NATIONAL FORUM OF TEACHER EDUCATION JOURNAL

VOLUME 16, NUMBER 3, 2006

Are Educators Prepared to Affect the Affective Domain?

Dr. Kimberly G. Griffith

Associate Professor
Lamar University

Anna Dimy Nguyen, M.Ed.

Doctoral Student
Dept. of Educational Leadership,
Counseling and Development
Lamar University

ABSTRACT

Because of their motivation and compassion, educators believe they can significantly
influence the development of their students’ personal and emotional growth. Unfortunately
the focus that most educators find in today’s classroom is not how we can positively affect
our students, but rather the intense focus on the acquisition of minimum levels of academic
skills. We are so intent on meeting the No Child Left Behind act that we don't make the time
to address the affective domain. This study conducted on pre-service teachers completing
their clinical semester of student teaching found their "real life" practices pushed
accountability at the risk of minimizing or ignoring the affective domain. We focus on
diversity, but we do not focus on the diverse needs that include the affective domain.

W
orking with individuals seeking educator certification, we have had the opportunity
to ask them their rationale for entering the profession. Besides a need to have similar
schedules that coincide with their children and families, one significant theme
expressed by many is their desire to positively affect children. Most of those currently entering the
profession feel that they can make a significant contribution through the affective domain.
Because of their work, motivation and compassion, these individuals believe they can significantly
influence the development of their students’ personal and emotional growth (Eggen & Kauchak,
2005).
A contrasting focus that most educators find in today’s educational setting is not

1
NATIONAL FORUM OF TEACHER EDUCATION JOURNAL
2____________________________________________________________________________________

how we can positively affect our students but rather the intense focus on the acquisition of
minimum levels of academic skills. To meet the expectations of the No Child Left Behind Act of
2001 (NCLB), a large number of states have mandated a specific curriculum consisting solely of
academic criteria for each grade level and/or subject (P.L. 107-110, sec. 2402(b)). In Texas, the
state has mandated the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) outlining what to teach,
when to teach it, how to teach it and what level of mastery per grade level or subject (Texas
Education Agency (TEA), 2005a).
Contract renewals for many superintendents, district coordinators, principals and teachers
are contingent on the level their students master these skills on the state-based proficiency exams.
This fear of non-renewal due to the performance level of their students fuel educators to keep their
absolute focus on the cognitive domain. Little time or energy is focused on the receiving,
responding, valuing, organizing and value characterizing aspects of the affective domain
(Santrock, 2003).
Accountability, based on minimum skills proficiency exams, is the center of the
educational world. For many, the end results of our efforts are test scores and the mastery of
academic skills. The original purpose of education in this country was to prepare children for
citizenship. The Common Schools defined citizenship as being an educated individual that could
read, write, perform mathematical operations, be an independent thinker, an effective employee
and possessed an overall sense of social responsibility.
The biggest critics of today’s educational efforts have been business and society. They
have both focused on their displeasure with our finished product (Johanns, 2005). Even with our
focus on the acquisition of academic skills we are still producing many students that fall short in
this area. What good is the acquisition of a vast range of academic skills if we are unable to
integrate them? Students need to be able to communicate, value, organize and characterize to
effectively utilize and make sense of what they have learned. It is difficult to achieve even the
highest levels in the cognitive domain if we don’t teach and develop those complementary skills in
the affective domain. To effectively utilize and integrate the skills mastered, students must
become critical thinkers. Although we relate cognitive development to critical thinking, we can
only reach those higher levels if we concurrently address the affective domain.
Emotions and feelings are critical to how students feel. These emotions and feelings are a
great part of the interactions and relationships that form within the classroom. Data indicate that
relationships in the classroom directly effected the learning environment (Russell, 2004).
Learning is essential for students to master skills but if the affective domain is ignored, the
cognitive areas are greatly affected. If one feels threatened, sad, stressed, etc., the learning process
can break down. Respect of individual differences is also an important characteristic of a healthy
classroom environment that supports learning (Williams, 2003).
The three domains of cognitive, psychomotor and affective are tightly integrated aspects of
human learning. Many institutions focus only on the skills and knowledge domains. Many trainers
of educational professionals have shied away from the affective domain because of its complexity
(Adkins, 2004). Unfortunately, the cognitive domain is like a skeleton without the skin if we
forget to nourish the affective domain.

