Participation In Class Discussion Research Articles

Reliability of Students' Self-Recorded Participation in Class Discussion

The study determined whether students' self-recording of their class comments differed from observers' tallies of student comments and specifically whether students overreported their comments when credit was available for participation. In three sections (51-57 students per section) of an undergraduate educational psychology course, participants received a small amount of credit toward their grade for reporting up to two comments per class session in selected course units. Participants self-recorded their comments on a specially designed card on all days set aside for discussion in all units, including the noncredit units. Agreement between participant and observer records of individual participation proved high overall, and students did not overreport their comments under credit conditions.

Engaging the Millennial Generation in Class Discussions

Students in the Millennial Generation (late 20s and younger) have been raised in an environment in which individuality is highly valued and information, entertainment, and social interactions are unlimited and at their fingertips. As a result, these students may have different educational expectations and needs than previous generations. Class discussions, if conducted correctly, can be a learning activity that complements the learning styles of this variety seeking, collaborative generation. To understand how to effectively engage Millennial students in active class discussions, we conducted six focus groups with students between the ages of 18 and 21 to explore whether and why they value class discussions and to identify the barriers and the facilitators of active participation in class discussions. The present article summarizes the focus group findings, integrates them with what we know about students in the Millennial Generation, and uses this information to develop suggestions for actively engaging today's students in classroom discussions.

Class Participation in Accounting Courses: Factors That Affect Student Comfort and Learning

ABSTRACT: Class discussion is frequently used in accounting education. Prior research indicates that preparation for and frequency of participation in class discussion is positively related to students’ comfort participating. This study extends this literature by examining the relationship between class participation and learning. In this study, 323 sophomore business students enrolled in accounting courses and completed pre- and post-course surveys concerning their perceptions about class discussion; in addition, instructors provided students’ grades for our use in this study. Path model results indicate that preparation is positively related to frequency of participation, which, in turn, is positively related to students’ comfort participating in class discussion. Furthermore, students’ comfort participating in class discussion is positively related to learning. A practical implication of this finding on the learning-comfort relationship is that instructors’ efforts to foster student comfort with class discussion—especially efforts directed at increasing their preparation and participation frequency—should lead to increased student mastery of course content.

A Participation Requirement to Engage Students in a Pharmacokinetics Course Synchronously Taught at a Local and Distant Campus

To design, implement, and evaluate a strategy to actively engage doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students at local and distant sites in a pharmacokinetics course. A Web-based system was designed that allowed second-year pharmacy students to choose whether to participate in a instructor-led class discussion session by registering prior to or during the first 10 minutes of each class. The instructor then used the program to randomly select students to respond to questions based on the assigned reading. Five percent of the overall course grade was based on class participation. For each class session, an average of 85% of students at both the local and distant campuses registered for participation in class discussion and approximately 5% were called on to respond to questions. Student responses to course survey questions regarding the participation strategy were overwhelmingly positive, with 75%-90% agreeing that the strategy more actively engaged them in classroom activities, resulting in improved learning. Student performance in all assessment categories was almost identical at the local and distant sites. Implementation of a participation strategy in a large course synchronously taught on 2 campuses is feasible and results in successful engagement of most students at both sites.

Wasted on the Young? Comparing the Performance and Attitudes of Younger and Older US Adults in an Online Class on Geographic Information

This study investigates the counter-intuitive observation that older students tend to thrive better than younger students in online classes. We use a variety of measures to compare performance and attitudes of undergraduates and continuing adult professionals in separate but nearly identical class sections led by the same instructor at a US university during the same nine-month study period. Findings are consistent with theoretical predictions about differences in readiness of younger and older adults for self-directed learning experiences. Results also suggest that online educators should be proactive in stimulating younger students' participation in class discussions, and should find ways to evaluate explicitly the tacit learning that online discussion can foster.

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

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.

