Active vs Passive Students in Class - Case Study Example

HERE YOUR HERE HERE HERE Behavior Change Study: who Participate in vs who are Quiet and Just Take Notes I. Problem Statement The Journal of Higher Education reports findings involving a sizeable sample of students in the academic environment in regards to their participation levels. The median or norm percentage was a paltry 2.28 percent of the entire student group observed in the study. The amount of students who only just spoke up was 25.46 percent, still well within what would be considered quality interaction in a classroom. Teachers in the contemporary learning environment have a difficult time ensuring retention with the students in the class that require qualitative and quantitative methods to attempt to foster a better maintenance of learning. Such tools include new teaching practices, social group activities or any other curriculum change designed to gain more student attention and interaction with the content in the lecture or lesson. Since only 2.28 percent of the student group in this observational study had active participation, understanding the root of these unsociable or unmotivated behaviors becomes a necessity for educators in the academic field. Simply taking notes when communication and interface are required to enhance the lesson is insufficient for both student learning and for the educator in ensuring that comprehension has been the outcome of the lesson. II. Theory Personality “is expressed through its influences on the body, in conscious mental life, and through the individual’s social behavior” (Mayer, 27). An individual’s personality is usually categorized as extroverted, one in which their attention is directed at the external social environment and where they have high levels of social ability or introverted, such as being more withdrawn or reclusive (Weiten & Lloyd, 187). There are other factors associated with personality, however the level to which the individual prefers socialization and group affiliation usually acts as a predictor of their behavior in an environment that calls for extroversion. The level of introversion versus extroversion is usually associated with either a healthy or deficient view of the self as it is related to self-esteem. A person with low self-esteem worries about making errors, finding embarrassment in social situations or being exposed to ridicule (Reasoner, 2). This type of personality that is borne of diminished self-esteem and confidence will avoid situations or people that maintain the ability to have negative impact on their self-concept. This type of personality, when they feel threatened by potential rejection or inadequacy will generally be less social in a group environment. Introverted versus extroverted personalities should act as a predictor of social or non-social behavior. Personality also has dimensions that fall under self-determination theory, which is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. When a person has intrinsic motivation, they interact with a behavior for the personal satisfaction they get from the action. Extrinsically motivated individuals take on a behavior to achieve rewards from the external environment (Ewen, 87). Since the learning lesson or lecture generally does not provide rewards, those who are extrinsically motivated should be less apt to engage in social behavior and participate in the classroom since it does not fit their motivational profile. However, students that are intrinsically motivated should respond more interactively since they would enjoy the benefits of group interaction if it fits an extroverted personality profile. The significant complication is determining what students have specific personality traits and then, as the educator, attempt to appeal to these personality dynamics in order to gain more participation. “Peer acceptance and friendships are distinct constructs and contribute to youth development…and have been shown to be associated with enhanced feelings of belonging” (Brown & Lohr, 48). This is another factor related to personality as most students in college or university are exiting from adolescence and entering adulthood, a period of transition where self-identity related to peers is important for healthy development. If the group environment provides for positive feedback and avoid negative conceptions in the face of participation, students should be more apt to participate rather than just take notes and remain quiet if there is a sense of affiliation present from others or the instructor. III. Hypothesis Students who are in a classroom environment with an affiliation-based system of group cohesiveness will be more apt to participate rather than just take notes when the opportunity arises for interactive discussion if they maintain extroverted personality traits. Any effort to participate without being directly called upon for interaction by the instructor should be considered self-motivated participation and thus valid when determining participation levels. It is hypothesized that note takers who avoid participation have personality-based maladjustment rather than a learning style that involves a need for written documentation to ensure comprehension. IV. Procedure and Methodology The goal of the study is to induce behavior changes in those students who may have introversion issues, distorted self-concept, or study in a lecture environment without a sense of peer belonging imposed by peers or the educator. Because the results of observational studies indicate such a very low level of participation in the college environment, it was necessary to conduct a similar observational study that was both qualitative and quantitative in design. The researcher consulted with several educators who offered self-reports that they inspired group interaction to identify what type of classroom would be ideal for study. After identifying an appropriate educator that inspired this type of environment, a self-reporting survey was developed for distribution to the student population in this classroom. The sample selected consisted of 27 individuals of varying race, gender and age. Pre-test surveys designed with a 1-10 ranking scale were delivered to the instructor who ensured the students anonymously filled out the research instrument. Results of the surveys were analyzed under means analysis to determine whether a norm existed in the group and the level to which their self-reporting considered themselves well adjusted in self-esteem, extroversion and their desired style of participation versus note taking. After compiling the information, the student scheduled two observational sessions with the instructor to review lecturing. To facilitate