Perceived control in the college classroom: Limitations in instructor expressiveness due to noncontingent feedback and lecture content.

Consistent with various control theories, recent evidence suggests that exposure to noncontingent outcomes interferes with instructional quality in the college classroom. The present study examined whether the density of negative noncontingent outcomes limits instructor expressiveness as an effective teaching behavior in different lecture content conditions. 361 undergraduates took an aptitude test that provided contingent feedback (CF) or low or medium noncontingent failure feedback (NCFF). Ss completed an attribution questionnaire and then observed a videotaped lecture low or high in content given by a low- or high-expressive instructor, after which Ss responded to a postlecture achievement test and an attribution questionnaire. Medium NCFF reduced Ss' perceived control and lowered their internal attribution locus for their aptitude performance, compared to low NCFF and CF. Postlecture results indicated that for high-content lectures, instructor expressiveness facilitated achievement and confidence in Ss who received CF and low NCFF but not in Ss who received medium NCFF. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Causal attributions and perceived performance: Consequences for college students' achievement and perceived control in different instructional conditions.

Recent developments in control theory suggest that causal attributions are instrumental to the regulation of control and to achievement behavior. This process is relevant to college classroom settings in which academic failure repeatedly threatens students with loss of control. Three causal attributions were examined in relation to perceived performance and the quality of instruction. Following failure feedback attributed to ability, effort, or test difficulty, university students (N?=?223) observed a half-hour videotaped lecture presented by either a low or a high expressive instructor. The three causal attributions affected postlecture control and achievement, depending on the quality of instruction and on students' interpretation (distortion, nondistortion) of the failure feedback prior to the lecture. When instruction was poor, the effort attribution generated the best achievement in those students who distorted failure as success. In contrast, ability produced the best achievement, and effort, the most control, in nondistortion students. When instruction was good, the causal attributions produced less variability in achievement and control, although ability continued to facilitate achievement in nondistortion students. One of the benefits of good teaching appears to be that it compensates to some extent for the deleterious effects of some causal attributions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effective instruction and students' perceptions of control in the college classroom: Multiple-lectures effects.

Recent research indicates that instructor expressivenes is an effective teaching behavior for college students who perceive that they have control over their academic achievement. However, the achievement-enhancing effect of a high-expressive instructor is impeded when students experience temporary loss of control. We tested the persistence of this effect by giving students either contingent or noncontingent feedback on an aptitude test and then having them observe two lectures 1 week apart in which the expressiveness of the instructors varied. Lecture 1 results replicated previous findings in that the high-expressive instructor was effective for contingent students only. This pattern did not persist in Lecture 2, however, which suggests that effective instruction and reactance may counteract the negative consequences of loss of control. The remedial benefits of instructor expressiveness were considered for students lacking control in the college classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived control in the college classroom: Response–outcome contingency training and instructor expressiveness effects on student achievement and causal attributions.

Following an incentive (low, high) manipulation, 296 college students received response–outcome contingency training involving contingent, noncontingent, or no feedback and responded to an attribution questionnaire. All Ss then observed a lecture presented by a low- or high-expressive instructor and completed a postlecture achievement test and an attribution questionnaire. Results show that noncontingent Ss perceived less control and also manifested a helplessness attribution profile after the contingency manipulation. Postlecture results indicate that the high- compared to the low-expressive instructor increased achievement and internal locus in contingent but not noncontingent Ss for low-incentive conditions only. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancing academic achievement in college students through attributional retraining and instruction.

Attributional retraining is a therapeutic method for reinstating psychological control that may be useful for improving students' achievement in the college classroom. After attributional retraining or no training, internal- and external-locus students observed a videotaped lecture presented by either a low- or a high-expressive instructor in a simulated college classroom. One week later they wrote a test on the lecture and on a homework assignment. Attributional retraining improved external, but not internal, students' performance on both the lecture and homework tests. Expressive instruction also enhanced lecture- and homework-related achievement in external students but not in internal students. These results suggest that cognitive factors influencing students' perceived control (e.g., internal/external locus) must be taken into consideration when remedial interventions for academic achievement are developed. The results are interpreted within a social cognition framework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stable and transient determinants of students' perceived control: Implications for instruction in the college classroom.

