Pupils’ Emotional Experience in Human-Technology Interactions

Abstract

The experience of human emotion is a central topic in the research field of product design and human interactions. Emotions have the ability to affect pupils’ experience deeply since the elicitation of emotion has the ability to affect attention, behaviour and attitude towards man-made artefacts. The qualitative study presented in this paper is part of ongoing research intended to develop a framework for modelling pupils’ emotional experiences when interacting with technological artefacts. This paper underlines how the elicitation of emotion is itself a consequence of the interaction between the human individual and the technological artefact. These conceptualisations underline the necessity to study the attributes both human and technological artefacts responsible for the elicitation of emotion. The study presented in this paper focuses on the human element. The participants in this study were students undertaking an undergraduate programme in technical design and technology offered by the Department of Technology and Entrepreneurship Education at the University of Malta. The study reveals that 43% of the subjects are concerned with being provided proper guidance and mentoring particularly when interacting with technological artefacts which are novel to the pupils. In addition, the study reveals that the inherent simplicity of a technological artefact and the ability to provide an immediate visual feedback, as factors which contribute to render the interaction between pupils and technological artefacts more enjoyable.  The results emerging from the empirical study are discussed in light of how pupils’ concerns and emotional experiences influence attitudes towards technological artefacts.