Becoming a Psychology Undergraduate: Integrating study skills and integrating students Peter Reddy R

1
Becoming a Psychology Undergraduate Integrating
study skills and integrating studentsPeter
Reddy (Reddy, Greasley, Parson, Harrington
Elander)

• Doing University
• University of Huddersfield
• 19 March 2008

2
Becoming a Psychology Undergraduate Integrating
study skills and integrating studentsPeter
Reddy (Reddy, Greasley, Parson, Harrington
Elander)

• Doing University
• University of Huddersfield

3
General introduction, 2002

• Concern about 1st year literacy
• referencing, expression, grammar and punctuation,
  also plagiarism, collusion
• and retention.
• Widespread concern with literacy (Johnston
  Webber 2003 Murray Kirton, 2006 Street Lea,
  1997 Winch Wells, 1995 Lillis, 2001)
• Christie, Munro and Fisher (2004) found
  non-continuing students feeling alienated, not
  adapting to university work, not engaging in
  student activities.
• Response - a term 1 study-skills programme and
  action research

4
Attending university a major transition.

• Responsible for self and learning, less
  supervision, staff contact, larger, fewer,
  optional classes - adolescence to young
  adulthood.
• Loss of
• school routine friends, familiar teachers,
  human scale classes
• home and neighbourhood, daily parental support,
  contact with siblings
• Evans Peel (1999) first 6 weeks important in
  forming relationships and embedding students on
  to their course.
• Early experience may have lasting impact on
  motivation, continuation (Cartney Rouse 2006)
  approach to study and achievement.

5
Concern with transition to university is not new

• Wankowski (1973)
• courses for new students should be more teacher
  dependent
• small group work
• teacher - student contact outside lectures
• far more feedback
• aims purpose of teaching assessment
  explained.
• courses designed only for study skills may not
  help.
• Beard and Hartley (1984) - students said a good
  transition course included
• getting to know staff and students
• course aims
• study skills
• identification of gaps in knowledge and prompt
  remedial treatment.

6
Creating a social and emotional context for
personal and academic development

• Rogers (1967) - interpersonal and emotional
  context for growth
• Maslow (1970) hierarchy - security
  belongingness come before cognitive needs
  (knowledge, understanding)
• To learn reflect students need to feel safe,
  relaxed involved first.
• Cartney and Rouse (2006) - awareness of emotional
  aspects of learning helped to create an
  environment where students could achieve their
  potential.

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Aim

• Create a supportive environment so students would
  feel safe to ask questions, make relationships,
  be open to learning.
• Idea of a HE reception class, similar in scale
  and participation to previous stage.
• Early scaffolding of support to help students
  develop from a secure base, allow interest and
  engagement to flourish.
• Contrast to laissez-faire, less-support-is-more
  view that students learn to be independent
  learners by being left to get on with it.

8
Study one 2003/2004, version one Introduction
and Method

• In October 2003 optional study-skills seminars
  for first six weeks.
• Run by teaching assistants - created own seminars
  using supplied materials and guidelines
• Cover the same topics
• library search, writing a précis, avoiding
  plagiarism, referencing, developing an essay
  plan, writing a biographical sketch of a
  psychologist.
• Student response sought in by questionnaire.

9
Results

• Half (n97) completed questionnaires on the basis
  that they had attended four or more of the six
  seminars.
• Seminars on referencing and plagiarism the most
  valued, also useful in preparing for 1st essay
  as way of meeting other students.
• Not particularly helpful in preparing for
  university study assessment generally, or in
  helping with transition to university.
• Broadly positive response
• some success in getting students working in
  groups in communicating key requirements about
  plagiarism, referencing and independent study
  and in preparing for the first essay.

