Student Apprehension Research Articles

CONFRONTING CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING E-PORTFOLIO VIA FACEBOOK IN A PHILIPPINE UNIVERSITY

Abstract: As an alternative assessment, e-Portfolio via Facebook (evFb) has been introduced at De La Salle University (DLSU) specifically at Department of English and Applied Linguistics (DEAL) primarily to respond to the demands of 21 st century literacy. However, it was observed that despite the positive impact of evFb on students based on pilot-testing and related studies, there were still innumerable challenges that hindered its implementation. In this paper, these problems were identified, and were addressed using the lens of participatory development framework. Data were taken from interview and feedback forms of participants namely institution (represented by the department chair and project/program committee), implementers/teachers, and students, and were subjected to content analysis. The results showed three major issues classified as: (1) strong apprehension of students to publish their writing outputs on-line; (2) resistance of teachers towards FB as an educational tool; and, (3) concerns of institution as regards academic honesty and identity theft on-line. To confront these challenges and ensure effective implementation and sustainability of evFb at DEAL, improving participatory mechanisms was suggested and discussed. Finally, some opportunities and implications for policy relevant to evFb were also presented.

Survey of Residents' Attitudes and Awareness Toward Teaching and Student Feedback.

Teaching medical students is an important component of residency; however, little is known about student feedback regarding resident teaching skills. We sought to explore resident awareness of medical student feedback mechanisms and how feedback is obtained, and also identified attitudes about teaching more commonly found in residents who seek feedback. We surveyed all resident physicians at a university-affiliated academic health center about awareness of student feedback regarding their teaching abilities, and their attitudes related to teaching that may impact whether residents seek feedback. Of 605 residents, 335 (55%) responded, with 72% (242 of 335) noting they did not formally review student feedback of their teaching with their advisor during regularly scheduled meetings, 42% (140 of 332) reporting they did not know of any formal feedback mechanisms, and 28.4% (95 of 334) reporting they had not received feedback from students in any format. Although only a quarter of residents solicit feedback always or often, more than half would like feedback always or often. Reported barriers to feedback included student apprehension, time constraints, and lack of a formal system. A majority of residents had positive attitudes toward teaching and felt that student feedback would help teaching ability and medical proficiency. A large percentage of residents at 1 teaching institution reported not receiving feedback from students on their teaching abilities. Residents who did receive feedback were more likely to have actively solicited it. Overall, residents believe that this feedback from students would benefit their clinical and teaching performance.

The Entry-Level Physical Therapist: A Case for COMFORT Communication Training

Entry-level physical therapists provide clinical care for patients with functional mobility limitations. Their care spans the continuum of settings, disease processes, and diagnoses. Although effective communication skills are required to conduct physical therapy work, there is limited instruction provided in physical therapy education and students receive little exposure to seriously or chronically ill patients. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of communication training for the entry-level physical therapist facing palliative and end-of-life communication with patients/families. A pre–post survey design and narrative writing were used to assess the effect of the COMFORT communication training curriculum provided to doctorally trained, graduating physical therapists. The study demonstrated decreased student apprehension about communicating with dying patients and their families, and a comparison of mean scores reflecting the students’ communication knowledge, confidence, and behaviors increased in a positive direction. As students became more willing to communicate, they were also more adept at integrating task and relational messages, as well as assimilating emotional support messages for patients and families. This study shows promise for the feasibility and utilization of the COMFORT curriculum for entry-level physical therapists. Further research should address the integration of COMFORT earlier into physical therapy education, as well as assess evidence of COMFORT communication skills in the clinical context.

Communication Apprehension of South African Accounting Students: The Effect of Culture and Language

ABSTRACTDeveloping communication skills is an objective of many accounting education programs. Students' communication apprehension may hamper this. This study explores South African accounting students' communication apprehension and the association thereof with culture and home and instruction language. Data were collected using the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) and Written Communication Apprehension (WCA) self-report questionnaires. South Africa provides an example of the salience of race, given past racial segregation. Culture is, however, more complex than physical appearance. Significant differences were identified in communication apprehension between students from previously disadvantaged African communities attending poorly resourced schools, and African and White students attending well-resourced, Westernized schools. Further, this study suggests that students who receive instruction in the business language in which they are to function as graduates exhibit less communication apprehension in that language, regardless of their home language. While this study considers South African students, the results may be of interest in other multicultural or multilingual environments, particularly where socio-economic differences pervade. The adoption of pedagogy to remedy the communication apprehension of a student may aggravate the apprehension of another. To limit such unintended consequence, instructors need to look beyond appearance in anticipating a student's predisposition to communication apprehension.