Stable uncontrollability and transient loss of control were examined in conjunction with quality of college instruction. Students with internal and external loci of control received no training or either contingent or noncontingent feedback. We manipulated the quality of instruction by using a ?-hr videotaped lecture that varied in expressiveness (low and high). The dependent measures were student achievement and achievement attributions. For those who received no prelecture feedback, expressiveness improved the achievement of internal- but not external-locus students on a test after the lecture. Expressiveness effects on achievement and causal attributions also differed, depending on whether students previously received contingent or noncontingent feedback before the lecture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A randomized trial of physicians and physical therapists as instructors of the musculoskeletal examination

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of physicians vs physical therapists as instructors of the musculoskeletal examination to second year medical students. METHODS: A randomized trial conducted over 3 consecutive years in a physical diagnosis course at The University of North Carolina. During the first (baseline) year, medical students received education about the musculoskeletal examination from a lecture and supervision by clinical preceptors. This increased in the second and third (intervention) years where random halves of each class received supplementary clinical instruction which included a structured manual, a videotape, and supervised practice with either general internal medicine physicians or physical therapists. Outcomes were measured from student performance on a practical test of clinical skills, and by written student evaluations of the supplementary instruction. RESULTS: As measured on the clinical examination, performance during the intervention years improved over that during the baseline year in both intervention groups. Measures of medical students' clinical skills did not correlate with measures of academic aptitude. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical education about the musculoskeletal examination should be structured and systematic. Medical students prefer clinical education that is active, provides clear directions, and gives them performance feedback.     

The relationship between student personality characteristics, teacher ratings, and student achievement.

In Study 1, 388 undergraduates (a) rated themselves on the Adjective Check List (ACL), (b) viewed a videotape that varied in instructor expressiveness and lecture content, (c) evaluated the videotaped instructor and a test on the lecture, and (d) completed the ACL for the instructor. In Study 2, 87 Ss were also exposed to 2 videotaped lectures given 1 wk apart. In Study 3, 108 Ss completed the ACL for themselves and their instructors, evaluated their instructor's teaching, and completed a test on common course material. No meaningful or consistent relationship between ratings and student personality characteristics appeared to exist. Personality characteristics of instructors were related to teacher effectiveness ratings. Ratings predicted teacher-produced achievement equally well for classes that differed in the personality characteristics of the students enrolled. Teacher effects on ratings appeared significantly greater than teacher effects on achievement. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of cooperation and shared feedback on spelling achievement.

A number of studies on cooperative teaching have shown favorable effects on academic achievement. This may be due to better information processing: Low achievers get more explanation, and high achievers have to verbalize the explanation. It may also be due to students' motivation: Students exert peer pressure for better performance. In a field experiment among third-grade students, traditional spelling instruction was compared with two different forms of cooperative classroom instruction, one with individual feedback and one with shared feedback. Cooperative methods had positive effects on spelling achievement and on students' effort as rated by their teachers. Shared feedback did not produce better spelling than did individual feedback. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contract teaching of academic skills.

Studied 92 college students enrolled in a study-skills course. An individualized contract requiring students to identify nonproductive study behaviors and agree with their instructors on appropriate strategies for desired change was examined for effects on attitudes to study and subsequent academic achievement. Two instructors each taught a contract and a noncontract group. A group of 18 Ss taught by a 3rd instructor acted as a control to check for experimenter effect. Contract Ss improved significantly more on self-reported attitudes toward study (Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes) than either noncontract or control students. A follow-up study showed that contract students gained better GPAs and maintained this improvement for 2 yrs. Results are discussed in terms of the demands made on both student and instructor by this method of instruction. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of instructor-delivered sequential evaluative feedback upon student's subsequent classroom-related performance and instructor ratings.