10
Discussion

• Norton Crowley (1995), McCune Entwistle
  (2000) doubt stand-alone study-skills,
  Johnston Webber (2003) - students attend only
  if credit bearing.
• Why not attend - Remedial? Implied failure, not
  relevant? Vulnerable may opt out.
• Had we created a bolt-on programme (Bennett,
  Dunne Carré, 2000) separating academic skills
  from their disciplinary context?
• Skills seen as surface features of writing
• Students not positioned as interested and keen to
  learn.
• We could position them as members of an academic
  community, as scholars in training, remind them
  that they like writing studying, are interested
  have chosen their subject

11
Discussion continued

• Norton, Aiyegbayo, Harrington, Elander Reddy
  (unpublished) staff discourse about students
  they lack skills, knowledge, interest
  motivation, may behave strategically, plagiarise,
  collude or cheat.
• Staff metaphors restraint, policing, crime
  punishment, plagiarism Czar
• Plagiarism and collusion not seen in context of
  education or development from adolescence towards
  adult professional values.
• Conclusion its a bolt-on programme derived
  from a remedial, deficit model, lack of empathy
  with students and interest in their learning,
  growth and development.

12
Students arrive intending to take a deep
approach to study

• Deep intention declines in favour of strategic or
  surface approaches (Biggs, 1987 Watkins
  Hattie, 1985)?
• We may not be firing students with passionate
  interest
• Are we replacing enthusiasm by a paper chase for
  good grades?
• Wingate (2006)
• A bolt-on remedial study skills programme is
  antithetical to deep study
• It implies that deep learning not needed
• Technique-based short-cuts instead. (Nisbet
  Shucksmith, 1986)

13
More problems with study skills

• Remedial study skills encourage students to see
  subject just as a body of facts.
• They are antithetical to a more sophisticated
  epistemological position (Perry, 1971, Baxter
  Magolda, 2001) in which students create their own
  meaning and understanding (Gamache, 2002).
• So we revised the programme to focus not on study
  skills but to try to excite and engage students -
  with each other, the course, discipline and
  profession.

14
Study two Version two, 2004/2005 Introduction
and Method

• Integrated into a module, attendance was
  compulsory and credit bearing.
• Used adapted Assessment Plus (A) workshop
  materials - training, support resources for
  staff - to use flexibly in own seminars.
• students to be engaged in discussion, problem
  solving, writing or reading for most of each
  session, tutors task - prepare seminars to
  achieve this.
• tasks and homework presented to students as
  preparing for first essays, quick, informal
  feedback given to both.
• high levels of activity and interaction to help
  students develop relationships with staff and
  peers,
• early feedback to set expectations about
  performance and effort, enable social comparison
  to ease transition.

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Study two Version two results

• Online questionnaire, 113 students (64)
  responded, 23 took part in focus groups.
• Seminars valued for helping with
• essay writing
• understanding assessment requirements
• enabling interaction between students and staff.
• Material and sessions on referencing and
  plagiarism most valued.
• But dry and dull in places, material on
  laboratory reports was lacking

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Version two results continued

• Students also thought that the programme helped
  with
• communication with staff and peers
• increased understanding of assessment processes
  and study at university
• opportunities to ask questions in a less
  intimidating environment
• opportunity to work with peers

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Focus group quotes

• The seminars helped with meeting fellow students,
  who I now feel I can ask for help if I am
  struggling but dont want to or cant speak to
  lecturers. Working together is helpful to get
  different perspectives on things.
• very useful that we were split into small groups
  which allowed me to ask questions without being
  so shy and concerned about group size.

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Focus group quotes continued

• I found that I used the seminar material for my
  first essay. It helped me plan, structure and
  organise the content of it and helped me keep
  focused on what needed to be in and what I
  should have left out. It also helped me get into
  good habits by making me do extra work to help
  myself.
• The most useful part of the course was feedback,
  the ability to ask questions and get answers
  immediately

19
Second year students version two follow up

• On-line questionnaire 12 months on
• Low response rate 25 students (16)
• Reported that the programme
• had helped with essay writing and understanding
  university study.
• over half reported enduring friendships with
  students met through the programme.

