Sociology Courses Research Articles

The Relationship Between First-Year Learning Communities and Academic Performance in Introductory Psychology and Sociology

Objective: How do learning communities influence academic performance in Introductory Psychology? Method: The present research examines the relationship between participation in first-year students learning communities and academic performance across a variety of course requirements (midterms, finals, papers, and class participation) in introductory psychology and, for comparison, sociology courses. Results: Students who took Introductory Psychology as part of a first-year-student learning community outperformed their peers (who took the same course without a learning community) on the first exam of the semester and were less likely to miss assignments but otherwise showed no significant differences on the other course assignments; introductory sociology students part of these communities showed even greater differences in performance that lasted through the end of the semester. Conclusion: First-year students learning communities offers significant albeit limited benefits for student performance in introductory courses in the social sciences. Teaching Implications: Short of institutional efforts to enact programming for first-year learning communities, introductory psychology instructors can attempt to simulate the experience of such communities by promoting a sense of belonging via extra-curricular service or discipline-related activities.

Changes in Student Motivation and Teacher Decision Making When Implementing a Formative Assessment Practice

Motivation is a prerequisite for students’ learning, and formative assessment has been suggested as a possible way of supporting students’ motivation. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence corroborating the hypothesis of large effects from formative assessment interventions on students’ autonomous forms of motivation and motivation in terms of behavioral engagement in learning activities. In addition, formative assessment practices that do have an impact on students’ motivation may put additional requirements on teachers than more traditional teaching practices. Such requirements include decisions teachers need to make in classroom practice. The requirements on teachers’ decision-making in formative assessment practices that have a positive impact on students’ autonomous forms of motivation and behavioral engagement have not been investigated. This study describes one teacher’s formative assessment practice during a sociology course in upper secondary school, and it identifies the requirements for the teacher’s decision-making. The teacher had participated in a professional development program about formative assessment just prior to this study. This study also investigated changes in the students’ motivation when the teacher implemented the formative assessment practice. The teacher’s practice was examined through observations, weekly teacher logs, the teacher’s teaching descriptions, and an interview with the teacher. Data on changes in the students’ type of motivation and engagement were collected in the teacher’s class and in five comparison classes through a questionnaire administered in the beginning and the end of the course. The students responded to the questionnaire items by choosing the extent to which they agreed with the statements on a scale from 1–7. The teacher’s formative assessment practice focused on collecting information about the students’ knowledge and skills and then using this information to make decisions about subsequent instruction. Several types of decisions, and the knowledge and skills required to make them that exceed those required in more traditional teaching practices, were identified. The students’ in the intervention teacher’s class increased their controlled and autonomous forms of motivation as well as their engagement in learning activities more than the students in the comparison classes.

An interview with Dr. Mohammad Ismath Ramzy Mohammad Ismail

Our guest is Dr.Mohammad Ismath Ramzy Mohammad Ismail, Senior Lecturer, Department of Educational Foundations and Humanities, Faculty of Education, University of Malaya, W.Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He teaches courses in sociology of education and actively involved in Peace Education and religious dialogue, mainly Muslim-Buddhist. His interest includes Intercultural Education, multiculturalism, sociology of education, diversity and social cohesion. He is a recipient of Vienna KAICIID fellowship and currently, and involves in researches like “Social Cohesion through tertiary education”, “Effective Teaching & Learning in Malaysian Primary Schools” and “Towards Progressive Society, Capacity for Peace” and Interfaith Dialogue between Muslims and Buddhists. He has published research articles in International Review Journals including ISI and Scopus. Also has written several book chapters including 07 entries to the Encyclopedia of Indian Religions published by Springer.

Teaching Race and Racial Justice: Developing Students’ Cognitive and Affective Understanding

Effectively addressing both cognitive and affective dimensions of learning is one of the greatest obstacles to teaching race and racial justice in higher education. In this article, we first explore the need to integrate attention to cognitive and affective development, along with evidence-based strategies for doing so. We then provide a case study of an undergraduate sociology course on environmental justice in which the instructor intentionally adopted holistic pedagogical principles of teaching race. Analyzing student responses from a pre- and post- course survey, course assignments, and instructor observations of student participation, we find that both white students and students of color experienced significant growth in their cognitive and affective understanding of the complexities of race and work toward racial justice. However, results also show how challenging it can be to create the conditions for productive multiracial dialogues that produce extensive affective development, particularly interpersonal skills of racial reconciliation. Reflecting on the limitations of the case, we conclude that more holistic teaching approaches are necessary to develop both students’ cognitive and affective abilities to navigate race and work against racism, and we make suggestions for faculty development and administrative support.