Convincing Students? Quantitative Junkies, Avoiders and Converts on a Cross-Disciplinary Course Using Quantitative Narratives

AbstractAmidst growing concern about the shortage of social science undergraduate students with even basic quantitative methods skills, student apprehension is recognised as a barrier to learning quantitative methods. A recent ESRC-funded project has sought to overcome such fear and anxiety through the design of a cross-disciplinary social sciences unit for first-year undergraduates. The unit aimed to capture students’ imaginations by the use of ‘quantitative narratives’ – descriptions of current social issues or controversies that allow quantitative concepts to be introduced in a contextualised way. This paper presents findings from the qualitative evaluation of the unit. It considers the attitudes and experiences of students who covered a spectrum of social science subjects, self-cited levels of confidence and prior experience of statistics. A typology of students taking the course is presented, revealing the challenge of meeting the needs of all students. Conclusions consider the implications of this e...

Students׳ willingness to use response and engagement technology in the classroom

PurposeIncreased use of student response and engagement systems in the collegiate classroom environment is a growing trend in hospitality education. However, faculties have expressed hesitance in adopting this technology due to apprehension of students. This purpose of this paper is to share the results of a survey given to undergraduate hospitality students at Iowa State University about their willingness and ability to use these systems. Principle resultsWhen analyzing the data from the 413 respondents, the results show students are in fact able and willing to use a classroom response and engagement system in order to increase engagement. In addition, students have an overall desire to use technology in the classroom. ConclusionsThese results can be useful for faculty considering implementation of these systems in their courses. Of those surveyed, 100% have a cell phone, tablet, or laptop, indicating a system which requires a student to bring their own device is feasible.

Discouraging Instructional Dissent and Facilitating Students' Learning Experiences Through Instructor Self-Disclosure

The purpose of this study was to examine if instructors’ self-disclosures in the college classroom (i.e., amount, relevance, negativity) influence students’ instructional dissent responses (i.e., expressive, rhetorical, vengeful) and learning outcomes (i.e., cognitive learning, affective learning, motivation). In line with research by Ellis (2004), this study attempted to explain these associations by incorporating students’ receiver apprehension as a mediating variable. Participants were 206 undergraduate students who completed surveys, and results were examined using two path analyses. Results indicated that students’ state receiver apprehension mediated the relationships between instructor self-disclosure with learning outcomes and instructional dissent responses. Specifically, frequent, relevant, but not negative (positive) instructor self-disclosure was related indirectly (mediated by student receiver apprehension) to both student dissent responses and learning outcomes.

DEVELOPMENT OF POWER OF APPREHENSION OF STUDENTS-BILINGUALS

The author reveals inner and outer conditions of the psychic development of students. The author has analyzed the mechanism of formation and development of perceptive elements in the process of teaching bilinguals using both languages. The author also presents pedagogical conditions for development of power of apprehension of monolingual students as well as conditions for efficient development of power of apprehension of bilingual students.

A Qualitative Exploration of Oral Communication Apprehension

Prior research has identified communication apprehension (CA), or fear of communicating, as a major factor which inhibits an individual's willingness to communicate and his/her capability to develop effective communication skills. While many prior studies have measured oral communication apprehension of students, there has been little qualitative exploration of the phenomenon. This study was conducted by interviewing first-year business and accounting students at a higher education institution in Ireland who were identified as encountering varying levels of oral communication apprehension. The experiences of the students in communicating in different contexts are analysed and the impact of factors, such as fear of peer evaluation, prior communication experiences, and preparation, are considered.

Finding the Right Fit: Assessing the Impact of Traditional v. Large Lecture/Small Lab Course Formats on a General Education Course

This study explores alternative approaches for teaching general education courses burdened with serving extremely large enrollments. It compares the effectiveness of a self-contained course in which each course section is taught by one instructor to a large lecture/small lab format in which all course enrollees attend one large lecture section and then are divided into several small lab sections for more intensive training experiences. The study uses the Introduction to Human Communication course at the authors’ university. Two hundred and seventy-five students enrolled in nine large lecture/small lab sections of the course and two hundred and fifteen students enrolled in eight self-contained sections were used for this study. Comparisons were made of cognitive learning outcomes, affective learning outcomes, communication apprehension outcomes, and student evaluations of faculty. Cognitive learning outcomes indicated that students in the self-contained format did better on their first speeches and that those in the large lecture/small lab format did better on their final speech and improved more rapidly from their first to last speech. Little difference was found in level of affective learning or reduction in student apprehension. Students in both sections decreased in communication apprehension over the course of the semester. The large lecture/small lab format appeared to depress teaching evaluations.

