Emotional factors in history learning via digital history narrative creation

This study investigated the potentialities of student produced digital narratives in the context of a secondary history classroom. Using qualitative mixed methods, I employed think-aloud observations, interviews, nonparticipant observations and document collection with 14 high school freshmen as they completed digital history narratives, i.e., historical documentaries, as a requirement of their United States history course. The study found that components of digital history narrative creation evoked strong emotions in secondary high school students. Specifically, working with historical imagery and through a technological medium, study participants showed observable, activity-related achievement emotions; emotions that further resulted in increased motivation towards the successful completion of an original history product. The findings provide evidence that the use of technology and historical imagery possess potential to enhance the emotional quality of students' experience in the history classroom, and furthermore, that certain achievement emotions result in an increase in student motivation.