Using machine learning techniques to predict the learner's emotional reaction

Emotions play a crucial role in cognitive processes in particular in learning tasks (Isen, 2000). However, the emotional factor has been never taken into account in Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) until recently. Nevertheless, modelling the learner’s emotional reaction is fundamental for ITSs in order to aid the tutor to anticipate when and how to intervene for helping the learner to achieve learning in the best conditions. In this paper, we attempt to predict the learner’s emotional reaction at a given time of the learning process. Our approach of prediction relays on the causal events which could trigger this emotion and on its determining factors like the personality for example. Thus, we propose to solve this problem by using supervised machine learning algorithms and more precisely those of classification