Seeking help in large college classes: A person-centered approach

Using office hour appointment data to illustrate a decline in student-faculty interaction during and after COVID-19

Student-faculty interaction (SFI) is an important indicator of student engagement that positively associates with academic achievement and retention. Quantitative information regarding the impact of emergency remote teaching (ERT) during COVID-19 on SFI is limited. This retrospective, observational cohort study tests the hypothesis that COVID-19 ERT negatively affected SFI in a gender-dependent manner. Electronic records of office hour (OH) appointments, used to measure SFI, for first-year medical students across three time periods, before, during and after COVID, were obtained and analyzed. A concerning, marked decline in SFI during and after the COVID-19 pandemic is noted. Before COVID, significantly more women (75.20%) made at least one OH appointment compared with men (40.54%). During COVID, the proportion of women making an OH appointment (69.71%) was statistically indistinguishable from women before COVID-19. In contrast, significantly fewer men during COVID (10.34%) than before COVID made an OH appointment. On return to face-to-face teaching, no rebound effect was observed. Compared with before COVID gender-matched peers, fewer men and women after COVID made OH appointments. Discipline-based analyses show that for all three time periods physiology emerged as the content area in which students made most OH appointments. The reduction in SFI observed, combined with the consistency with which the participants in our study indicated a need for assistance with the physiology discipline, emphasizes the importance of active promotion of faculty support and deliberate efforts to reconnect with students in the post-COVID context.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Applying readily available data, we quantify a persistent, negative impact of the shift to emergency remote teaching (ERT) on a measure of student-faculty interaction (SFI) among first-year medical students. A gender-based component to these effects is also discussed. Before, during, and after COVID, physiology emerged as the most engaged-with discipline as measured by office hour (OH) appointment volume.

Active help-seeking and metacognition interact in supporting children's retention of science facts

Determining when to ask for help is a critical self-regulated strategy that can benefit children's learning. Despite its importance, we have a limited understanding about the developmental mechanisms that support adaptive help-seeking. In the current preregistered study, predominately White children aged 8 to 13 years (N = 69, ngirls = 37) had the option to seek help during an online science learning task. Results revealed that children's ability to adaptively seek help improved throughout childhood and early adolescence. Critically, developing metacognitive skills contributed to greater help-related memory benefits (compared with conditions where help was not previously available). Overall, these findings highlight the role of metacognition in children's ability to adaptively seek and benefit from help during online science learning.

Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the academic help seeking scale in a sample of adults

Although academic help-seeking is an important variable in the academic context, as it is related to academic achievement, college adjustment and teacher support, among other variables, no instruments evaluate it in the Spanish adult population. The main goal of the current study was to develop an adaptation of the Academic Help-Seeking Scale for the Spanish adult population with suitable psychometric properties. The sample consisted of 536 adults with an average age of 24.98 (SD = 8.55). The exploratory factor analysis in the first half of the sample suggested that only one factor was underlying the data, and the confirmatory factor analysis in the second half showed that the factor structure replicated in a different sample. The results suggest that this adaptation has appropriate psychometric properties, and adequate reliability and convergent validity. We also found the expected relationships with gender and academic achievement. Therefore, this instrument may be useful for researchers and education professionals who need to assess this behaviour in adults so that they can help them improve their academic performance. The study also contributes to a better understanding of academic help-seeking as an adaptative learning strategy and the variables it is related to.

College Student's Academic Help-Seeking Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review

Seeking academic help has a positive impact on students' ability to handle challenges, leading to improved academic success. As the academic landscape becomes more competitive, the importance of students seeking and using academic support is widely recognized for enhancing their learning experience and achievements. The main objective of this study is to review the prior literature that has examined the academic support provided to college students, addressing the knowledge and methods required in an academic help-seeking process. Based on a systematic literature review, this study's data were gathered from a review of 55 documents from the 11 years between 2012 and 2022. The literature was then individually analyzed using the ATLAS.ti 22 programs. The analysis shows five central themes: (1) Defining student help-seeking; (2) Academic help-seeking and academic performance; (3) Resources of academic help-seeking; (4) Factors of academic help-seeking; (5) Academic Help Seeking Online. This study also identifies potential new directions for future research that could be useful to school administrators in developing policies to assist students with help-seeking behavior, which could have significant implications for the theoretical development and practical guidance of student help-seeking behavior.