Cold Calling in Accounting Courses: Impact on Participation, Volunteering and Comfort

Calling on a student whose hand is not raised is viewed by many instructors as punitive, fearing that a student who is cold-called will feel uncomfortable, or worse, humiliated (Dallimore et al. 2005). This study is designed to examine the impact of cold-calling on students’ participation in class discussions and their comfort participating in discussions. The research design involved gathering data in 16 sections of a single undergraduate accounting course from questionnaires administered to students and from classroom observations of instructors’ and students’ behavior. The primary results indicate that cold calling is effective not only at increasing the number of students who participate in class discussions, but also at increasing the number of students who answer questions voluntarily. Further, more questions are asked and answered in high cold calling environments. These findings suggest that students are more engaged in the discussion in classes in which instructors use cold-calling. Further, cold-calling does not reduce students’ comfort. Especially notable is that cold calling does not reduce the comfort of those students who begin the course indicating that they do not like class discussion very much. Finally, we find that students attendance in class is not affected by the cold calling environment. The fact that cold calling can be done fairly intensively without making students uncomfortable provides support for the utilization of this instructional strategy to engage more students to participate more actively in class discussions. These findings are especially important in light of a recent study that shows significant positive relationships between frequency of participation, comfort participating in class discussions and student learning (Dallimore et al. 2009). That is, if cold calling increases student participation in class discussions, which has a significant positive relationship to learning, then cold calling may lead to greater learning.

Increasing Low-Responding Students’ Participation in Class Discussion

Students in six sections of a large undergraduate class were asked to record their class comments on notecards in all course units. Additionally, in some units, they received points toward their course grade based on their reported comments in class discussion. The study was conducted over a two-semester period, with slight variation in both the recording and crediting procedures across the two semesters. The primary goal of the study was to determine the effects of two credit and self-recording arrangements on initially low-responding students’ subsequent participation in class discussion (first semester n = 49, second semester n = 45). A higher percentage of low-responding students reported participating in class discussion when credit was given for participation than when no credit was awarded. Nonetheless, 39% of the initially low-responding students the first semester and 38% of the initially low-responding students the second semester did not participate in class discussion in any phase of the study.

Speaking up: Six Korean students’ oral participation in class discussions in US graduate seminars

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that influenced the oral classroom participation of six Korean students attending graduate school in the US, and how these factors impacted their oral interaction in class discussions. Data came from formal and informal interviews and class observations over the course of the semester. Participants included three masters’ students and three doctoral students, two males and four females, enrolled in two education courses. The study showed that multilayered factors, including the students’ English proficiency, differences in sociocultural values and educational practices between two cultures, individual differences, and classroom environment were intertwined, and each factor singly and together influenced the students’ oral participation in class discussions (OPCD). While the students in this study demonstrated many cultural similarities with other Asian students, they also revealed unique Korean cultural features. Regardless of their length of study in the US, all students felt challenged to participate in whole class discussions. However, in small group discussions, participation varied greatly among the individual students. In particular, the female students, with one exception, participated more actively than the male students. The findings suggest pedagogical implications for promoting the oral classroom participation of Asian international students, especially Korean students.

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Culture and Biology: The Foundation of Pathways of Development

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Culture and Biology: The Foundation of Pathways of Development

Class Participation in Accounting Courses: Relationship Among Preparation, Frequency, Comfort, and Learning

Class discussion, especially case discussion, is a frequently used active learning strategy in business and accounting education. Prior research suggests that students' self-reported comfort with class discussion is positively related to students' self-reported learning. Pre- and post-course surveys concerning student perceptions and behavior about class discussion in an introductory management accounting course were gathered from sophomore business students at a large, private research university, and objective grade data were gathered from instructors of the course. Data were gathered from fourteen sections of the course taught by six instructors in two consecutive fall semesters. The analysis revealed interesting relationships among participation frequency, preparation, comfort with class discussion and objective learning measures. Consistent with Dallimore, Hertenstein & Platt (2006) results for graduate students, this study found that undergraduate student comfort participating in class discussion was positively and significantly related to familiarity with, level of preparation for, and frequency of participation in, class discussion. Further, the analysis showed that student comfort with participating in class discussion was also significantly and positively related to the perceived value of other students' comments for a student's own learning and the extent to which the course affected a student's own oral communication skill development. In addition, overall student learning was positively and significantly related to comfort with one's own participation in class discussion and beginning GPA. This finding is an important extension of literature concerning learning, as objective measures of learning were used rather than student self-reported perceptions about learning which have typically been used in prior research. The finding on the relationship between learning and comfort participating in the discussion suggests that instructors' efforts to create classroom environments that foster student comfort with class discussion - especially those efforts directed at increasing students' level of preparation, and at increasing the number of students participating and the frequency of their participation - should lead to increased student mastery of the course content.

