| Abstract: | There is an increasing acknowledgment of the importance of student affect on mathematics learning. Our understanding of emotions is underexamined in comparison to affect of longer duration, e.g. attitudes and beliefs. Yet, it is short-term, in-the-moment affect such as emotion, occurring in real-time, that is malleable by instruction. Across a series of four semi-structured interviews, undergraduate students enrolled in a transition-to-proof course shared their satisfying moments, experiences characterized by significant positive emotion. An expansive range of characteristics of satisfying moments emerged across the overarching categories of accomplishments, sense-making, properties of mathematics, and interactions with people. Satisfying moments tended to exhibit multiple characteristics, but a small set of characteristics were present across many moments: understanding, overcoming challenges, and accomplishments without struggle. Through understanding what elicits satisfaction in mathematics, we can more precisely build learning opportunities that provide positive mathematical experiences to students. |