Teaching Race and Racial Justice: Developing Students’ Cognitive and Affective Understanding

Effectively addressing both cognitive and affective dimensions of learning is one of the greatest obstacles to teaching race and racial justice in higher education. In this article, we first explore the need to integrate attention to cognitive and affective development, along with evidence-based strategies for doing so. We then provide a case study of an undergraduate sociology course on environmental justice in which the instructor intentionally adopted holistic pedagogical principles of teaching race. Analyzing student responses from a pre- and post- course survey, course assignments, and instructor observations of student participation, we find that both white students and students of color experienced significant growth in their cognitive and affective understanding of the complexities of race and work toward racial justice. However, results also show how challenging it can be to create the conditions for productive multiracial dialogues that produce extensive affective development, particularly interpersonal skills of racial reconciliation. Reflecting on the limitations of the case, we conclude that more holistic teaching approaches are necessary to develop both students’ cognitive and affective abilities to navigate race and work against racism, and we make suggestions for faculty development and administrative support.

An Asynchronous University Distance Course as a Possible Model for International Online Collaboration

A reassessment and discussion of distance education (DE) in the higher education is crucial in a situation when many students over the world have become e-learners and several international exchange programs were suspended. Our study is related to international online collaboration in a sociology course where university students from four countries participated. We created an innovative design for an international online course and successfully ran it for about 15 years. The research addresses what the key factors are in order to make an international distance course a useful practice case, and how these factors contribute to the effectiveness of such a course and the level of students’ satisfaction. On the basis of our long-term collaboration, we identified the key factors that stimulated the high level of student involvement in online dialogue and the high level of satisfaction. The article argues that online asynchronous technology and online dialogue in the form of student-led discussions (SLD) organized for regular interaction among students and between students and lecturers are key factors in the course’s success. An additional factor is the regular motivation of the students by the teachers in the form of technical and pedagogical support. The model discussed in this article takes into account all these factors. Its effectiveness is confirmed by the students' level of satisfaction with our class and the high level of student engagement. It enables students from different countries to equally communicate online and freely exchange ideas among themselves and with the teachers. Student-oriented teaching methods and the careful design of the course were also significant for success. The article concludes that an asynchronous e-learning university course emphasizing students’ regular participation in discussion forums can be a useful model for international collaboration where students from different countries are involved.

«Sociology» and «History of Sociology» for «Social work»: to the conceptualization of sociological component education

The article proposes a review and substantiation of the conceptual foundations of the study of sociology within the framework of the Educational Programme «Social work» at the sociological faculty of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. The relevance of such a statement of the problem is associated with a discussion of the definition of the purpose of this educational program and its features, which consist, in particular, in in-depth training in sociology. Based on the characteristics and features of the educational program, the article formulates the initial provisions that guide the conceptualization of its sociological component, in particular, the nature of the discipline, the main direction of the sociological component of training, its central concept and requirements for the structure. Thematic priorities in teaching courses in «Sociology» and «History of Sociology» within the framework of the Social Work educational program have been determined. The substantiation of the conceptual foundations and thematic structure of the course «History of Sociology» is presented. In particular, the main questions have been identified that the course should answer and, accordingly, the historical and sociological material was selected. Reorientation from methodological to ontological features of sociological theorizing is substantiated. A method of paradigmatic unification of sociological concepts for effective understanding by students of the essence of sociological thinking has been chosen. The main sections of the course are characterized and its thematic structure is presented. The thematic plan of the course «Sociology» as an element of the sociological component of the educational program «Social work» is proposed and its differences from the thematic structure of the sociology course for non-core audiences are argued. By referring to the psychological, pedagogical and didactic aspects, the author describes the introduction of an appropriate system of methods of teaching, learning, support and assessment of educational activities within the framework of the courses «Sociology» and «History of Sociology».

A Tale of Two Sections: Assessment Variation in Hybrid Teaching of Introductory Sociology Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study analyzes the efficacy of varied types of assessment in student learning in a collegiate level introductory sociology course held during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two sections were taught in one semester via hyflex modality. Each utilized unique assessments to measure course level outcomes. Both section assessments measured the achievement of student learning against the proscribed course learning outcomes. The researcher employed mixed methods to gather data for this study including outcome achievement, grading statistical data, and autoethnographic methods to examine the instructor experience. Questions about teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic typically focus on the student experience or technology use, not teaching or pedagogical challenges. Teaching activity choice and success remains unexplored. This study follows a single semester, comparing the teaching experience among two sections at the same institution. Results reflect that the innovative, less structured but more meaningful group project assessment led to both greater teaching satisfaction and higher student achievement of learning.

