Emotion as Mediated Action in Doing Research on Learning

In this chapter, the authors theorize emotion as action mediated by language and other signs and argue that emotion has consequences for learners as it constrains and enables identity production and opportunities to learn. In particular, Lewis and Crampton apply the theories and methods of mediated discourse—discourse in action—to explain how they can be methodologically useful in the study of emotions in learning. This work foregrounds action in social spaces and provides a lens through which to understand the meaning of signs/tools in practice. Particularly important is the concept of linkage across space-time scales that include the histories of participation and practices within and outside the context where the mediated action occurs. Examples from a secondary English/Language Arts class focused on media production and analysis are used to illustrate the methodological implications of the theory of emotion developed in the chapter.