Achievement emotions in healthcare education: understanding the application of achievement emotions questionnaire

Abstract

<h3>Background</h3><p>Achievement emotions play an important role in learning, significantly affecting well-being, learning satisfaction, and academic achievement, yet their application to healthcare education remains sparse. To address this gap, this study adapted the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire– Short Version (AEQ-S) in healthcare education. The objective is to assess the applicability, demonstrate its application, and guide future research in achievement emotions within this field.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p>This study involved 296 pre-service students enrolled in interprofessional education (IPE) from various disciplines, including Chinese Medicine, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Speech and Hearing Sciences, and Social Work, who completed the adapted AEQ-S in IPE context (AEQ-SIPE) before and after the IPE. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multiple linear regression were employed to examine the acceptability of AEQ-S.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>The 32-item AEQ-SIPE capturing eight emotions (hope, pride, enjoyment, anxiety, anger, shame, boredom, and hopelessness) yielded good model fit: CFI = 0.937, NFI = 0.904, IFI = 0.937, TLI = 0.928, RMSEA = 0.076) and high internal reliability (α = 0.90 to 0.96). Regression analyses indicated that the eight emotions accounted for a significant amount of variance in explaining well-being and achievement outcomes. <em>Pride</em> positively predicted satisfaction in life, positive affect, and learning satisfaction, while <em>shame</em> negatively predicted satisfaction in life but positively predicted positive and negative affect.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>This study highlights the critical importance of achievement emotions in healthcare education and confirms the AEQ-SIPE as a valid tool for exploring these emotions in IPE. It sets the stage for future research to further investigate and understand the role of achievement emotions in this context.</p>