The impact of positive emotions on academic performance: an applied study in the field of Spanish Foreign Language

On this basis, this paper reports on a study that examines the level of intensity with which 39 students of Spanish experience certain emotions before and after two exams: one oral and one written. As a methodological tool we used an adapted version of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire and Cuestionario de experiencias emocionales, in which the participants assessed the level of intensity associated with twelve emotions. The results show that positive emotions (joy, tranquility, pride, relief, and satisfaction) stand out compared to negative ones both before and after the two tests. In addition, consistently with previous studies, we found that pleasurable emotions (a high level of calmness and low levels of frustration, fear, shame, and sadness) are positively related to better academic performance.