A Qualitative Exploration of Oral Communication Apprehension

Prior research has identified communication apprehension (CA), or fear of communicating, as a major factor which inhibits an individual's willingness to communicate and his/her capability to develop effective communication skills. While many prior studies have measured oral communication apprehension of students, there has been little qualitative exploration of the phenomenon. This study was conducted by interviewing first-year business and accounting students at a higher education institution in Ireland who were identified as encountering varying levels of oral communication apprehension. The experiences of the students in communicating in different contexts are analysed and the impact of factors, such as fear of peer evaluation, prior communication experiences, and preparation, are considered.

The Influence of a Patient-Counseling Course on the Communication Apprehension, Outcome Expectations, and Self-Efficacy of First-Year Pharmacy Students

To evaluate first-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students' communication apprehension, outcome expectations, and self-efficacy for communication over the duration of a 15-week patient-counseling course. First-year PharmD students (n=94) were asked to complete a 47-item, self-administered questionnaire on 3 occasions over the duration of the Nonprescription Drugs/Patient-Counseling course during the fall 2009 and 2010 semesters. Eighty-seven of 94 students completed the survey instrument across data collection periods. There were significant reductions in total communication apprehension scores and in the communication apprehension subscores for meetings and public speaking, and significant increases in self-efficacy over time. No differences were found for outcome expectations of communication scores or the subscores for interpersonal conversations and group discussion. Communication apprehension may be decreased and self-efficacy for communication increased in first-year PharmD students through a 15-week Nonprescription Drugs/Patient-Counseling course using small-group practice sessions, case studies, and role-play exercises in conjunction with classroom lectures.

Using the Mini-Session Course Format To Train Students in the Practical Aspects of Modern Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry (MS) has been gaining in popularity in recent years owing in large part to the development of soft-ionization techniques such as matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI). These soft-ionization techniques have opened up the field of MS analysis to biomolecules, polymers, and other high molecular weight materials. The growing publication rate and a quick survey of available job postings requiring MS skill sets illustrate the importance of properly training students in the use of modern MS techniques. Many colleges and universities are unable to hire full-time technical staff devoted to student training on the use of MS equipment. The lack of technical staff results in less than adequate student training on the use of MS equipment, which ultimately leads to student apprehension about using the instruments regularly in their research projects. Herein, we report on our efforts utilizing a mini-session course format (one week with 40 contact hours) to properly train graduate students in the use of modern MS equipment and techniques. The course consists of three components: (i) a lecture component of approximately 2 h each day to introduce the basic theory of the days topics, (ii) a hands-on laboratory component illustrating the use of both MALDI and ESI instruments to gather a variety of data, and (iii) a student project utilizing the MS equipment in their own graduate research during the regular semester following the mini-session course. The students receive three hours of graduate credit and receive permission, upon successful completion of the course, to use the MS facilities unsupervised. The faculty member teaching the course receives teaching credit for the training efforts.

Basic Electricity Courses Revisited

Teaching basic electricity courses to engineering students
 from other fields is a difficult task. Several factors
 compound the problem such as: large student
 groups, lack of interest, the high level of abstract
 thinking required, the varied topics to be covered and
 the use of complex arithmetics. New approaches have
 been implemented to alleviate the problem. Amongst
 them, avoiding the use of complex numbers significantly
 reduces the student apprehension and passive
 resistance to the topic.

LibGuides in Political Science:

This paper discusses the use of LibGuides as an effective tool for teaching Information Literacy and specifically enhancing student research in Political Science and International Affairs. With myriad evidentiary sources available for course papers, LibGuides provide a framed gateway for library research which reduces student apprehension and enables faculty to guide inquiry to a variety of sources and a multitude of perspectives. Flexible and personal, LibGuides enhance teaching effectiveness by expanding faculty guidance while still leaving the challenges of Information Literacy such as efficient acquisition, evidentiary choice, and ethical use up to the student. Experience and adaptation of LibGuides at North Georgia College & State University provide the evidence in this paper by which Information Literacy is promoted, enhanced, and an improved product in student research.