128 college students were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 instructor-delivered evaluative feedback conditions (uniformly positive, uniformly negative, negative-to-positive, or positive-to-negative). Expectations for subsequent performance were effectively manipulated by false evaluative feedback. Ss then listened to an audiotaped lecture, after which they took an exam on the lecture (the performance measure). Finally, Ss rated the instructor who gave the audiotaped lecture. The instructor-delivered evaluative feedback manipulation had a significant effect on the Ss' performance and ratings of the instructor, such that performance was better and ratings of the instructor were higher in the uniformly positive condition, followed, respectively, by the negative-to-positive, positive-to-negative, and uniformly negative conditions. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teachers' knowledge of students' knowledge in mathematics problem solving: Correlational and case analyses.

This study examined the relationship of teachers' knowledge of students' knowledge to teachers' mathematics instruction and to students' mathematics problem solving. First-grade teachers (N?=?20) participated in a 4-week workshop in which they were given access to research-based knowledge on children's mathematics learning. Teachers were observed for 16 days throughout the school year. In May, teachers completed interviews and questionnaires about their knowledge and beliefs; their students completed achievement tests. Correlational analyses showed significant positive relationships between teachers' knowledge of students' knowledge and students' mathematics problem-solving achievement. Teachers with more knowledge of their students questioned students about problem-solving processes and listened to their responses. Teachers with less knowledge of their students explained problem-solving processes to students or observed students' solutions. Case analyses of knowledge and behavior of the most effective teacher and the least effective teacher supported these conclusions and showed important differences in how these teachers thought about and used students' knowledge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Instructor reputation: An expectancy relationship involving student ratings and achievement.

Instructor reputation, defined as student expectations of an instructor's teaching ability, was investigated to determine its influence on student ratings and achievement. Two teaching behaviors, instructor expressiveness and lecture content, were combined with reputation in a 2–3 factorial design to assess interaction effects. 198 undergraduates read an introductory statement about an instructor (reputation), viewed a videotape lecture, rated the instructor, and took a test. Results indicate that reputation interacted with expressiveness but not content, in which students rated the positive, high-expressive instructor more favorably than the negative, high-expressive instructor. Results suggest a complex relationship in which reputation interacts with some teaching behaviors and affects some student outcomes. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A motivational model of rural students' intentions to persist in, versus drop out of, high school.

Using self-determination theory, the authors tested a motivational model to explain the conditions under which rural students formulate their intentions to persist in, versus drop out of, high school. The model argues that motivational variables underlie students' intentions to drop out and that students' motivation can be either supported in the classroom by autonomy-supportive teachers or frustrated by controlling teachers. LISREL analyses of questionnaire data from 483 rural high school students showed that the provision of autonomy support within classrooms predicted students' self-determined motivation and perceived competence. These motivational resources, in turn, predicted students' intentions to persist, versus drop out, and they did so even after controlling for the effect of achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivation and mathematics achievement: a comparative study of Asian-American, Caucasian-American, and east Asian high school students

This study examined the motivation and mathematics achievement of Asian-American, Caucasian-American, and East Asian students. Subjects were 304 Asian-American, 1,958 Caucasian-American, 1,475 Chinese (Taiwan), and 1,120 Japanese eleventh graders (mean age = 17.6 years). Students were given a curriculum-based mathematics test and a questionnaire. Mathematics scores of the Asian-American students were higher than those of Caucasian-American students but lower than those of Chinese and Japanese students. Factors associated with the achievement of Asian-American and East Asian students included having parents and peers who hold high standards, believing that the road to success is through effort, having positive attitudes about achievement, studying diligently, and facing less interference with their schoolwork from jobs and informal peer interactions. Contrary to the popular belief that Asian-American students' high achievement necessarily takes a psychological toll,they were found not to report a greater frequency of maladjustive symptoms than Caucasian-American students.     

