Considering the Student Perspective: Factors that Undergraduates Perceive as Influential to their Academic Performance in Science Author: Ashley Welsh

1. Considering the Student Perspective:
Factors that Undergraduates Perceive
as I fl
Influential to their Academic
ti l t th i A d i
Performance in Science
Ashley Welsh
Research Coordinator
Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative
University of British Columbia

2. Background to the Study
Administrators concerned with the success of
students in particular courses within the
p
Faculty of Science
Concern fostered orchestration of mixed
method study t explore f t
th d t d to l factors students
t d t
perceived as influential to their academic
performance
Initial discussions with staff, faculty, and
students helped to inform the study design and
content
2

3. Research Questions
1. What academic, social and personal factors
do undergraduates within the Faculty of
Science perceive as most influential to
impeding or enhancing their academic
performance?
f ?
2. How d male and f
H do l d female undergraduates
l d d t
differ in what they perceive as being most
influential to their academic performance?
3

4. Data Collection
Exploratory interpretive mixed method study
Student survey (~575 respondents)
24 one on one interviews
one-on-one
A four-person focus group discussion
4

5. Research Participants
Faculty of Science
Undergraduates
Second year
and higher
5

6. Results: Most important factors
% of students
Rank perceiving factor as
Survey Question Category
Value Important or Very
Important
1 It is important for me to succeed academically Personal 98.2
2 Ability for the instructor to make the course interesting Academic 89.4
3 Developing and adapting study habits...
D l i d d i d h bi Academic
A d i 84.7
4 Instructor’s ability to speak English clearly Academic 84.3
5 The lack of relevant practice problems...
p p Academic 83.1
83 1
6 My interest in a subject... Personal 77.5
7 Receiving encouragement from parents/family/guardians... Social 76.2
8 Uncertainty in types and difficulties of problems... Academic 72.2
9 Volunteering or working limits studying... Social 70.0 6

7. Results: Differences between male and
female responses for most important factors
The percentage of males and f
h f l d females that percieve the top ranked
l h i h k d
factors as important to influencing their academic performance
100.0
90.0
Males
Females
Overall
80.0
80 0
70.0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Most important factors
7

8. Results: Statistically significant differences
y g
between male and female students’ responses
(Note: Females placed more importance on these factors than males)
Significance
Statement
p-value
The lack of relevant practice problems to complete before an exam...
p p p <0.01
The approachability of your instructor <0.01
Receiving encouragement from my parents, family, and/or guardians... <0.01
The use of in-class learning techniques
in class <0.01
0.01
Developing and adapting study habits for university courses 0.01
The number of students in the class 0.01
Suggestions from parents family and/or guardians influenced my choice of
parents, 0.01
0 01
major
My uncertainty in knowing what types and difficulties of problems will be 0.02
asked on a midterm/final exam...
Ability for the instructor to make the course interesting 0.03
My commute to campus limits the amount of time I spend studying 0.05
8

9. Summary of Most Important Factors
Results
ACADEMIC
• Qualities of the instructor SOCIAL
• Assessment & expectations • Involvement of others
• Study skills and habits • Additional responsibilities
• Pedagogy and classroom • Commute
environment
• Courseload
OTHER
• Community
• Advising and
academic support
PERSONAL
• Interest
• Academic success
9

10. Results: Academic factors
ACADEMIC
• Qualities of the instructor
Need for the instructor to be:
Approachable i id and outside of class
A h bl inside d t id f l
Clear & organized in the presentation of their
lectures
Interesting, engaging, enthusiastic
Females perceived developing relationships
with faculty as more important than males
ith f lt i t t th l
10

11. Results: Example of student responses
The ability for the instructor to make the course
interesting
60%
50%
% of
f
students 40%
30% Males
20% Females
10%
0%
Unimportant Slightly Somewhat Important Very
Important Important Important
11

12. Results: Academic factors
ACADEMIC
• Assessment & expectations
Regular feedback helped students assess
their
th i progress
Knowing what to expect on midterms/exams
guided students studying
students’
Females expressed feeling more anxious or
stressed when not adequately prepared
12

13. Results: Example of females placing more
importance on the factors
The lack of relevant practice problems is a/an __________
factor influencing how well I perform on exams
60%
50%
40%
30% Males
20% Females
10%
0%
Unimportant Slightly Somewhat Important Very
Important Important Important
13

14. Results: Student quote
“For exam questions [the instructor will] ask
For
everyone to think up potential exam questions and
she will put them all together and choose from
them. We actually have a say in what our – it gives
us more power over what we’re going to study and
what we can expect ”
expect.
Fourth year female in plant biology
14

15. Results: Academic factors
ACADEMIC
• Study skills and habits
Majority of students struggle with developing
appropriate study skills and h bit
i t t d kill d habits
Difficulty with tailoring habits for different
science disciplines (conceptual vs problem-
vs. problem
based)
Students rarely receive advice or guidance on
how to study
15

16. Results: Student quotes
“I would cram just before the exam and continued to do
that because I didn’t know how to change. I should
have talked to some people and didn’t seek guidance
didn t
so I got bad marks in first semester.”
Third year male in biochemistry
“I actually felt lost sometimes. I don’t know how to
study for some courses and it would be nice if there
y
was, I guess, support and advice in that because I don’t
think you can study for different courses in the same
way.
way ”
Second year female in general science
16