Examining active help-seeking behavior in first-generation college students

First-generation (FG) college students (students for whom neither parent earned a bachelor's degree) are typically less likely to interact with their instructors and communicate with them by email or in person, compared to continuing-generation (CG) students. Qualitative research suggests FG students are less likely to seek help when they need it, and when they do seek help they are more likely to engage in passive help-seeking (e.g., waiting quietly for assistance) as opposed to active help-seeking (e.g., promptly requesting assistance through multiple methods), compared to CG students. The current laboratory study provided students with an opportunity to seek academic and non-academic help and measured whether students engaged in active help-seeking behavior. We also tested whether having a shared identity with a help-provider could increase active help-seeking behavior among FG students. Results showed that FG students were less likely to seek academic help. Among FG and CG students who sought academic help, the intervention had no significant impact on active help-seeking. However, among students seeking non-academic help, active help-seeking behaviors were significantly higher for FG college students assigned a help-provider who signaled a FG identity. In other words, having a shared identity with a help-provider led to more active help-seeking among FG college students seeking non-academic assistance. FG faculty, staff, and student workers who provide non-academic assistance may want to consider self-identifying as FG to increase help-seeking behaviors among FG students struggling to navigate the college environment.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11218-023-09794-y.

Grit but Not Help-Seeking Was Associated with Food Insecurity among Low Income, At-Risk Rural Veterans

Rural veterans have poorer health, use healthcare services less often than their urban counterparts, and have more prevalent food insecurity than average U.S. households. Food insecurity and resource use may be influenced by modifiable psychological attributes such as grit and help-seeking behaviors, which may be improved through interventions. Grit and help-seeking have not been previously evaluated among rural veterans. Thus, this cross-sectional study evaluated the hypothesis that grit and help-seeking were associated with food insecurity and the use of resources. Food security, resource use, grit, and help-seeking behavior were assessed among rural veterans (≥18 years) from five food pantries in southern Illinois counties (n = 177) from March 2021 to November 2021. Adjusted multiple regression was used to estimate the relationship between the odds of food insecurity and the use of resources with grit and help-seeking scores. Higher grit scores were significantly associated with lower odds of food insecurity (OR = 0.5, p = 0.009). No other associations were detected. The results provided evidence to inform the content of future educational interventions to improve food insecurity and address health disparities among rural veterans by addressing grit. The enhancement of psychological traits such as grit is related to food security and has the potential to benefit other aspects of well-being.

Student support in higher education: campus service utilization, impact, and challenges

Worldwide, university student support services facilitate student performance, contribute to students' success, and increase students' chances of degree completion. Student support services programs' success depends on students' help-seeking behavior. This study explores the help-seeking behavior of Foundation Program and Undergraduate students at Qatar University (QU) through their use of campus services to better understand students' use of these services. The study examines the association between help-seeking behavior, as indicated through services, on student success and persistence in two consecutive semesters, Spring 2019 and Fall 2019. Findings report a significant association between students' services and student success and persistence. A significant difference was reported between at-risk students' majors and at-risk students in STEM and non-STEM majors. Also, there was a difference in the help-seeking behavior among males and females, nationals and non-nationals, and student classifications.

Demographics Matter: Non-white and White Life Science Graduate Students Perceive and Use Resources Differently

Many studies and interventions have been conducted to combat differential academic outcomes between majority and minoritized student populations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) higher education; however, few studies have examined resource use as a factor impacting these differences. Resource use is critical to success in myriad fields, and we posit that understanding resource use in graduate education, including the use and perception of resources, may be important in understanding differential outcomes and success among STEM graduate students. We employed a national survey of life science graduate students (N = 534) to describe student resource use outcomes and how these outcomes may be related to student demographic characteristics. The survey collected data on the following resource use outcomes: what resources students use, how often they use them, and how useful they perceive them to be. Academic stipend was the most frequently used resource and was perceived to be the most useful resource. Analysis of variance modeling and Tukey post hoc tests indicated that year in program, racial identity, gender identity, and college generation status all impacted student frequency of use or perception of usefulness for some resources, with the greatest differentials between white and non-white students. We conclude with recommendations for policy, practice, and future research.

