Perceptions Of Learning Activities Research Articles

Instructor perceptions of active learning in higher education in Oman and students' commitment to the approach

PurposeCreating active learning opportunities requires building a learning culture in which the instructor plays the role of a facilitator, leaving the ultimate responsibility of learning to the student. The question, however, is whether this is happening in practice. This study aims to answer this question through instructors' perceptions of active learning in a higher education institution in Oman.Design/methodology/approachThe study participants were 85 instructors working for a private university in Oman. Data were collected by surveying these instructors' perceptions of active learning practice indicators, such as active teaching strategies and student educational practices. This was followed by interviewing a random sample of the same instructors (N = 10) to obtain a deeper understanding of their implementation of the active learning approach.FindingsData collected through the survey revealed that the shift from passive to active learning in higher education in Oman created a discrepancy between instructors' willingness to practice active learning and learners' unpreparedness to become autonomous learners. The follow-up interview findings confirmed this point, revealing instructors' negative perceptions of student participation and engagement in out-of-class activities.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to investigate the application of active learning in a higher education institution in Oman from the perspective of instructors.

A multi-year longitudinal study exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ familiarity and perceptions of active learning

The COVID-19 pandemic caused nearly ubiquitous emergency remote teaching in both secondary and post-secondary education. While there has been a plethora of work examining how instructors adjusted classes to incorporate active learning during emergency remote teaching, there has only been minimal work examining how such emergency remote teaching may have influenced students’ perceptions of active learning. Here, we conduct a longitudinal multi-cohort study at one institution across nine semesters before, during, and after emergency remote teaching due to the pandemic to explore how college students’ familiarity and perceptions of active learning have shifted over time because of the pandemic. Our results reveal decreases in familiarity with active learning during emergency remote teaching, with familiarity remaining lower than pre-COVID even after the end of emergency remote teaching. In addition, our results indicate shifts in students’ perceptions of active learning, leading to potentially higher student resistance to active learning following emergency remote teaching. We conclude by discussing implications for instructors to better support active learning and promote engagement in active learning classes following the end of emergency remote teaching.

Active Learning Among Health Professions' Educators: Perceptions, Barriers, and Use.

Active learning engages students in the learning process through meaningful learning activities. Despite evidence that active learning can improve student's comprehension and problem solving, many educators remain reluctant to adopt it. The goal of this study was to explore health professions' educators' perceptions of active learning and identify implementation barriers. We developed a 25-question survey based on the Miller and Metz "perceptions of active learning" survey. We added 12 single-response demographics questions to the original 13 survey questions. One hundred three respondents completed the survey. We found positive perceptions of active learning significantly correlated with gender, rank, teaching FTE, and full-time employment. The use of specific active learning modalities significantly correlated with gender, terminal degree, institutional appointment, academic rank, and role. Lack of time to develop materials and lack of class time were the most common personal barriers identified, while being lecture-accustomed and lack of training were the most common perceived barriers to the implementation of active learning by their peers. Despite overwhelmingly positive perceptions of active learning among US health professions' educators and desire to incorporate it, a gap still exists between institutional and educators' support of active learning due to implementation barriers for resource-intensive active learning.

INVESTIGATING EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF IMPLEMENTING ACTIVE LEARNING TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING SPEAKING

Active learning (AL) is widely implemented in Asia including Vietnam. However, to date, research on this method seems to be scarce, particularly in the context of Vietnam. This study aims to investigate teachers' perceptions of AL and its principles in teaching English speaking. In addition, the study also explores teachers’ attitudes about AL implementation and their concerns about applying this method to their teaching context. Ten teachers of English teaching at a university in the Mekong Delta, South of Vietnam participated in the study. A semi-structured interview activity was employed to collect data. The results showed that the teachers generally had a high level of understanding of AL teaching principles and showed positive attitudes toward the implementation of it. The results also revealed teachers’ concerns about implementing AL. In particular, three problems of large class size, students’ mixed language proficiency and time limitation were addressed. Accordingly, possible suggestions for a better implementation of AL in teaching English speaking in Vietnam and similar contexts elsewhere will be provided.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0006/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ACTIVE LEARNING IN INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE

There is a growing interest in active learning as a shift from traditional lecturing to improving student-centred learning in English. However, in the Vietnamese context of teaching and learning at tertiary levels, little research has examined students’ perceptions of active learning in approaching Introduction to Literature. This study is therefore aimed to look into this area of interest. Participants in this study were 94 students from junior and seniors majoring in high-quality programs at a university in the Mekong Delta. Data were collected from questionnaires. The findings show that students had positive perceptions of active learning in studying this course. Implications for teaching and learning this course are made.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0471/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Self-assessment of active learning and critical thinking during problem-based learning: An exploratory study.