Internal versus external locus of control and performance in controlled and motivated reading-rate improvement instruction.

Investigated the association of J. B. Rotter's (1966) Internal-External personality dimension and improvement in reading rate and comprehension in 4 reading instruction treatments and a 5th control condition with 50 college students. 2 approaches to reading-rate improvement instruction, the controlled and motivated approaches, were each conducted by 1 female and 1 male instructor. The motivated instruction was found to be more effective for increasing reading rate, without significantly affecting reading comprehension, than the controlled instruction. This result was consistent for controlled and motivated instruction, administered by different instructors, from the difference scores of the pre- and postadministration of Forms A and B of the Nelson-Denny Reading Tests and 2 history reading tests from the Robinson-Hall reading test series. Scores on Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale were significantly correlated with reading-rate improvement and reading-comprehension change only in the control group and involved only the results of the Nelson-Denny Reading Tests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Another look at Dr. Fox: Effect of stated purpose for evaluation, lecturer expressiveness, and density of lecture content on student ratings.

Investigated the extent to which the student's perception of the purpose for evaluating an instructor, the instructor's expressiveness, and the density of content presented in a lecture influenced student ratings and student achievement. 161 college students were randomly assigned to view lectures that systematically differed in lecturer expressiveness and density of content. The perceived purpose for evaluating the instructor had no effect on the Ss' ratings. All 5 student-rating subscale scores were significantly higher for the expressive lectures than for the nonexpressive lectures. On the dimension of instructor explanations, medium-content lectures received higher ratings than high-content lectures. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pigmented variant of benign oncocytic lesion of the pharynx

The goal of this study was to analyse students' perceptions of anatomy teaching. A questionnaire was distributed to two classes of first year dental students taught anatomy in both problem-based learning (PBL) and traditional formats. The questionnaire explored the students' most preferred techniques for learning anatomy, their examination preferences and their perceived level of mastery of anatomy. Fifty-seven (95%) students completed the survey. The most commonly used study aids were atlases, dissection and lecture notes (in descending order). Students expressed the desire for the final examination to include both written and oral components. Six months after the final examination, the students reported their perceived level of mastery of anatomy as either "very good" or "OK". Even in the PBL curriculum 39% of both classes felt it is necessary to have quizzes during the course to motivate and guide them in studying anatomy.     

Preference for situations involving effort, time pressure, and feedback in relation to Type A behavior, locus of control, and test anxiety.

Eighty subjects from an introductory psychology course rated the desirability of eight course structures that differed according to all combinations of the presence or absence of effort required for success, time pressure, and the provision of feedback. Subjects also completed questionnaire measures of the Type A behavior pattern, test anxiety, and external locus of control. Results showed that the Type A behavior pattern was negatively related to external locus of control and that externals tended to have higher test anxiety scores than internals. Multiple regression analyses that involved the personality variables and age and gender showed that the Type A variable predicted preference for course structures that involved effort and feedback and that external control predicted preference for course structures that were independent of effort and provided little feedback. Test anxiety and desirability ratings were positively correlated for the course structure that was not dependent on effort, had little time pressure, and had little feedback. The results were consistent with the view that individuals seek out and prefer situations that are consistent with their personality characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confidence in Individual and Group Decision Making: When "Two Heads" Are Worse Than One.

The authors investigated students' accuracy and confidence judgments for course-related material in college classrooms. Under conditions of group work and instructor feedback, students produced higher exam accuracy scores working in groups than alone but at a cost of increased confidence for groups' wrong answers. Groups' high confidence for wrong answers generated the case when "two heads are worse than one." Students participating in groups that arrived at wrong exam answers gave higher confidence when wrong and lower confidence when correct for repeated items on a final exam. "Two heads" groups when wrong had no adverse effect on students' accuracy for repeated exam items. An intervention of lecture and readings on confidence calibration, metamemory, and overconfidence did not improve the students' accuracy-confidence judgments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)