The contribution of the flipped learning environment to value perception and controllability of classroom activities as antecedents of learners’ anxiety: A control-value approach

Students enrolled in tertiary education encounter multiple challenges, which prevent them from being proficient. One of these challenges is anxiety which is a common achievement emotion that impacts many students. Anxiety may prevent learning and may be negatively related to learning due to the negative values of classroom activities and their low controllability. As a result, obtaining more research evidence on anxiety plays an important role in allowing learners to develop the skills they need in different types of technology-based environments such as Flipped Learning (FL). With the prevalence of Internet usage, FL is gaining increasing popularity among higher education individuals. The FL approach is an important model for modifying teaching, cultivating enthusiasm, and interaction, and developing educational presentations in student-focused learning circumstances. The potential affordances of the FL environment might place learners in more positive states of control and value appraisals than the environment of conventional classes, which can lead to the removal of negative emotions such as anxiety. Given the benefits of FL and the potential affordances of its environment, the purpose of this conceptual study is to argue how the inherent affordances of the FL environment can contribute to the controllability and positive values of classroom activities reducing learners’ anxiety in light of control-value theory.

Exploring Students’ Use of a Mobile Application to Support Their Self-Regulated Learning Processes

Being able to self-regulate one’s learning is essential for academic success but is also very difficult for students. Especially first year students can be overwhelmed with the high study load and autonomy in higher education. To face this challenge, students’ monitoring and self-regulated learning (SRL) processes are crucial. Yet, often students are not aware of effective SRL strategies or how to use them. In this study, the use of a mobile application with gamification elements (i.e., Ace Your Self-Study App) to support first-year university students’ SRL processes was investigated. In Study 1a, the Ace your self-study app was implemented in a first-year psychology course, and students’ SRL skills, motivation, self-efficacy, app use and satisfaction, and performance were measured. The results showed a significant increase in autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, and metacognitive self-regulation skills (MSR-R) across the 5-week course. Moreover, students who used the mobile application with gamified elements showed higher autonomous motivation. Nevertheless, most students used the app only for a limited number of self-study sessions. In Study 1b, students’ self-study experiences were captured using focus group interviews to shed some more light on why students did or did not use the app. The results show that if students feel they do not need support for their SRL processes during self-study, they are less inclined to use the app. Specifically, regarding using study strategies, it was found that only if students’ strategies do not work well in their perception, they feel the need to change their way of studying and choose another strategy. These results are discussed in the context of theory on SRL and how to support it.

Individual and class-level factors for students' management of homework environment: The self-regulation perspective

The present study investigated the predictive effects of clusters of variables on homework environment management based on the data from 3018 students in Grade 8. These clusters included: background variables, homework characteristics, adult support and monitoring, homework purposes, goal orientations, and contextual control. At the individual level, management of homework environment was significantly related to at least one variable from each of the six clusters. Specifically, it was associated negatively with time spent watching TV, and positively with prior achievement, homework interest, homework quality, family help, teacher feedback, academic purpose, self-regulatory purpose, mastery-approach, and help seeking. Additionally, males managed homework environment less frequently than females. Finally, management of homework environment was positively related to homework quality at the class level.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02596-5.

Zusammenhänge zwischen Zielorientierungen, Einstellungen gegenüber Hilfesuche und Belastungserleben bei angehenden Lehrkräften im Verlauf des Vorbereitungsdienstes