To assess whether problem-based learning enhances students' perception of their active learning and critical thinking skills with time, and to validate the self-assessment scale regarding active learning and critical thinking in the local context. The exploratory study was conducted at the Bahria University Dental College, Karachi, from February to September 2020, and comprised dental undergraduates in their first and second years of the academic programme. Data was collected using the self-assessment scale on active learning and critical thinking questionnaire which was administered twice after problem-based learning tutorials. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. There was a significant difference in the mean questionnaire scores of modules 1 and 3 of the first-year batch and modules 4 and 6 of the second-year batch (p=0.001). Cronbach's alpha value was 0.735 in the first-year cohort and 0.802 in the second-year cohort. Dental students' perception of active learning and critical thinking increased with time using problem-based learning as the tool. The self-assessment scale on active learning and critical thinking was also found validated in the local context.

Understanding Student Characteristics in the Development of Active Learning Strategies

Student evaluations after non-lecture, active learning sessions at Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, have yielded bipartite responses with one group responding favorably and the other group negatively. The purpose of this study was to understand the characteristics, motivation, and learning strategies of medical students that find value in, appreciate, and perceive active learning sessions to be beneficial and those of students that do not. We generated a survey, based on the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), that included questions regarding overall student motivations for learning, learning strategies that students employed throughout medical school, and their perceptions of active learning. Following an active learning session on hyperammonemia, we administered the modified MSLQ survey. Using the results of this survey, we validated the modified MSLQ and identified correlations between student characteristics and their perception of the active learning session. We found that, in general, students with high task value, intrinsic goal orientation, self-efficacy for learning and performance, and control of learning beliefs felt more positively about their experience in the active learning session. Understanding the characteristics, motivations, and learning strategies that help students find value in active learning sessions will help medical educators develop future curricular material so that these exercises will better engage and be more effective with a greater number of learners.

Active learning in informal learning spaces: science students’ experiences

ABSTRACT In crafting the active learning approach for this study, we leverage on the definition of active learning as a methodology that requires students’ active collaborative engagement and involvement in their own learning and they are held accountable for learning with peers. Building from social interaction, we extend the notion of active learning to include socio-cognitive conflicts and socio-emotional conflicts. Subsequently, the aim of this study is to gain insights into science students’ experiences and perceptions of active learning in informal learning spaces. The current study used a basic qualitative research method involving 29 genetics students.. The data were collected from the 2-hour video recordings and 45-minute semi-structured focus group interviews. The conceptual content analysis approach was used to analyse the data. The results reveal that the higher-performing students are able to regulate the cognitive processes, and to learn effectively in a minimally guided instruction environment outside the classroom by relying on their peers as a reliable source of information. However, the lower-performing students depend on their lecturer to transfer knowledge to them. They do not believe it is possible to learn science from their peers. Probably because they do not know how to learn in a group.

First Year Occupational Therapy Students’ Engagement in Learning Activities: A Qualitative Study

When students enter a bachelor program in occupational therapy, they engage in a variety of learning activities. To explore students’ perceptions of learning activities, this qualitative study investigated the experiences of six first year students participating in an occupational therapy study program at a Norwegian university. The students took part in two focus group interviews. The interview analysis focused on meaning and ended up with three main themes: 1) Getting to know each other through collaborative learning activities, 2) Engaging in classroom learning activities, and 3) Approaching the syllabus and doing assignments. The study concludes that early engagement in social and collaborative learning activities can be a meaningful prerequisite to future learning focused on meaning and feeling safe in the learning environment. Teaching styles also influence students’ engagement in the occupation of studying, with the change from one teaching style to another being particularly challenging for the students.

Attitudes, motivation and study habits of English language learners of young students

The research was conducted in several English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at a Midwest American university town. The study participants were 15 international students from various different Secondary Schools who are currently enrolled at this university. Data was collected by using a mixed-methods approach with surveys and follow-up interviews, and was analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results have shown that learners’ beliefs and their learning background have an influence on their perceptions of learning activities and teaching methods. In terms of enjoyment of such practices, there was an apparent inclination towards interactive and communicative approaches rather than
 traditional, non-communicative ones, whereas no distinct style was favored in regard to effectiveness.

Roles matter: Graduate student perceptions of active learning in the STEM courses they take and those they teach.

