In learning, the student as a person/individual is wholly involved in intellectual abilities. Some students have more interest or aptitude for a particular subject as compared to others.
Besides this observation, it is also true that educational objectives also deliberate upon development of desirable beliefs, values, attitudes, etc., along with seeking knowledge.
Therefore, learning in the affective domain includes changes in interest, attitudes, values and feelings. All these behaviors ultimately lead to better adjustments abilities in student in the society.
The main organizing principle in the affective domain is the degree of internalization, that is, the extent to which the feelings or emotions are incorporated by the students as a part of his or her personality. The main organizing principles in the affective domain are:
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a) Receiving:
This means the sensitivity of a student to certain stimulus patterns of stimuli (phenomena) and his willingness to receive or attend to them. Receiving consists of (i) awareness of the stimuli, (ii) willingness to receive, and (iii) selected attention.
b) Responding:
This level of learning goes beyond the receiving level. After giving attention or perceiving the stimulus or object, the student actively responds to the object.
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c) Valuing:
This level of the affective domain implies perceiving a concept as having worth and consequently revealing a consistent preference or commitment in behaviour towards it.
d) Organization:
For situations where more than one value is relevant, the student organizes the values into a system and also determines the interrelationships among them.
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e) Characteristics:
After the values have been organized in the individual’s mind, they control his/her behaviour to some extent. This is the stage of internalization the degree of internalization depends upon the consistency of the internal organization of the student.
Learning in the affective domain does not seem to lend itself to such exact assessment as it could in the cognitive domain.