Zusammenfassung. Der Vorbereitungsdienst gilt als belastende, aber auch für die professionelle Entwicklung wichtige Phase in der Ausbildung angehender Lehrkräfte. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die längsschnittlichen Zusammenhänge zwischen Zielorientierungen (Annäherungs- und Vermeidungsleistungszielorientierung, Lernzielorientierung, Arbeitsvermeidung) und Einstellungen gegenüber Hilfesuche (Nutzen, Bedrohung, Aufwand) sowie deren Effekte auf das Belastungserleben im Verlauf des Vorbereitungsdienstes bei N = 991 angehenden Lehrkräften. Die Ergebnisse von Strukturgleichungsmodellen zeigen, dass die Einstellungen gegenüber Hilfesuche zu Beginn des Vorbereitungsdienstes zwar die Zielorientierungen nach etwa sechs Monaten erklären, die Zusammenhänge jedoch nicht mehr bedeutsam werden, wenn im späteren Verlauf die längsschnittlichen korrelativen Stabilitäten beider Konstrukte kontrolliert werden. Stattdessen lassen sich bekannte Befunde u.a. von Dickhäuser, Butler & Tönjes (2007) auch im Längsschnitt replizieren, wonach bestimmte Zielorientierungen bedeutsam sind zur Erklärung bestimmter Einstellungen gegenüber Hilfesuche: Vermeidungsleistungszielorientierung geht positiv, die Annäherungsleistungszielorientierung negativ mit einer Zunahme der Wahrnehmung von Hilfesuche als bedrohlich einher. Die Lernzielorientierung hat positive Effekte auf die Wahrnehmung von Hilfesuche als nützlich und Arbeitsvermeidung auf die Wahrnehmung von Hilfesuche als aufwändig. Für die Entwicklung des Belastungserlebens am Ende des Vorbereitungsdienstes erwiesen sich die Vermeidungsleistungszielorientierung und alle drei Facetten der Einstellungen gegenüber Hilfesuche als bedeutsam. Die Ergebnisse werden vor dem Hintergrund der multiplen Anforderungen im Vorbereitungsdienst diskutiert.

Use of live chat in higher education to support self-regulated help seeking behaviours: a comparison of online and blended learner perspectives

Help-seeking is an essential self-regulatory and metacognitive skill. In the online learning environment, much of the learning is self-directed and there are generally less opportunities to receive help in real time. The uses of email and discussion boards are the most common method of seeking help in these environments. The current study explored students' perceptions of the use of live chat technology for online academic help-seeking within higher education, with a focus on comparing online and blended learners' perspectives. Participants were 246 students who were studying psychology online (n = 91) or in blended learning (n = 155) environments. The live chat technology was well received by both groups, especially for its ability to provide instant, real-time, and convenient help. Live chat was particularly well received by online learners, who were more satisfied, felt more cared about by the teaching team, and would be more likely to recommend it to others than blended learners. Further, online learners reported that live chat gave them better access to staff, and felt that this feature was a good approximation for more traditional face-to-face conversations. As an online, synchronous, private help-seeking tool between student and teacher, these findings provide a strong endorsement for the use of live chat in higher education, particularly for online learners.

Buffering Academic Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic Related Social Isolation: Grit and Growth Mindset as Protective Factors against the Impact of Loneliness

The pandemic of the SARS CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19 sickness, constitutes a global challenge to well-being. Positive psychology constructs of grit and growth mindset may offer a solution to this challenge as both are associated with psychological resilience. A growth mindset describes the underlying beliefs people have about the malleability of intelligence, and grit refers to dedication to long-term goals. The present study explored whether such constructs could constitute protective factors against the academic stress associated with loneliness and perceived lack of control among international students (n = 170) during social isolation, induced by COVID-19 restrictions. The results of a hierarchical multiple regression model explained 36% of the variance in academic stress with a perceived lack of control (ß = .53, p < .001) and growth mindset (ß = -.22, p < .001) being significant direct predictors. Moderation analysis explained 17% of the variance and confirmed that a level of dispositional grit moderated the detrimental influence loneliness had on academic stress. Simple slopes analysis revealed a significant effect for moderate (β = .07, p = .01) and high (β = .16, p = .001) levels of grit. Our findings suggest that grit and growth mindset, as dynamic variables, could be taught to students as resilience-building prevention of academic stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, our results have shown that parents (37%) and friends (32%) were most frequently identified by students as supporters during the COVID-19 pandemic with minimal reported support from universities (2.5%).