The dynamic specificity of interlingual interference within the context of virtual space: towards the theoretical framework of the phenomenon (by the example of political discourse)

This paper deals with the problem of interference within the context of language convergence in virtual space. The study aims to analyze in detail the role of virtual space communication as a new favorable environment for interferential processes not just on the structural level, on the conceptual level too, since deviation from language norms as a serving instrument in terms of formation of the linguistic picture of the world results in changing the way one conceptualizes reality. The major research methods are contrastive analysis and conceptual analysis. The practical significance of the research is determined by the fact that its results can be used in the educational process, for example, when teaching various courses in intercultural communication, political psychology, sociology, cultural and contact linguistics, (foreign) language teaching, cross-cultural pragmatics, etc. The authors come to a conclusion that significant modifications on the conceptual level occur due to language contacts intensification and because of a stable interference pattern in speech and affect communicants’ behavior. This in turn leads to conceptual transformation in language and, as a result, in the way of thinking. The most significant manifestation of this phenomenon can be seen in the political life of the society.

From Measures of Association to Multilevel Models: Sociology Journals and the Quantitative Literacy Gap

While most sociology majors must take a statistics course, the content of this course varies widely across departments. Starting from the assumption that sociology students should be able to engage effectively with the sociological literature, this article examines the statistical techniques used in 2,804 journal articles—from four generalist sociology journals from 1990 to 2019 and 11 additional sociology journals from 2019—in order to assess which techniques have risen or fallen in prevalence. Although stalwarts such as ordinary least squares regression, chi-square tests, and t tests maintain strong presences, the rise of logistic regression, interaction effects, and multilevel models has been dramatic. After assessing the proportion of articles students hypothetically could understand given various levels of statistical training, the article ends with suggestions for how to revamp the statistics course to help our students become more numerate citizens, both in their sociology courses and in the world at large.

The Lasting Impact of a First Impression: An Exercise for the First Day of Class

This article details an exercise for the first day of class in an introductory sociology course. Students in two sections of Introduction to Sociology taught by the same professor and covering the same content, with the exception of the exercise on the first day of class, were surveyed at the end of the semester regarding the first day. Student responses in the section with the experiment reveal that students believe that the activity is useful in making them think deeper, recalling and applying sociological concepts to their own lives, and challenging their conceptions of roles of students and professors in the college classroom. These students also report positive recollections of the first day and of the professor. Additionally, the future trajectory of students in each section (in terms of their decision to major, minor, or take further classes in sociology) reveals surprisingly different paths.

Evaluation of a digitized physician-patient-communication course evaluated by preclinical medical students: a replacement for classroom education?

Objectives: The limitations in teaching resulting from the Covid-19 epidemic were the rational for transferring the course in Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology (doctor-patient communication) into an asynchronous e-learning course. For this purpose, ten exercises were developed to be downloaded by the students and the solutions returned to the course lecturer on a weekly basis. In addition, two students individually recorded via video one of eight doctor-patient exercise conversations, which were then evaluated by four other students and the respective lecturer.Methods: For evaluation, the students filled out an exercise and an effect-related questionnaire with 21 items.Results: The questionnaire was completed by n=203 (98%) students (59% female, 41% male). The video-based situation analyses (91%) helped most of them to become rather closely or very well acquainted with medical conversation practice. 76% rated the exercise “Enlightenment Conversation/SPIKES Protocol” as fairly helpful or very helpful in respect to the practicing concepts of medical conversation. When asked about the effects, most of them found the idea of patient orientation in medicine to be quite helpful or very helpful (83%). About a quarter of them (24%) stated that the online course could not, or only slightly, replace face-to-face teaching. This assessment was less pronounced among female students than among male students (Wilcoxon test p<.01).Conclusion: Our online course concept of physician-patient conversation found good overall response among pre-clinical medical students. However, the participants expressed different opinions about the extent to which the concept can replace face-to-face teaching.

