Discussion Participation: Student Perceptions of Relationships Among Preparation, Participation, Comfort and Learning

Abstract

Class discussion is a frequently used pedagogy, and prior research indicates that preparation for and frequency of participation in class discussion are positively and statistically significantly related to students’ comfort participating, and comfort participating is positively related to learning. In this study, 246 sophomore management accounting students responded to a survey containing open questions concerning their perceptions about class discussion. This study extends previous literature by examining students’ perceptions of the relationship between their class participation and their learning. It also examines students’ perceptions of the relationships between their preparation and their class participation, and between their preparation and their comfort participating in class discussions. The results from the qualitative analysis indicate that a substantial majority of students perceive a positive relationship between their participation and their learning. In addition, five ways in which students see participation enhancing learning emerge from this study. Students report that class discussions enhance learning by increasing engagement, helping them retain and remember information, providing confirmation of what they have learned, providing clarification and deepening their understanding especially through hands-on and application-based learning. Further, one of the significant contributions of this analysis is not only the value of one’s own participation but the reported value of other students’ comments for learning. Even though not explicitly asked about the value of other students’ comments for their learning, students who both do and do not perceive that their participation positively affects their learning voluntarily discussed the value of other students’ comments for their learning. In addition, we show that a substantial majority of students perceive and report positive relationships between their own preparation and both their participation and their comfort participating. Key outcomes achieved by their preparation – such as increased confidence with the material, increased familiarity with the material, and increased knowledge/understanding – helps them to participate more and to be more comfortable when participating. Further, preparation increases not only the quantity but the quality of participation and not only the comfort but the confidence of the participant. Knowing that students understand the relationships between learning, class participation, preparation and comfort should encourage instructors to find ways to increase all students’ participation in and preparation for class discussions.