The Relationship between Students’ Participation in Class Discussion and Perceived Control in Personal Health Issues Classes

The Relationship between Students’ Participation in Class Discussion and Perceived Control in Personal Health Issues Classes

The Americans with Disabilities Act in The Classroom: Key Concepts

INTRODUCTION It’s been almost 18 years since the American with Disabilities Act (known as the “ADA”) became law. Most people in the workplace are very familiar with its concepts, if not always its details. In the educational setting, the ADA has become much more familiar over the years and many students know that it applies in the classroom as well as in the workplace. So what is essential to know for those who train the professionals of tomorrow? This article will explore the key concepts of the ADA and how to analyze and apply them in an educational institution. The ADA requires that a “qualified individual” with a “disability” (defined as a “substantial impairment of a major life activity”) who is otherwise able to perform the “essential functions” of a student (or a job), must receive “reasonable accommodations” to assist him or her, unless such accommodations would pose an “undue hardship” to the employer or the institution. In an educational context, this means accommodations are required unless the proposed accommodations would fundamentally alter the educational experience. Several years ago, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (which handles all employment disability claims before a trip to court is permitted) released data showing that the most commonly claimed disability was low back pain. But as the courts have “matured” in interpreting the ADA, it’s become clear that it had now better be a significant pain in the back to support a finding of disability. However, many ailments do qualify by their very nature, including diabetes, cancer, severe depression, epilepsy, and paralysis. Even a history of a disability or a perception of a disability can support an ADA claim. In the educational context, learning disabilities have proved to be a substantial subset of student ADA complaints. Some of these are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, processing deficits, dyslexia, sequencing disorders, visual perception disorders, and gross and fine motor skill impairments. Although some faculty members may resist recognizing learning disabilities as “real” disabilities, they can be substantial obstacles to success in the classroom or training site. Courts have recognized them as covered by the ADA. Now, here’s a test situation: Ashley Adams is a student in your class. After doing well on the first test, she pulls a “D” on the second one, and lately seems to have difficulty understanding basic concepts as evidenced by her participation in class discussions. One Friday, she asks to see you after class and confides that she has a learning disability and needs accommodations. She proceeds to tick them off:

A Student-Empowered System for Measuring and Weighing Participation in Class Discussion

Although practiced widely in management education, grading of student participation in class discussions has been criticized by researchers: The instructor simultaneously adopts two incompatible tasks of facilitating class discussion and evaluating student participation; students play for points instead of focusing on learning; and common, instructor-based grading schemes do not motivate all students equally. This article proposes a grading system that addresses these three concerns. The proposed system gives students peer feedback within the domain of participation in class discussion enabling instructors to focus on creating learning opportunities in the classroom. The proposed grading system, with interrater reliability exceeding .80, can easily be modified by individual instructors to suit their teaching styles.

Limits of PowerPoint’s Power: Enhancing students’ self-efficacy and attitudes but not their behavior

The effects of accompanying lectures with computer-mediated PowerPoint presentations or PowerPoint generated overheads on students’ self-efficacy, attitudes, course performance, and class-related behaviors were examined. Two Introduction to Developmental Psychology sections were initially taught with lectures accompanied by either overheads or computer-mediated presentations. The teaching format was switched halfway through the semester. Students reported higher self-efficacy and more positive attitudes toward the class with computer-mediated presentations. They also claimed that the website was more interesting and useful under these teaching conditions, indicating a halo effect of the computer-mediated presentations. However, the teaching format did not appear to affect course-related behavior, such as performance on exams, class attendance, participation in class discussions, or course website usage.

