1
|
Hood S, Barrickman N, Djerdjian N, Farr M, Magner S, Roychowdhury H, Gerrits R, Lawford H, Ott B, Ross K, Paige O, Stowe S, Jensen M, Hull K. "I Like and Prefer to Work Alone": Social Anxiety, Academic Self-Efficacy, and Students' Perceptions of Active Learning. CBE Life Sci Educ 2021; 20:ar12. [PMID: 33600218 PMCID: PMC8108489 DOI: 10.1187/cbe.19-12-0271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S. Hood
- Bishop’s University, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 1Z7, Canada
- *Address correspondence to: Suzanne Hood (); N. Barrickman ()
| | - N. Barrickman
- Department of Biology, Salt Lake City Community College, Salt Lake City, UT 84123
- *Address correspondence to: Suzanne Hood (); N. Barrickman ()
| | - N. Djerdjian
- Department of Biology, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, South Cambridge, MN 55008-5704
| | - M. Farr
- Department of Biology, Salt Lake City Community College, Salt Lake City, UT 84123
| | - S. Magner
- Department of Biology, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, South Cambridge, MN 55008-5704
| | - H. Roychowdhury
- Science Department, Doña Ana Community College, Las Cruces, NM 88011
| | - R. Gerrits
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, WI 53202-3109
| | - H. Lawford
- Bishop’s University, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 1Z7, Canada
| | - B. Ott
- Department of Biology, Tyler Junior College, Tyler, TX 75711-9020
| | - K. Ross
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332; and
| | - O. Paige
- Bishop’s University, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 1Z7, Canada
| | - S. Stowe
- Bishop’s University, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 1Z7, Canada
| | - M. Jensen
- **College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - K. Hull
- Bishop’s University, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 1Z7, Canada
| |
Collapse
|