Practical activities are at the core of learning in both engineering and science education programs. Hence, such activities are included as important practical learning experiences in each of these fields. During such learning experiences students are confronted by many different entities, from simple equipment to advanced instrumentation, all of which requires knowledge of how, when, why and for what they can and should be used. Emotional outcomes accompany learning through practical activities and can range from feelings of success and satisfaction, to disappointment and worries. Such emotions can play a critical role in a student’s decision to start or continue their studies in any science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) education field.

This project explores how practical activities intra-act with emotions and thereby shape learning processes. Three methods of data production were employed: video-recorded observations, fieldnotes, and micro-interviews. These data were collected in two different undergraduate civil engineering courses (genetic engineering and nuclear physics), each with their own unique experimental setups for engaging students in practical laboratory activities. In total, 81 students were filmed for 80 hours in one genetic engineering and one nuclear physics course.

By using Barad’s theory of agential realism (Barad, 2007) and Ahmed’s ‘Cultural Politics of Emotion’ (Ahmed, 2014) in the analysis, we found that practical lab activities require many different abilities of the students to be able to navigate in laboratories crammed with artefacts – tools, equipment, machines, instruments, etcetera. During any given practical lab activity students must distinguish what artefacts they should use or not. Much of the learning that takes place is bodily and non-verbal, where the teacher’s instructions are also bodily and intertwined with the students, materials, and emotions. Findings indicate that when a practical moment is repeated, the emotions are transformed or even fade away. The study demonstrates the importance of instructor awareness of the active role of both human and non-human entities when designing instruction for the unique educational settings students will encounter in science and engineering, also relevant to technology and design education preparation programs.