17. Results: Academic factors
ACADEMIC
• Pedagogy & classroom
g gy
environment
Females preferred th use of active
F l f d the f ti
learning techniques (i.e. clickers, group
discussions))
Pedagogical techniques encouraging
collaboration reduced feeling isolated in
large classrooms
l l
17

18. Results: Student quotes
C c e s are ea y great things. e been e e ed
Clickers a e really g eat t gs I’ve bee relieved when, e ,
for example, 75% of the class selected my (incorrect)
answer. It forced the professor to go over that material
in a very beneficial way I feel that if he simply asked
way.
“everyone understand?” no one would have said
anything and we would have moved on.
Third year male in physics
18

19. Results: Academic factors
ACADEMIC
• Courseload
In the interviews 13 out of 24 students
interviews,
switched from taking five courses a
semester to four
19

20. Results: Social factors
SOCIAL
• Involvement of others
Family provided emotional support for
students in difficult circumstances
Females were more prone to relying on
suggestions from or relationships with others
when choosing their major
20

21. Results: Student comments
“She’s (the instructor) inspiring – the way she talks about plants
and makes things interesting. I just wanted to learn more
about it and she told me I could specialize in it I didn’t know I
it. didn t
could so when I found out there was that option I was pretty
excited.”
Fourth year female in plant biology
“I guess the teacher was really passionate about it and
engaged with the class and it sparked my i t
d ith th l d k d interest. It wasn’t
t ’t
so cut and dry like memorize all these body parts – it was
thinking deeper. Now that I’m in the sciences I’m looking at
things way differently th I use to.”
thi diff tl than t ”
Third year female in biology
21

22. Results: Social factors
SOCIAL
p
• Additional responsibilities
Volunteering and/or work limited the amount of
g
time students spent studying or on-campus
Necessary to create balance between
academic and social responsibilities
d i d i l ibiliti
Several students chose volunteering or work
experiences to enhance their learning
22

23. Results: Social factors
SOCIAL
g
• Commuting
Long commutes limited students’
students
involvement with activities on campus
Commuters expressed having difficulty in
p g y
building or belonging to a social and
academic community
23

24. Results: Student quote
“When d
“Wh I drove a lot last year – rush h
l tl t h hour controlled
t ll d
my life. I would be on campus at 6 am to avoid
rush hour and to get free parking. I would bring my
sleeping bag and sleep in the car for an hour and
then go to class at 8 am. It was horrible!”
Fourth
F th year female in hydrology
f l i h d l
24

25. Results: Personal factors
PERSONAL
te est
• Interest
• Academic Success
Interest influenced students’ desire to
attend class and complete coursework
Although the definition of success varied
from one student to the next, they all
desired success
25

26. Results: Student quote
“It’s more about what is going on in your
personal life that really dictates how much you
do at school.”
Fourth year female in cell bio & genetics
26

27. Results: Other
OTHER
• Community y
• Advising and academic
support
Students expressed difficulty with finding and
belonging to an academic and social community
(especially in 1st/2nd year)
( i ll i 1 t/2 d )
Interacting with their peers, instructors and
advisors gave students a sense of belonging and
was beneficial to their academic performance
27

28. Results: Student quotes
“In high school they told us to expect our marks to go
down in university but they didn’t say that if you try, you
can keep them up!”
Seco d yea e a e ge e a science
Second year female in general sc e ce
“I have had great advising from two professors. They
are two role models that have been close to me and
quite the influence on how I view and act in the field.”
Third year female in computer science & physics
28

29. Recommendations
Administration
Faculty
Students
29

30. Recommendations for administration
Organize course-specific study skills workshops
More personalized advising for students
Counsel students regarding the number of
courses they enroll in
Address the needs of commuter students and
provide services to meet those needs
Enhance comm nication bet een professional
communication between
services (i.e. counseling & advising, learning
commons) and faculty
30

31. Recommendations for faculty
Share and engage students in your research
Create an interesting engaging and safe
interesting,
environment for learning
Appropriate use of active learning
techniques (i.e. clickers, group discussion)
Provide advice regarding study techniques to
help students prepare for exams
Be an advocate for science & role model for
students
31

32. Recommendations for students
Develop/adapt study skills and habits before and
during y
g your university degree
y g
Early on in degree
Make a degree plan and revise it accordingly
Build relationships with faculty, advisors and
peers
Be an active participant in your learning
Get involved on- or off-campus with various
academic and social activities
32

33. Final Words
“After all those shortcomings and not doing well in
that first semester I came to the conclusion that it’s
going to be hard I have to put a lot of work in it
hard. it.
If I don’t put a lot of work into it – I’ll have to take
what I get.”
Third year male in biochemistry
33

34. Additional Information
Ashley Welsh’s Full Thesis
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/28868
htt //hdl h dl t/2429/28868
Selections from Ashley Welsh’s Thesis: Data
Analysis & Conclusions
http://bit.ly/AWelshSelections
2-page summary of Ashley Welsh’s Thesis
p g y y
research
http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/files/Welsh_Ac
ademicPerformanceFactors_2pager.pdf
ademicPerformanceFactors 2pager pdf
34