discussion, the educator was asked to provide extended opportunities for participation to help determine which students would be motivated to participate most. These observations were recorded after the sessions were completed and compared to the demographic data of the survey instruments in the pre-testing. Observations included acknowledgement of student body language and other non-verbal cues and the quality and content of the participation when it occurred with acknowledgement as to which students actually spoke up or interacted during the class lecture. Students who took notes only and did not volunteer to participate, or volunteered little when called upon, were noted accordingly. By recruiting the educator to provide more opportunities for group involvement and participation, both self-motivated and instructor-motivated, it provided a behavior change environment to attempt to instill more interaction and less devotion to note taking and silence as a comprehension tool. Further, the students reported their interest in being included in the study prior to the start of the two-day observation directly with the researcher and among the peer population. This sense of group harmony and affiliation, as a consequence of the pre-testing surveys, also served to create a behavior change. Students were not, however, informed that the observational study was to measure personality traits to test the hypothesis as the researcher believed this would create a high level of bias and reduce the validity and/or reliability of the study. The students were informed that the study was to test new methods of teacher curriculum tools based on lecturer attitude and style for this purpose. V. Results The survey data indicated that most student (23 of 27) had above average self-reporting of their extroverted personality traits. Only one student measured their extroversion at a “1” on the multi-tick survey. This student was noted and observed carefully during the observation for obvious signs of self-esteem dysfunction or other cues related to peer affiliation. The survey also indicated that 19 of the 27 students reported a higher than average desire for participation while eight students had average or below average participation preference scores and a high preference for note taking as a preferred study tool. Only one student ticked “10” for note-taking and consequently had ticked “10” for participation. The researcher, at first, intended to reject this survey as invalid, however there was the opportunity for a duplicitous learning style thus it was included in the study results. Below is a graph of the demographic profile of the classroom: Table 1 illustrates the percentage of students who indicated above average versus below average self-reporting on extroversion, participation preference, and self-esteem. Table 1: Students Self-Reporting on Above Average Traits and Learning Style The results of the survey analysis coupled with observational research indicated very mixed results that did not support the hypothesis entirely. It was hypothesized that students with self-reported extroversion traits would be more apt to participate in an affiliatory environment. The students with some of the highest self-reported extroversion did not volunteer for interaction and had to be called upon by the instructor periodically throughout the session. Observation of the individual student who preferred note taking participated twice, voluntarily, during the study which conflicted with their self-reporting and preferred note taking style. Though the researcher is not an expert in sociology or psychology, but versed in the fundamentals, several students with high reporting of extroversion showed obvious signs of discomfort when called upon by the instructor to participate. One of these students had ticked a “10” for self-esteem-based questions on the survey, yet showed many obvious signs of anxiety and vocal fluctuations when having to present concepts in front of the group. Two of the students who had reported a “3” on self-esteem concept questions presented themselves fluently in a participatory environment and showed no outward signs of discomfort or self-esteem problems in delivery. All of the students volunteered when questions were asked openly to the general group. The study did not achieve its expected results, however this is due to a post-study realization of the self-reporting tool used as a pre-test instrument. The use of the self-reporting survey was a weakness of the study and should have been replaced with a open-ended interview on these concepts for a more accurate qualitative analysis. Through engagement, student notions of self-esteem and participation could have been measured more reliably using this approach. In terms of human behavior, there seems to be too many variables associated with participation preference compared to reserved note-taking in order to predict whether behavior changes occur as a result of the environment or intrinsically. The next step in future research is to develop a more streamlined study that focuses on only one element of human behavior, rather than attempting to measure three different personality-based characteristics to give the study more in-depth focus. However, it should be acknowledged that students were more apt to volunteer to participate when the lecturer afforded more opportunities and also asked other students for feedback in response to what was offered by the participating students. Future research should focus on simply self-esteem to determine whether the instructor or intrinsic motivations drive more participation and less desire for reserved note taking. Works Cited Brown, B. & M.J. Lohr. “Peer group affiliation and adolescent self-esteem: an integration of ego-identity and symbolic-interaction theories, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol.52, (1987). Ewen, R.B. Personality: A Topical Approach – Theories, Research, Major Controversies and Emerging Findings. Mahwah: NJ Lawrence Erlbaum (1998). Mayer, J.D. “A classification of DSM-IV-TR mental disorders to their relation to the personality system. In J.C. Thomas & D.L. Segal (eds), Comprehensive Handbook of Personality and Psychopathology, Vol.1: Personality and Everyday Functioning. New York: John Wiley & Sons (2005). Nunn, C.E. “Discussion in the college classroom: Triangulating observational and survey results”, Journal of Higher Education, vol.67 (1996). Reasoner, Robert W. “Extending self-esteem theory and research”. Viewed June 26, 2011 at http://www.self-esteem-international.org/Research/Extending%20research.htm Weiten, W. & M. Lloyd. Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century. Thomson Wadsworth (2005). Read More