Despite many calls to reform undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to incorporate active learning into classes, there has been little attention paid to graduate level classrooms or courses taught by graduate students. Here, we set out to understand if and how STEM graduate students' perceptions of active learning change in the classes they take versus those they teach. We found that graduate students had taken relatively few graduate level classes using active learning and they felt that more time should be devoted to active learning in the courses they were taking. Teaching assistants felt that they were devoting the right amount of class time to active learning in the classes they taught. Graduate students also felt that they were using teaching methods in the classes they taught that were different from those they thought should be used when teaching undergraduates and were different from how they preferred to learn when taking classes.

“I Like and Prefer to Work Alone”: Social Anxiety, Academic Self-Efficacy, and Students’ Perceptions of Active Learning

Although active learning improves student outcomes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs, it may provoke anxiety in some students. We examined whether two psychological variables, social anxiety (psychological distress relating to the fear of negative evaluation by others) and academic self-efficacy (confidence in one’s ability to overcome academic challenges), interact with student perceptions of evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs) and associate with their final grades in a STEM-related course. Human anatomy and physiology students in community college courses rated various EBIPs for their perceived educational value and their capacity to elicit anxiety (N = 227). In general, practices causing students the most anxiety (e.g., cold calling) were reported by students as having the least educational value. When controlling for students’ self-reported grade point averages, socially anxious students rated several EBIPs as more anxiety inducing, whereas high-efficacy students reported less anxiety surrounding other EBIPs. Furthermore, mediation analysis revealed that individual differences in academic self-efficacy at the beginning of the term explained some of the negative association between students’ social anxiety levels and final grades in the course. Our results, obtained in a community college context, support a growing body of evidence that social anxiety and academic self-efficacy are linked with how students perceive and perform in an active-learning environment.

Dietetics students' perceptions of classroom-based learning activities.

The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics requires that undergraduate dietetics courses utilize a variety of educational approaches to facilitate learning. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate undergraduate nutrition students' perceptions of 16 classroom-based learning activities before and after taking an upper-level nutrition course. A survey was completed by students before and after taking an upper-level nutrition course, Methods in Nutrition Education, at a single university in the southwest region of the United States in fall 2016 and 2017. The survey included demographic questions and assessed students' perceptions of the helpfulness of 16 traditional and active classroom-based activities to learning. Perceptions were measured via Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) at baseline and postcourse. Wilcoxon signed rank tests assessed changes in students' perceptions of learning activities from baseline to postcourse (significance = P < 0.05). Ninety-seven completed baseline surveys; 67 (69%) completed postcourse surveys. Observing professionals (median = 5), interviewing professionals (median = 5), and critical thinking (median = 4) were perceived as most helpful to learning postcourse. Students agreed critical thinking, integrating material from other courses, interviewing professionals, case studies, writing short reports and summaries, and group projects and activities were significantly more helpful postcourse compared to baseline (P < 0.05). Undergraduate nutrition students perceive a variety of classroom-based activities are helpful to learning including traditional (textbook readings, lectures) and active learning strategies (observation, practice). Instructors may consider implementing a variety of traditional and active learning strategies in upper-level nutrition and health-related courses to facilitate learning.

Perceptions and Barriers of Active Learning in Business Students: a study done on the Sohar University students, Oman

Purpose of the study: The objective of this study was to find out what are the perceptions of active learning, to rule out the barriers, and to see whether it holds any importance in a classroom. Design/Methodology: Data has been collected through a structured questionnaire, from 280 samples, being students of Faculty of Business at Sohar University, Oman. This was a cross-sectional, exploratory study to identify the perceptions and barriers from the student’s point of view. Findings: The findings of the study reveal that student-teacher interaction is essential and thereby the students’ communication skills and social interactive skills enhances. Students’ perception is that they develop more interest in the subjects and that their creative and critical thinking improves. Students consider the lack of student-teacher interaction as a huge barrier followed by the lack of experiential learning. Also, their own lack of communication is a huge obstruction. Implications: With the world becoming more digitalized, we would like to further find out how to implement active learning through the online education system and how to improve it for both teachers and students. We can introduce hands on practice in classrooms. Originality: This research work is an idea taken up from other resources but is one of a kind since it is focused on Business students at Sohar University which has not been done before. Keywords: Active learning, Sohar University Business Students, Perceptions, Barriers in Teaching, Student Engagement, Academic Challenge.

