From Emotions to Achievement: The Role of Cognitive Control and Teacher Support in Academic Performance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/subbpsyped.2026.1.10Keywords:
negative emotions, cognitive control, academic performance, perceived social support, high school studentsAbstract
This study explores the impact of emotions such as interest, joy, anger, and fear on high school students’ academic achievement, focusing on the mediating role of cognitive control and the moderating effect of perceived social support. Based on educational psychology theories concerning emotion and motivation, the research investigates how positive and negative emotional states—such as interest and joy, alongside anger and fear—affect students’ cognitive control abilities, which in turn influence their academic performance. The study also examines how support from teachers can buffer the negative effects of emotions like anger and fear on cognitive control. The findings reveal a dual pathway through which emotions impact academic performance: directly, by disrupting cognitive processes, and indirectly, by reducing cognitive control. Moreover, the results indicate that higher levels of perceived social support enhance students’ ability to maintain cognitive control despite the presence of negative emotions. These insights underscore the significance of fostering supportive educational environments and implementing strategies that boost both cognitive control and emotional well-being. The study provides valuable implications for educators, school psychologists, and policymakers focused on improving academic outcomes by promoting emotional resilience and enhancing students’ cognitive capabilities.
References
Arsenio, W. F., & Loria, K. (2014). Adolescents’ academic affect and coping strategies: Implications for achievement. Learning and Individual Differences, 35, 43-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2014.06.007
Bandura, A., Barbaranelli, C., Caprara, G. V., & Pastorelli, C. (1996). Mechanisms of moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(2), 364-374. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.71.2.364
Brackett, M. A., Rivers, S. E., & Salovey, P. (2019). Emotional intelligence and academic achievement. Emotion Review, 11(2), 151-160. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073918810734
Camacho-Morles, L., González-Pienda, J. A., & Almeida, L. (2021). The impact of positive activating emotions on academic achievement: The role of engagement and motivation. Learning and Motivation, 72, 101631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2020.101631
Davidovich, N., Tzelgov, J., & Levav, A. (2016). Negative emotions and cognitive control: The role of executive functions. Cognition and Emotion, 30(1), 84-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2015.1027767
Davis, A., Robbins, T., & Smith, R. (2019). Enhancing cognitive control and mitigating emotional distress in adolescents. Learning and Individual Differences, 74, 101-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.04.001
Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135-168. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750
Diener, E., Kesebir, P., & Lucas, R. (2009). Benefits of accounts of well-being: For governments and for individual consumers. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 1(1), 1–22.
Dreisbach, G., & Fischer, R. (2022). Cognitive control and its effects on learning and academic performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 632733. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.632733
Fredrickson, B. L. (2009). Positivity: Groundbreaking research reveals how to embrace the hidden strength of positive emotions, overcome negativity, and thrive. Crown.
Gioia, G. A., Espy, K. A., & Isquith, P. K. (2015). Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Second Edition (BRIEF-2). Psychological Assessment Resources.
Goleman, D. (2018). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books.
Isen, A. M. (2000). Positive affect and decision making. In M. Lewis & J. M. Haviland-Jones (Eds.), Handbook of Emotions (2nd ed., pp. 417-435). Guilford Press.
Gonzalez, A., Paoloni, P. V., & Rinaudo, M. C. (2020). Cognition-emotion interactions and academic achievement: The mediating role of cognitive control and the moderating role of teacher support. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(8), 1621–1638.
Isen, A. M. (2017). Positive affect and decision making. In M. Lewis & J. M. Haviland-Jones (Eds.), Handbook of Emotions (pp. 399-416). https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195398993.013.0024
Izard, C. E. (1997). The Differential Emotions Scale (DES). In C. E. Izard (Ed.), The Psychology of Emotions (pp. 317-331). Springer.
Kool, W. (2018). The interplay between cognitive control and emotional processing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(5), 621–635.
Koukouvelas, A., Papageorgiou, A., & Loukou, S. (2016). Teacher support as a moderator in the relationship between stress and academic performance. Learning and Individual Differences, 49, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2016.05.005
LeBlanc, V. R. (2017). The effects of anxiety on performance. Medical Education, 41(8), 678-684. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.2007.02791.x
Linnenbrink, E. A., & Pintrich, P. R. (2003). The role of emotions in academic learning and achievement. The Educational Psychologist, 38(2), 75-85. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3802_4
Ochsner, K. N., & Gross, J. J. (2005). The cognitive control of emotion. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9(5), 242-249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2005.03.010
O’Reilly, G. E., MacLean, M., & McDonald, M. L. (2020). Chronic stress and academic achievement: The role of emotional regulation. Learning and Individual Differences, 77, 101841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.101841
Pekrun, R., Goetz, T., Titz, W., & Perry, R. P. (2017). Academic emotions in students’ self-regulated learning and achievement: A program of qualitative and quantitative research. Educational Psychologist, 52(1), 15-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2016.1240255
Pessoa, L. (2008). On the relationship between emotion and cognition. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 9(2), 148-158. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2317
Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., & Sandilos, L. E. (2016). Teacher support and students’ emotional development: A study of academic outcomes. Educational Psychology Review, 28(2), 405-424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9322-5
Schmeichel, B. J. (2018). Self-control in the context of emotion regulation. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(5), 538-559. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618770776
Silvia, P. J., Goetz, T., & Hagemann, D. (2021). Teacher support and its influence on emotional regulation and cognitive control. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(3), 532-544. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000450
Soltani Nezhad, A., & Delroba, L. (2024). The relationship between executive functions, emotion regulation, and academic achievement among students. Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Studies.
Theobald, D. E. (2021). Cognitive control and academic success: The role of emotional regulation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(4), 492-504. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000567
Wentzel, K. R. (2009). Students’ relationships with teachers as predictors of academic and behavioral outcomes. In P. A. Alexander & P. H. Winne (Eds.), Handbook of Educational Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 357-373). Routledge.
Yakimova, E., Maintenant, T., & Taillandier-Schmitt, J. (2020). The influence of positive and negative emotions on cognitive performance in secondary schools: The role of emotion regulation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(1), 102-118. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000354
Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30-41. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2
Zeidner, M., Matthews, G., & Roberts, R. D. (2019). What we know about emotional intelligence: How it affects learning, work, relationships, and our mental health. MIT Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Psychologia-Paedagogia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