Connecting Youth: The Role of Mentoring Approach

While formal youth mentoring can positively influence youth connectedness, little research has studied the specific approaches mentors engage in that support mentee social development. This study examines how mentors' specific approaches are uniquely associated with youth connection outcomes in formal community-based mentoring. Participants were 766 youth, ranging in age from 11 to 14 (M = 12.29), 56.7% female, and racially/ethnically diverse (41.0% Black/African American, 21.4% Hispanic/Latinx, 20.0% White, 10.2% Multiracial/Multiethnic, 5.9% Native American, 1.2% other race, and 0.4% Asian/Pacific Islander). Person-centered analyses revealed three mentoring profiles which were differentially associated with youth outcomes: "Status Quo Mentors," who reported low-to-moderate levels of closeness within the mentor-mentee dyad, low levels of connecting their mentees with programs and people in their community, and low levels of mediating for their mentees; "Close Connectors," who reported moderate-to-high levels of closeness, moderate-to-high levels of connecting, and low levels of mediating; and "Connector-Mediators," who reported moderate levels of closeness, connecting, and mediating. Youth mentored by "Close Connectors" demonstrated the greatest benefit, with significant improvements in parent-child relationship quality, extracurricular activity involvement, and help-seeking. Results suggest that community-based mentoring programs that emphasize connecting youth within their communities may be more effective in enhancing youth support networks.

Growth messages increase help-seeking and performance for women in STEM

Women leave STEM majors at higher rates than men. This may be due to problematic messaging in gateway courses such as (a) mismatches between students’ cultural norms and those of the learning context and (b) fixed ideas about ability as unchangeable. The current study investigated how culturally relevant growth messages impacted help-seeking behavior and grades in a gateway STEM course. Undergraduate students (168 men, 285 women) were randomly assigned to receive an email invitation to a peer-led tutoring program that included factual information (control), growth messages, or culture-matching growth messages emphasizing effort and interdependence. Tutoring sign-ups, number of sessions attended, and grades were collected. Path analyses showed no impact of messaging on men’s sign-ups. Yet, growth messages increased women’s sign-ups relative to the control, which led to more sessions attended and, subsequently, higher course grades. Unexpectedly, the culture-matching growth condition decreased sign-ups for women. Follow-up exploratory survey data on students from the course (161 men, 268 women) revealed that more women perceived peer interactions as competitive than men, which may shed light on the unexpected findings. Programs should implement growth messages to recruit more women and to improve collaboration in peer-learning settings.

Toward a Work Motivation Conceptualization of Grit in Organizations

Despite its widespread media acclaim and recognition as a strategic imperative, the role of grit in organizational research remains unclear. This ambiguity resulted from inconsistent empirical findings, thus triggering a pessimistic outlook for the construct across disciplines. To address these issues, we suggest that such confusion and lack of construct and predictive validity stem from not only methodological issues but also a lack of theoretical sophistication. In this article, we address methodological issues, focusing mainly on construct and criterion-related validity, by showing how traditional definitional components of grit are absent in existing measures. Next, we address theoretical issues impeding progress by developing a new work motivation conceptualization of the construct. To do so, we focus primarily on noncognitive ability, purpose-driven long-term goal setting, and task strategy (i.e., short-term goal) adaptation. Finally, we develop an organizing framework examining how, and under what conditions, work-related goal setting manifests, highlighting grit’s distinction from other historically related constructs. Coupled with the assumption that individuals hold higher order organizational goals toward which they are passionate, our organizing framework includes feedback mechanisms accounting for grit’s developmental properties over time. Finally, we acknowledge significant areas for future research and potential practical implications.

Employment goal commitment moderates the impact of job search goal orientation on the job search process

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of self-regulation during job search by integrating goal-orientation theory with a resource allocation framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The author surveyed job searching new labor market entrants at two time points and hypothesized that the effects of job seekers’ state goal orientations on indicators of self-regulation during the job search process (procrastination, anxiety, and guidance-seeking behaviors) depended on levels of employment goal commitment (EGC).

Findings

Results indicate that for job seekers with higher levels of EGC, a state learning-approach goal orientation (LGO) was beneficial for the job search process and a state performance-approach goal orientation (PGO) was detrimental. For job seekers with lower levels of EGC, a state LGO was detrimental to the search process, while a state PGO was beneficial.

Research limitations/implications

This research extends the understanding of state goal orientation in the context of job search. Future research may replicate these findings with different samples of employed and unemployed job seekers and extend this research with additional conceptualizations of resource limitations.

