Affective Learning for Sociology: Student Reflections on Experiential Learning

Field-based experiential learning is a high impact teaching practice that results in widespread learning benefits. However, critical scholarship suggests that benefits are not equally distributed among all students. This study asks how students from diverse positionalities engage with experiential learning. Our data come from 62 undergraduate students’ positionality statements and reflections from an applied research course on local housing insecurity. We find that the benefits of research experiences vary based on social positionality. Students who identify as insiders, female students, and those from low-income backgrounds tend to form empathetic connections, indicating improved reflexivity and affective learning during the research experience. The emotional burden on students, especially those studying socially proximate respondents, underscores the need for support systems and integrating self-care strategies into course design. Course outcomes should include both affective and cognitive learning domains to capture the range of benefits for students of diverse social positionalities.