded based on who experienced them (intraindividual versus interindividual emotions) and in a non-exclusive manner (allowing for the coding of both specific emotions and coexisting emotions within the same segment). These findings challenge the functions traditionally attributed to each epistemic emotion, inviting reflection on the bidirectional relationship between theory and measurement in understanding this phenomenon. Finally, the limitations and future avenues of the instrument are discussed.
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