Frustration and Confusion

I have had several discussions this week with faculty on the topic of student confusion. This week’s article "Sequences of Frustration and Confusion, and Learning” (2013), shares the recent literature on how confusion and frustration can assist in learning, if they are offered, monitored and addressed in intentional ways.

The major finding includes:

• Our analyses suggest that the effect may be stronger for frustration than confusion;

• But is strongest when these two affective states are taken together;

• Found a pattern where confusion and frustration are associated positively with learning for brief episodes and negatively for lengthy episodes;

• Somewhat contrary to expectations, this effect is strongest if the two affective states are considered together, and weakest if confusion is considered alone.