What educators could do to facilitate students' use of a deep approach to learning: A multisite cross-sectional design

BackgroundDespite the proliferation of diverse teaching methods, it is uncertain which teaching components have enhanced students' approach to learning and in what way these components have produced positive outcomes. ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to examine how the students' perceptions of learning activities, the acquisition of relevant knowledge, and educators' enthusiasm/supportive attitudes impact on the students' adoption of the deep approach to learning. DesignA multisite cross-sectional design. SettingsTwo universities in Japan. ParticipantsUndergraduate nursing students (n = 154). MethodsQuestionnaires, which included the Teaching Approach Scale and the Japanese version of the Learning Approach Scale, were given to the students. Data were analysed by path analysis. ResultsThe students' perceptions of learning activities were positively related to their use of a deep approach to learning. Moreover, this relationship was completely mediated by their perceptions of knowledge acquisition and educators' enthusiastic and supportive attitudes. ConclusionsThe findings suggest that learning activities must be reinforced by appropriate educator support that enables students to acquire relevant knowledge and feel that learning is interesting and enjoyable. Without such support, interest and active engagement incurred by learning activities may quickly disappear, and learning activities may not lead to a change in the students' approach to learning.

Research in Action: Student Perceptions of Active Learning in Criminal Justice Research Courses

This project addressed two major points: do interactive classroom activities improve student’s perception of learning research methodology in an undergraduate course and does the class structure, i.e. traditional face-to-face versus hybrid impact perceived student comprehension? Over the course of two fall semesters, the researchers utilized three common interactive assignments. These assignments were designed around the subjects of sampling, content analysis, and survey craftsmanship. The students completed the activities during class and then completed a brief survey immediately following the activity. A total of 72 students were part of the study (32 in a traditional course and 40 in a hybrid course). Regardless of the class format, at least 75% or more of the students agreed or strongly agreed that the interactive class activity increased their knowledge of the topic. In comparing the responses between both sets of students, there does seem to be some differences in perceptions of student learning based on whether the class is taught traditionally or in a hybrid format.

Development and validation of an instrument to measure students’ perceptions of technology-enabled active learning

This article reports on the design, development, and validation of a new instrument, the Technology-Enabled Active Learning Inventory (TEAL), to measure students’ perceptions of active learning in a technology-enabled learning context. By laying the theoretical foundation, a conceptual framework for technology-enabled active learning was developed. The conceptual framework formed the basis of the instrument development process including the design, development and validation of TEAL to measure students’ perceptions of active learning in a technology-enabled learning context. The self-reporting questionnaire consisted of four scales: interactive engagement, problem-solving skills, interest and feedback. All scales were assessed on a 7-point Likert scale. The survey items were designed to measure the four aspects of technology-enabled active learning and were verified by two panels using a formalised card sorting procedure as well as confirmatory factor analysis of a small-scale (n = 61) pilot survey. The TEAL questionnaire demonstrated internal consistency. Reliability as measured by Cronbach’s coefficient alpha ranged from 0.83 to 0.88 indicating good reliability and internal consistency of the items. The resultant instrument is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used in future research to gather and represent data on students’ perceptions of active learning in a technology-enabled learning context.

Flipping the Classroom: Assessment of Strategies to Promote Student‐Centered, Self‐Directed Learning in a Dental School Course in Pediatric Dentistry

The aim of this study was to explore student and course director experiences with the redesign of a traditional lecture-based course into a flipped classroom for teaching didactic content in pediatric dentistry to second-year dental students. The study assessed student satisfaction, extent of student engagement, overall course grades, and course director satisfaction. The students enrolled in a flipped classroom pediatric dentistry course (spring semester 2014; SP14) were asked to complete pre- and post-course questionnaires to assess their perceptions of active learning, knowledge acquisition, and course satisfaction. The process was repeated with the class enrolled in the same course the following year (SP15). Responses for SP14 and SP15 resulted in an overall response rate of 95% on the pre questionnaire and 84% on the post questionnaire. The results showed that the greatest perceived advantage of the flipped classroom design was the availability and access to online content and course materials. Students reported enhanced learning due to heightened engagement in discussion. The results also showed that students' overall course grades improved and that the course director was satisfied with the experience, particularly after year two. Many calls have been made for educational strategies that encourage critical thinking instead of passive learning environments. This study provides one example of a course redesign and demonstrates the need for both faculty and student development to ensure success when a flipped classroom methodology is introduced.

On the Origins of Perceptions: Student Perceptions of Active Learning and Their Implications for Educational Reform

ABSTRACTThis Conversation Starters article presents a selected research abstract from the 2016 Association of American Medical Colleges Central Region Group on Educational Affairs annual spring meeting. The abstract is paired with the integrative commentary of three experts who shared their thoughts stimulated by the study. These thoughts highlight the value of exploring what drives student perceptions of active learning in order to reform medical education.

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