20
Second year students - version two follow up
continued

• Focus groups
• programme had improved writing by helping them to
  focus, evaluate and draw conclusions and helped
  them understand course requirements and interact
  with students and staff.
• teaching assistants were more approachable than
  the assigned tutors.
• Also highlighted staff support issues - programme
  was promoting learning in teaching assistants,
  who would benefit from more support

21
Study three 2005/2006, version three Results

• Questionnaire -146 students (81).
• Small scale of classes valued.
• Judged useful or very useful on a 5-point scale
  for
• interaction with staff 60
• interaction with other students 79
• clarifying writing at university level 78
• Clarifying assessment requirements 66
• help with referencing 96
• understanding plagiarism 97
• Material on lab reports follow-up class well
  received.
• Many students formed friendships through the
  programme.

22
Second year students version three follow up

• Online questionnaire completed by 46 students
  (31)
• Judged useful or very useful on a 5-point scale
  for
• referencing 85
• plagiarism 98
• developing their essay writing 67
• feeling part of the course 78
• Almost half (46) reported continuing friendships
  with students they met during the seminar
  programme and
• 83 felt comfortable approaching members of staff
  when they needed assistance.

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Three main themes emerged from first year focus
groups.

• Theme one Approachability of teaching assistants
  / seminar tutors
• seminars gave an opportunity to interact properly
  with the tutor, the opportunity to form a
  relationship with a member of staff was valued.
• Having a lecturer teaching assistant who was
  still at university .....meant she could give us
  better tips on books she found useful etc,
  sometimes which had not been on the reading list.
  She was very approachable, and was keen to help
  with essay difficulties.

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Theme one continued

• Theme one Students valued the approachability of
  their teaching assistants (continued)
• the knowledge that my tutor was also a
  postgraduate student and could relate ....to
  our own situations. The sessions felt more
  intimate because the tutor talked to us on our
  own level and had also been through similar
  problems
• Just getting to know a member of staff well ....
  I would rather see my seminar tutor rather than
  my personal tutor if I had a problem as she
  actually knows who I am.

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Theme two - group interaction

• The group felt like a base where were could
  talk about problems we were all experiencing
  reassuring
• I thought working in groups was good as we got to
  share out ideas and listen to one another. I
  felt I learnt morethis way.
• The most important part was getting to interact
  with my group this helped me become more
  familiar with them. Also it helped me a lot with
  preparing and producing my first ever university
  essay, and has given me a lot of guidance for
  the forthcoming year

26
Theme three preparation for first assignment

• The group work was definitely a success in
  getting to know the people on your course. The
  plagiarism and referencing exercises and handouts
  also proved to be very useful, this advice I will
  continue to use on future assignments.
• It taught me how to reference and understand
  references, which I think is important. If it
  was not for this course then I would be
  struggling to understand references.
• I found that I used the seminar material for my
  first essay. It helped me plan, structure and
  organise the content of it and helped me keep
  focused on what needed to be in and what I
  should have left out.

27
First year focus groups overall

• Overall
• No mention of seminars as dull or dry
• The wide range of activities made seminars
  interesting.
• This was the most successful version with high
  levels of attendance and participation
• Teaching was by a smaller number of experienced
  and enthusiastic staff.

28
Study four Academic grades and progression in
attenders and non-attenders

• Progression and academic grade were related to
  seminar attendance in 2004 (version 2) and 2005
  (version 3).
• Attending 5 seminars attend
• 4 or less seminars non-attend
• Somewhat crude distinction
• Confounding factors (notably motivation)
• Cannot establish cause and effect.
• Data nonetheless add to programme evaluation.

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Single Honours Students

• In 2004/5 attenders obtained significantly better
  grades than non-attenders for essay one t(99)
  40.26, plt0.001 and maintained an advantage in
  essay two and for the year overall.
• In 2005/6 as 2nd year students - significantly
  better grades in first 2nd year essay t(136)
  11.66, plt0.001
• In 2005/6 all
  
  1st years
  
  attended so no
• comparisons

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Single Honours Students - continued

• 2002/3 (pre-programme) 1st year mean grade
• 54.8
• 2003/4 (version 1) attendance not recorded about
  half attended bolt-on seminars. Whole group
  mean grade
• 51.95
• 2004/5 (version 2)
• non-attenders mean grade
• 53.1
• attenders mean grade
• 59.5
• The 2004/5 non-attenders grade (53.1) is
  significantly worse t(132)-6.8, plt0.001 than
  2004/5 attenders grade (59.5)

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Combined Honours Students

• Attenders obtained significantly better grades
  than non-attenders for essay 1 in 2004/5
• t(46) 19.6, plt0.001
• and in 2005/6
• t(42) 5.6, plt0.001
• 2004/5 attenders also obtained better grades for
  their first second year essay
• t(30) 6.28, plt0.001

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Progression to Year 2

• Annual monitoring returns for single honours
  students. Figure 1 shows that progression to year
  two rose from below 75 in the pre programme year
  to over 80 where it has remained.