Practical implications

The present research suggests that the effectiveness of learning-approach goal-orientation training methods in the context of job search must be considered in light of individual differences in resource availability. In particular, individuals with lower resources available for job searching may benefit from interventions focusing on increasing state PGO.

Originality/value

The present results suggest that EGC is an important moderator of the impact of job search goal orientation on indicators of self-regulation during job search, and therefore present important boundary conditions regarding the role of state goal orientation in the job search process.

Embarrassed customers: the dark side of receiving help from others

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that customer engagement behavior may not always be a positive experience for customers. Specifically, the paper examines the effect of sources of help (employee vs customer) on customer satisfaction, and the underlying mechanism behind such an effect.

Design/methodology/approach

Three studies were conducted to test the hypotheses, and bootstrapping was used to analyze the proposed mediation and moderation models.

Findings

The results from the studies demonstrated the effect of sources of help (employee vs customer) on customer satisfaction. Specifically, compared to those who have received help from employees, customers who have received help from other customers showed lower satisfaction toward the firm. The relationship between sources of help and satisfaction was mediated by an affective factor, embarrassment, and a cognitive factor, altruistic motivation. In addition, the relationship between embarrassment and satisfaction was moderated by concern for face.

Practical implications

Firms should devote more resources toward minimizing customers’ embarrassment during service encounters and demonstrate altruistic motivation to provide voluntary help to lead customers to reciprocate helping.

Originality/value

The current research provides a new perspective on customer engagement behavior during service encounters. This research highlights the negative outcomes of receiving help from other customers.

Strategic Resource Use for Learning: A Self-Administered Intervention That Guides Self-Reflection on Effective Resource Use Enhances Academic Performance

Many educational policies provide learners with more resources (e.g., new learning activities, study materials, or technologies), but less often do they address whether students are using these resources effectively. We hypothesized that making students more self-reflective about how they should approach their learning with the resources available to them would improve their class performance. We designed a novel Strategic Resource Use intervention that students could self-administer online and tested its effects in two cohorts of a college-level introductory statistics class. Before each exam, students randomly assigned to the treatment condition strategized about which academic resources they would use for studying, why each resource would be useful, and how they would use their resources. Students randomly assigned to the treatment condition reported being more self-reflective about their learning throughout the class, used their resources more effectively, and outperformed students in the control condition by an average of one third of a letter grade in the class.

What's in a Name? The Importance of Students Perceiving That an Instructor Knows Their Names in a High-Enrollment Biology Classroom

Learning student names has been promoted as an inclusive classroom practice, but it is unknown whether students value having their names known by an instructor. We explored this question in the context of a high-enrollment active-learning undergraduate biology course. Using surveys and semistructured interviews, we investigated whether students perceived that instructors know their names, the importance of instructors knowing their names, and how instructors learned their names. We found that, while only 20% of students perceived their names were known in previous high-enrollment biology classes, 78% of students perceived that an instructor of this course knew their names. However, instructors only knew 53% of names, indicating that instructors do not have to know student names in order for students to perceive that their names are known. Using grounded theory, we identified nine reasons why students feel that having their names known is important. When we asked students how they perceived instructors learned their names, the most common response was instructor use of name tents during in-class discussion. These findings suggest that students can benefit from perceiving that instructors know their names and name tents could be a relatively easy way for students to think that instructors know their names.

Eighth Grade Algebra Course Placement and Student Motivation for Mathematics

This study uses student panel data to examine the association between Algebra placement and student motivation for mathematics. Changes in achievement goals, expectancy, and task value for students in eighth grade Algebra are compared with those of peers placed in lower-level mathematics courses (N = 3,306). In our sample, students placed in Algebra reported an increase in performance-avoidance goals as well as decreases in academic self-efficacy and task value. These relations were attenuated for students who had high mathematics achievement prior to Algebra placement. Whereas all students reported an overall decline in performance-approach goals over the course of eighth grade, previously high-achieving students reported an increase in these goals. Lastly, previously high-achieving students reported an increase in mastery goals. These findings suggest that while previously high-achieving students may benefit motivationally from eighth grade Algebra placement, placing previously average- and low-performing students in Algebra can potentially undermine their motivation for mathematics.