Purpose of the Study

 KIMBERLY G. GRIFFITH AND ANNA DIMY NGUYEN
___________________________________________________________________________________3

The purpose in conducting this study was to determine the effectiveness of the educator
preparation program in the College of Education and Human Development. In the state of Texas,
accountability drives the educational preparation of students in grades K - 16. The Texas
Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) governs the curriculum for K - 12 (Texas Education
Agency (TEA), 2005b). Educator preparation programs are also governed by a state-adopted
exam known as the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES). These exams, which
cover several different areas, stress competencies in standards which educators apply critical
instructional skills in educational environments. Although we are to have an understanding of the
needs of the diverse learner, we seldom look at the diverse needs of each child we teach. We focus
on diversity, but we do not focus on the diverse needs that include the affective domain.

Summary of Procedures

Seventy students, who had recently finished their clinical semester of student teaching,
were asked to complete a Student Teaching Needs Assessment during the last week of their
educator preparation program. These respondents had returned to the university to complete the
final requirements of their educator preparation program and provide feedback for program
improvement. Students were asked to complete a Likert based survey evaluating their student
teaching experience. The Student Teaching Needs Assessment was used to measure their feelings
of preparation in the areas of communication and addressing the affective domain in their
instruction.

Summary of Findings

The data provided insight into the current trends in public schools. Though students
entering the education profession thought they had the knowledge to teach the affective domain,
many student teachers did not find the time to teach affective skills. Before starting student
teaching, sixty-eight percent of respondents felt they had the knowledge and skills necessary to
teach affective skills. After the ten-week student teaching period, only thirty-nine percent of
respondents actually had the chance to teach those skills. In addition, respondents felt that
principals and teachers focused the most attention on TAKS testing in the cognitive domain, rather
than the affective domain. For example, character education time is usually used for teaching
additional TAKS skills.

Conclusion

As knowledgeable educators, we know that students need to be taught in the three domains,
NATIONAL FORUM OF TEACHER EDUCATION JOURNAL
4____________________________________________________________________________________

cognitive, psychomotor and affective. Results of this study suggest that having this knowledge
and utilizing the knowledge are two different things. With the heavy emphasis on teaching every
student to minimize educational gaps and accountability, the time allotted for character education
has been pushed aside and often time forgotten. Some future research is needed to determine how
the lack of teaching affective skills affects students, test scores, and the final education product.

References

Adkins, S. (2004). Beneath the tip of the iceberg. American Society for Training &
Development, 58(2), 28-33.
Eggen, P. & Kauchak, D. (2005). Educational psychology: Windows on the classroom (6th
ed.). Upper Saddle,NJ: Prentice Hall.
Johanns, K. (2005). Back to the drawing board: The case for redesigning America's high
schools. ATPE News, 26(2), 20-23.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107-110, 115 Stat. 1425 (2002).
Russell, M. (2004). The importance of the affective domain in further education classroom
culture. Research in Post- Compulsory Education, 9(2), 249-270.
Santrok, J. (2003). Life Span Development (7th ed.). McGraw Hill.
Texas Education Agency (TEA). (2005a). Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.
Retrieved November 12, 2005, from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/teks/
Texas Education Agency (TEA). (2005b). Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.
Retrieved November 12, 2005, from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/assessment.html
Texas Examinations of Educator Standards. (2005). 2005-2006 About the ExES/ExCET:
Program overview. National Evaluation Systems, Inc. Retrieved on November 14,
2005 from http://www.excet.nesinc.com/TE14_overview.asp
Williams, L. (2003). Including the affective domain. Teaching Elementary Physical
Education, 14(3), 3-4.