An Elective Course in Cultural Competence for Healthcare Professionals

To develop and assess a cultural competence elective course used to increase students' levels of awareness, acceptance, and understanding of the role of culture on healthcare perceptions. Classroom and at-home assignments were designed, small group discussions were conducted, and guest speakers were recruited to allow students to explore different viewpoints about other cultures. Student performance was assessed based on assignments and participation in class discussions. Student satisfaction with the course was assessed using a standard course evaluation form. Participation in the course resulted in greater student understanding of cultural issues facing healthcare providers and in students feeling more capable of integrating cultural factors into patient care.

Using Technology to Increase Student Preparation for and Participation in Marketing Courses: The Random Selector Model

Extant research demonstrates how technology can support and augment traditional classroom teaching and improve learning. This paper introduces the Random Selector Model—a random selection technology tool—as a method for marketing educators to increase students’ preparation for and participation in class discussion. The Random Selector Model enables the instructor to select individual students or teams of students to participate in class discussion. Because the method is random, students view this approach as an interesting probability problem that motivates them to prepare in anticipation of being selected. Applications of the technology for the undergraduate marketing principles course and the MBA marketing management course are delineated. Students’ reactions to the method and technology are noted.

Writing in Mathematics: An Alternative Form of Communication for Academically Low–Achieving Students

Classroom communication figures prominently in current math reform efforts. In this study, we analyze how one teacher used writing to support communication in a seventh–grade, low–track mathematics class. For one school year, we studied four low–achieving students in the class. Students wrote in journals on a weekly basis. Using classroom observations and interviews with the teacher, we developed profiles of the four students, capturing their participation in class discussions. The profiles highlighted an important similarity among the four students: marginal participation in both small–group and whole–class discussions. However, our analysis of the students’ journals identified multiple instances where the students were able to explain their mathematical reasoning, revealing their conceptual understanding, ability to explain, and skill at representing a problem. In this respect, journals potentially facilitate another important form of classroom communication. The promise of writing is that it offers an alternative to the visions of classroom communication that are strictly oral in nature.

The gender gap in computers and composition research: Must boys be boys?

Biological sex has become a common variable in studies analyzing participation levels in both traditional oral and computer classrooms. This article, however, argues for the overlay of the biological sex variable and one that measures a socially constructed gender (such as the Bem Sex-Role Inventory). This article reports on a study of male and female students' participation in class discussions (measured in word counts), which found that students (in general) participated more frequently in electronic than in face-to-face discussions. Overall, students participated more frequently in face-to-face discussions after they participated in Daedalus interchange sessions, but socially constructed variables such as gender led some students to participate less frequently in traditional oral·discussions after using interchange. These findings indicate that although the computer environment may not promote egalitarian discourse in which everyone participates equally, it does tend to produce more democratic discourse, in which everyone has an equal opportunity to participate.

Teaching the Concept of Childhood and Nineteenth-Century German Children's Books in an Intermediate German Course

Teaching the concept of childhood along with nineteenth-century German children's books in an intermediate foreign language course succeeds because the subject matter is one of urgent interest to every student. Young men and women, or traditional students, in particular, have just begun to look at their own upbringing with a critical eye. In addition, the students' personal knowledge of many of the images, symbols, and experiences addressed in the texts gives them a head start in comparing cultures and cultural conceptions of childhood and child-rearing. Thus teaching a foreign language becomes a tool for teaching culture; and studying a foreign language helps students to become more conscious of their own culture (and the ways in which it is embedded in language) by providing them with a starting point for comparison and reflection. Two other benefits of such a course are students' eager participation in class discussion and the fact that it teaches literature