Future profession of sociologist: expectations of the university applicants

This article considers various aspects of selecting sociological discipline by the university applicants. Based on the conducted in 2019 empirical research, the author summarizes the representations of high graduates on sociology as a scientific discipline, as well as on sociological profession. Overall, applicants became more careful in selecting sociology for their future, have an idea what is modern sociology and its development trends. This is also reflected in the official statistics, which claims that the number of applications submitted for &amp;ldquo;Sociology&amp;rdquo; has increased over the recent years. However, difficulties of such choice are revealed as well. University applicants are rather focused on acquisition of specific competences in the field of sociology, but perceive sociology as a cross-disciplinary area of knowledge. The article determines the representations of university applicants on similarities between the school course of social studies and sociology, as well as on the role of social studies in selecting sociology in the university. Assessment is given to the opinions of university applicants on the advantages of sociology in relation to other scientific disciplines; opportunities for personal and career growth in the future profession of sociologist. The author touches upon the question of formatting the image of sociologist from the perspective of university applicants. Thus, the article resolves the problem of formation of the image of future profession among university applicants that chose the academic discipline &amp;ldquo;Sociology&amp;rdquo;. &amp;nbsp;In structuring educational strategies, the universities should take into account such representations of their applicants for improving learning efficiency.

Integrating the Daily Newspaper into the College Classroom

Newspaper readership has declined dramatically over the last few decades. Millennials and students of college age report reading a daily newspaper less frequently than any other generational cohort in America. However, credible newspapers continue to provide in-depth coverage and analysis of key contemporary issues that facilitate civic literacy and a sociological understanding of the world. This case study discusses an exploratory approach to integrating the newspaper into the college classroom as a way of connecting journalism with theoretical knowledge. In an Introductory Sociology course, I provided daily copies of The New York Times to students throughout the duration of a semester. Students worked in assigned groups, regularly read articles in the paper, and searched for stories related to a wide variety of sociological issues. As a final project, students wrote detailed summaries of several articles published throughout the semester and explained how they were connected with key sociological concepts studied in the class. Nearly all students in the course reported that consistent readership over a 12-week period of the semester to be an effective learning activity that expanded their understanding and exposure to core sociological issues.

Fit for the Future - Entwicklung eines Seminars zu Aspekten der Digitalisierung im Gesundheitswesen als Beitrag der Lehre im Fach Medizinische Soziologie

IntroductionTopics regarding the digitization of the healthcare system are hardly being addressed during the undergraduate training of medical students, even though the promotion of skills in this area has been defined as a learning goal in the German National Competence-Based Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education (NKLM) since 2015. At the same time, telemedicine as one part of digitization is becoming increasingly important in the public perception as a tool supplementing access to care. Therefore, the aim was to give medical students in the fourth pre-clinical semester a first insight into topics of telemedicine and other aspects of digitization in the healthcare sector as part of a seminar. MethodsOn the basis of the existing literature, we developed the content and a didactic concept for the seminar “The doctor-patient relationship in the field of technological developments” in the Medical Sociology course for undergraduate medical students in their second year at the University of Lübeck. Inspired by Kirkpatrick's four-level model, the students were asked for topics they wished to cover regarding the digitization of healthcare and telemedicine at the start and their attitudes towards and experiences with telemedicine at the end of the seminar. ResultsA total of 184 students from the fourth pre-clinical semester attended the seminar. The survey response rate was 32%. The topics most frequently requested by students were “Legal Framework”, “Electronic Patient Record” and “Tele-consultation”. 85% of the students rated the topic “digitization of healthcare” as highly relevant for their future profession. Also 85% of the students wished for easy-to-use telemedicine equipment. A third or more of the students reported considerable uncertainty about their ability to evaluate the benefits of health apps. ConclusionsThe contents of the seminar met the students’ demands. In the future, topics relating to the digitization of the health system should be increasingly integrated into undergraduate training; also, the students’ feeling uncertain about their ability to assess various telemedical applications should be addressed.

Thoroughness in Explanation of Substructure-Superstructure Relations in Introductory Sociology Textbooks

The introductory sociology course is typically the only course most students take in sociology; hence, the introductory textbook becomes the only sociology textbook they may ever read as college students. The textbook, however, often lacks rigor in explaining concepts. This study focused on the thoroughness of explanations of the relations of substructure and superstructure of society by Karl Max (economic determinism) and Max Weber (ideological determinism) in a sample of introductory sociology textbooks. We found only one textbook to be consistently thorough in explaining both determinisms, and most textbooks were rated as low in their explanations of both concepts. We argue for greater thoroughness in introductory sociology textbooks, especially in the interest of students who participate in online learning and those who may not take another course in sociology and whose impression of the discipline would be framed by the introductory textbook.

Transforming Introductory Sociology with Team-Based Learning: Sufficient Value and Surmountable Challenge?

Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a highly structured, immersive teaching strategy that emphasizes active learning through peer teams. Despite its many potential benefits for teaching introductory sociology, it has been slow to gain traction in the discipline. Instructors may debate whether the value of TBL is sufficient to justify its challenges, which may include student resistance, increased time demands, and difficulty envisioning implementation. We aim to resolve this debate in four ways by (1) familiarizing faculty with the TBL method, (2) examining the value of TBL for students and instructors, (3) discussing strategies for overcoming challenges, and (4) offering an example of how TBL can be implemented in an introductory sociology course. As the scholarship of teaching and learning continues to challenge faculty to implement forward-thinking teaching techniques that move beyond traditional lecture, we conclude that TBL offers a compelling framework for transforming the introductory sociology course.

Getting students to ‘do’ introductory sociology: Analysis of a blended and flipped interactive workshop model

Blended learning and flipped classroom models are increasingly encouraged in higher education, where notions of flexibility and technological development inform institutional systems and strategies. This article presents results from an Australian study on redesigning and delivering an introductory sociology course using a combination of such models. Four central elements of the redesign are highlighted: overall course format; use of mini-lectures; face-to-face activities; and our assessment model. We present analysis of students’ and instructors’ understandings and experiences of the redesign over three course iterations to offer insight into the unfolding and responsive dynamics involved in implementing blended and flipped models. We aim to contribute to the ongoing implementation of similar models in the context of changing institutional environments and expectations, as well as to broader projects for pedagogical enrichment in sociology.

Teaching Race and Ethnicity in the Age of Trump: Using Popular Culture in a Polarized Classroom

Teaching race and ethnicity in various sociology courses, we found students in our classes can be very reluctant to approach the subject of race, discrimination, and racism. Moreover, during class discussion, they often have a hard time defining and analyzing these concepts. In this study, we examine how popular culture can be a useful tool to teach difficult subjects, such as race and ethnicity. Instead of a traditional lecture, we had students watch the popular Cartoon Network series Teen Titans. Using the characters’ interactions from this series as examples, students constructed definitions of racism and discrimination. The result of this study demonstrates that students may be more comfortable recognizing and discussing fictional characters’ racist or discriminatory behavior as a way of entering the conversation. After discussing fictional examples, students effectively link events from the cartoon to the subsequent lecture about race and racism.

فاعلیه التعلم النشط فی تدریس علم الاجتماع لتنمیه الذکاء الاجتماعی لدى طلاب المرحلة الثانویة

مشکلة البحث: تلخصت مشکلة البحث الحالی فی تدنی مستوی طلاب المرحلة الثانویة الدارسین لمادة علم الاجتماع فی مهارات الذکاء الاجتماعی. وللتصدی لهذه المشکلة حاول البحث الحالی الکشف عن فاعلیة استراتیجیات التعلم النشط فی تنمیة الذکاء الاجتماعی لدی طلاب المرحلة الثانویة الدارسین لعلم الاجتماع، ولهذا فالبحث الحالی یحاول الإجابة عن السؤال الرئیسی التالی: ما فاعلیة التعلم النشط فی تنمیة الذکاء الاجتماعی لدی طلاب المرحلة الثانویة الدراسین لعلم الاجتماع؟ ویتفرع عن هذا السؤال الرئیسی الاسئلة الفرعیة التالیة: ما مهارات الذکاء الاجتماعی الذی یمکن تنمیتها لدی طلاب المرحلة الثانویة. ما استراتیجیات التعلم النشط التی ینبغی استخدامها لتنمیة الذکاء الاجتماعی. ما صورة وحدة فی علم الاجتماع مصاغة فی ضوء استراتیجیات التعلم النشط. ما أثر تدریس وحدة من مقرر علم الاجتماع على تنمیة الذکاء الاجتماعی لدی طلاب المرحلة الثانویة. نتائج البحث: أظهرت نتائج البحث أثر استراتیجیات التعلم النشط فی تنمیة الذکاء الاجتماعی لدی طلاب المرحلة الثانویة الدارسین لعلم الاجتماع. abstract Research Title: Effectiveness of active learning in teaching sociology, development, social intelligence among high school students. The research problem: The current research problem is summarized in low level of secondary school students studying sociology in social intelligence skills To address this problem, the current research attempted to reveal the effectiveness of active learning strategies in developing social intelligence among high school students studying sociology, and for this the research The current one is trying to answer the following main question: is the effectiveness of active learning in developing social intelligence among high school students studying for sociology? The following sub-questions are subdivided into the following sub-questions : 1. What are social intelligence skills that can be developed among high school students 2. What Active learning strategies that should be used for the development of social intelligence 3. What is the image of a unit in sociology formulated in the light of active learning strategies 4. What is the effect of teaching a unit from the sociology course on developing social intelligence secondary school students whose results: The research results show active learning strategies, developing social intelligence for high school students studying for sociology”.