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Decline in withdrawal for non-academic reasons

• The slight decline in progression in Figure 1 in
  2005/6 is shown in Figure 2 to be attributable to
  academic failure (more repeat assessments),
  rather than to non-academic reasons.

34
Combined honours students

• Combined Honours students in each of four
  end-of-year decision categories ().
• Those who take psychology (approximately 50
  students) are compared with those who do not
  (approximately 220 students).
• There are many differences between these cohorts
  other than attendance at the psychology seminar
  programme, but also considerable overlap.
• Psychology students are more likely to proceed
  and less likely to fail than the non-psychology
  students.
• The comparison is rather crude but offers some
  support to the seminar programme.

35
Combined Honours student progression -
psychology vs. other programmes
36
Summary

• Version one was a bolt-on study skills
  programme.
• Subsequent versions have used academic material
  as a vehicle to deliver transitional support to
  help engage students with their peers and
  discipline.
• Wingate (2006) - time to do away with study
  skills altogether! Why?
• All students have adjustment needs, not just an
  atypical minority.
• Attending university is a major life transition,
  all need to engage emotionally, socially and
  intellectually with university life and work.

37
What is wrong with study skills?

• Fail to engage students in the epistemology and
  discourse of their discipline
• Pedal a technical quick-fix at odds with a deep
  approach
• Wingate contrasts technique and understanding in
  helping students with academic writing - they are
  at different levels.
• In selecting and evaluating information sources
• a technique-based approach would focus on finding
  information
• an understanding-based approach on finding
  meaning and selecting information.

38
What is wrong with study skills? - continued

• Study skills implies that the problem of
  academic work is essentially
• a short-term one of doing what is needed to pass
  at university
• can be easily fixed
• has little application or relevance to employment
  or adult professional life.
• (Wingate, 2006, p. 465).

39
Developing this work further - some thoughts

• Extending support for the transitions to
  placement and graduate employment.
• What would this mean in practice?
• Extending support with academic writing
• Help students to understand writing as the
  construction of argument and evidence in a
  rhetorical structure within disciplinary
  conventions.
• Generic writing support or writing in the
  discipline?
• Write Now CETL
• Learning and Skills Centre
• Royal Literary Fund Fellow

40
Problems and issues

• Working in small groups is expensive
• Success depends on good teaching
• Junior teaching assistants may not have the
  teaching skills or experience
• Neither may some lecturers
• Some research focused staff have little interest
  in student learning
• Students want to study psychology, programme
  works best linked to interesting or challenging
  areas such as cognitive psychology
• Value for money is this the best use of
  resources to promote student learning?

41
Broader problems and issues - two cultures

• Two universities? A service culture of education
  and learning and a research culture of
  publish-or-perish.
• Traditional view If I had wanted to teach I
  would have got a job in a school.
  Laissez-faire, less-support-is-more, students
  become independent learners by being left to get
  on with it
• Self-serving social Darwinism? May have deep
  roots.
• Research staff may be threatened by a learning
  and teaching agenda.
• Views that marginalize student learning need to
  be examined and confronted
• Re-balancing the mission and finding ways to
  unite the two university cultures

42
Broader problems and issues - research and
scholarship

• Does this research simply re-invent a previous
  generation of findings?
• Does educational research in the disciplines lack
  scholarship?
• Do findings from education as a discipline
  influence educational practice in the
  disciplines?
• Do we need discipline-based learning and teaching
  champions / specialists?
• Reflecting on this has sent me back to the roots
  of liberal education, to the work of Newman in
  the 1850s on what a university is for, and to
  contemporary work on employability and
  scholarship.