Associations between Achievement Goal Orientations and Academic Performance Among Students at a U.K. Pharmacy School

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain goal orientations of pharmacy students and establish whether associations exist between academic performance, gender, or year of study.

METHODS

Goal orientations were assessed using a validated questionnaire. Respondents were categorized as high or low performers based on university grades. Associations and statistical significance were ascertained using parametric and nonparametric tests and linear regression, as appropriate.

RESULTS

A response rate of 60.7% was obtained. High performers were more likely to be female than male. The highest mean score was for mastery approach; the lowest for work avoidance. The mean score for work avoidance was significantly greater for low performers than for high performers and for males than for females. First-year students were most likely to have top scores in mastery and performance approaches.

CONCLUSION

It is encouraging that the highest mean score was for mastery approach orientation, as goal orientation may play a role in academic performance of pharmacy students.

Assessing task importance and anxiety in medical school: an instrument development and initial validation study

Recent research in medical education suggests that students' motivational beliefs, such as their beliefs about the importance of a task, and their emotions are meaningful predictors of learning and performance. The primary purpose of this study was to develop a self-report measure of "task importance" and "anxiety" in relation to several medical education competencies and to collect validity evidence for the new measures. The secondary purpose was to evaluate differences in these measures by year of medical school. Exploratory factor analysis of scores from 368 medical school students suggested two task importance factors and three anxiety factors. The task importance and anxiety subscales were weakly related to each other and exhibited consistently negative and positive correlations, respectively, with three self-efficacy subscales. The task importance subscales were positively related to "metacognition," whereas "interpersonal skills anxiety" and "health knowledge anxiety" were positively related to "procrastination." All three anxiety factors were positively related to "avoidance of help seeking," whereas "interpersonal skills and professionalism importance" was negatively related to help avoidance behaviors. Finally, comparisons across the 4 years of medical school indicated that some aspects of task importance and anxiety varied significantly. Overall, findings from this study provide validity evidence for the psychometric quality of these scales, which capture task importance and anxiety in medical students. Limitations and implications for medical education research are discussed.

Examining the Effects of Self-reported Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Positive Relations With Others on Self-regulated Learning for Student Service Members/Veterans

OBJECTIVES

To examine the relationships between self-reported posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, perceived positive relations with others, self-regulation strategy use, and academic motivation among student service members/veterans (SSM/V) enrolled in postsecondary education.

PARTICIPANTS

SSM/V (N = 214), defined as veterans, active duty, or National Guard/Reservists of the US military, enrolled at 5 different institutions in Fall 2012.

METHODS

Data were collected using an online questionnaire that included standardized measures of PTSD symptoms, perceived quality of personal relations, academic self-regulation strategy use, and academic motivation.

RESULTS

PTSD symptoms were associated with lower self-efficacy for learning and maladaptive academic goal orientation. Additionally, PTSD symptoms were associated with lower effort regulation (ie, persistence) during academic work. Endorsement of more positive relations moderated the deleterious relationship between PTSD symptoms and maladaptive goal orientation.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that postsecondary personnel adopt a social-cognitive framework to develop social, mental health, and academic supports for SSM/V with PTSD.

Measuring achievement goal orientations of pharmacy students

OBJECTIVES

To measure the achievement goal orientations of pharmacy students attending a 3-year (accelerated) doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program.

METHODS

A 16-item survey based on the Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ) was administered to first-year (P1) and second-year (P2) pharmacy students at the Appalachian College of Pharmacy (ACP). Students were instructed to indicate to what degree each statement was true for them using a 7-point Likert scale (1=not true of me, 7=very true of me).

RESULTS

One hundred twenty of the 155 students (77%) completed the survey. Most students had mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, and/or performance-avoidance goal orientations; few had work-avoidance goal orientations. Second-year students and male students had higher work-avoidance mean scores than did P1 students and female students (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Pharmacy students were mastery- and performance-oriented learners, and most did not have work-avoidance goal orientations. Male students and P2 students had higher work-avoidance than did female students and P1 students, respectively. More longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these findings.