Apprehension and Pedagogy in Evolution Education

Instructors’ apprehensions and the decisions instructors make about pedagogy are often linked when it comes to teaching evolution. Whether it is the reticence of K-12 teachers that their instruction may affect their students’ religious beliefs detrimentally or that they may become caught up in some administrative, media, parental, or school political turmoil or whether it is the apprehension of college students who perceive that their religious beliefs are being explicitly challenged, such fears can be reduced by understanding their roots and by honing pedagogy in ways that reduce perceived threats. This article describes why it is prudent to address these often secretly held apprehensions and how to help instructors feel free to employ their best pedagogical methods to teach evolution without lingering fear. Some suggestions are given for pre-college and college instructors interested in combining effective pedagogy with as little perceived threat as possible. Methods are offered that allow instructors to focus on underlying scientific misconceptions even if those misconceptions are ultimately facilitated by non-scientific sources, while giving creationist or creationist-leaning students a chance to learn the appropriate scientific conceptions without their religious beliefs being explicitly threatened in a science course.

D.RA.MA: An Extended Conceptualization of Student Anxiety in Criminal Justice Research Methods Courses

The challenges of teaching research methods and statistics to students majoring in criminology and criminal justice are well known. The professor has to deal with an array of obstacles among students, including Disinterest, Relevance Argumentation (viewing statistical skills as detached from the “real world”) and Math Anxiety (D.RA.MA). This paper presents the development of an assessment scale to measure the levels of “D.RA.MA” experienced by students enrolled in research methods or statistics courses. The literature is vast on “math anxiety scales.” However, trepidation on the part of criminal justice students who are anticipating their research methods and statistics courses may extend beyond math anxiety. Therefore, the traditional math anxiety scale was extended to include attempts at measuring Disinterest and Relevance Argumentation. Readers are provided with the D.RA.MA scale instrument and data from an assessment of 80 students in criminal justice courses. Assessing this broader student apprehension may serve as an important first step in making the necessary efforts to reduce student apprehension towards these classes.

Public Speaking Apprehension (PSA), Motivation, and Affect among Accounting Majors: A Proof-of-Concept Intervention

ABSTRACT: The importance of public speaking (PS) skills to professional accounting success motivates improving students' self-perceptions of these skills. In addition, evidence of higher levels of public speaking apprehension (PSA) among accounting majors makes understanding and working with students' affective (emotive) reactions to PS critical to their future success. In three studies, we design and implement an intervention based on principles from self-determination theory (SDT) and motivational interviewing (MI). Its purpose is to improve students' PSA and PS motivation; it includes substantive PS instruction, dialogues, nonjudgmental feedback, and interpersonal support. The results of the three “proof-of-concept” interventions (Study 1, n = 23; Study 2, n = 14; Study 3, n = 36) suggest improvements in students' perceptions of their PS cognition, motivation, and affect. Despite the limitations of self'reported measures and exclusively graduate participants, the results suggest that (1) the interventions, described in appendices, may merit replication and extension, and (2) SDT- and MI-based interventions may prove useful in addressing aspects of accountancy pedagogy that induce student apprehension.

First-Year College Students’ Conflict with Religion and Science

This study took place during a First Year Seminar course where 20 incoming college freshmen studied the central topic of the nature of science within the context of biological evolution. The instructor researched students’ understandings in the nature of science as they progressed through the course by examining a variety of qualitative and quantitative data including class writings, pre- and post-test selected items from the VOSTS (Views on Science-Technology-Society), and interviews. The intended outcomes of the course were to reduce the number of student misconceptions in the nature of science and to ease student apprehension when learning about evolution. Data were analyzed to determine whether students were moving toward a more generally accepted idea of the nature of science or toward another type of misconception.

Book Review: Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd Edition)

Extracted from text ... 450 Title: Research methods for the behavioral sciences (2nd edition) Authors: F.J. Gravetter and L.B. Forzano Date: 2006 Publisher: Thomson Wadsworth ISBN: 0534558119 (paperback, 534 pages) If a book on research methods can hold the attention of a reviewer over the summer vacation then it has something going for it. New researchers are few and far between and often, when starting their research enterprise, they are discouraged by numerous statistical formulae and jargon far above their novice status. As such, an introductory research methods text needs to take cognisance of student apprehension or even avoidance, and need to deal with ..