Education Commons^™

Cultivating Contact: A Guide To Building Bridges And Meaningful Connections Between Groups, Linda R. Tropp, Trisha A. Dehrone

The Journal of Social Encounters

In this guide, we describe how to set the stage for people from different backgrounds to engage with each other in ways that foster trust and belonging, while also drawing on their similarities and differences to solve community problems. We review a number of strategies that encourage people from different groups to work together as equals, so that they can share ideas and perspectives, and co-create new initiatives in collaboration and across group divides. We also provide materials that can help organizations begin to envision how they might assess the effectiveness of their contact programs.

How Novels And Short Stories Are Resources For Learning About The Other, Magnus Haavelsrud

The Journal of Social Encounters

Following a study of fiction written by young, black South African authors, narratives written by highly acclaimed, young authors in Norway are discussed as codifications of generative themes. In Paulo Freire´s pedagogy, thematic investigation of generative themes formed the starting point of conscientization. Initial codification of the themes was then discussed in groups of learners. In their de-codification dialogues learners´ own experiences and insights about the theme resulted in a new codification that was discussed and decodified again. When reflection is coupled with action, this ongoing dialectic allows for change in both the learner and the world in which the …

Parent–Child Recurring Conflict: A Mediator Between Parental Anger Management And Adolescent Behavior, Erin Donohue, Linda C. Halgunseth, Sarah M. Chilenski, Daniel F. Perkins

Psychology Faculty Publications

Guided by social learning theory, this longitudinal study examined whether parent–child recurring conflict mediated the association between parental anger management, an understudied antecedent to parent–child recurring conflict, and adolescent deviant and problem-solving behaviors in 415 rural families. Parental use of anger management in 6th grade was associated with less parent–child recurring conflict in 9th grade, which was associated with more adolescent problem-solving behavior in 11th grade. Family practitioners seeking to promote adolescent problem-solving behaviors may consider teaching families strategies for reducing parent–child recurring conflict and fostering parental anger management.

Investigating Variation And Strength In Social Networks, Timothy D. Immelman, Richard M. Wielkiewicz

Psychology Faculty Publications

Participants were 318 college students from two small, Catholic liberal arts institutions in the Upper Midwest. Variation (i.e., having friends with varied interests and activities) of an individual’s social network was measured by a researcher-developed inventory, the Social Network Variation Scale (SNVS). Social network strength was measured by the researcher-developed Social Network Strength Scale (SNSS). People with more variation or more strength in their social network had higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress. Autonomy mediated the relationships between variation and stress and strength and stress. Personality moderated the relationships between variation and happiness and variation and stress.

Effects Of Task Relevance Instructions And Topic Beliefs On Reading Processes And Memory, Catherine Bohn-Gettler, Matthew Mccrudden

Education Faculty Publications

This study investigated the effects of task relevance instructions and topic beliefs on reading processes and memory for belief-related text. Undergraduates received task instructions (focus on arguments for vs. against) before reading a dual-position text. In Experiment 1 (n = 88), a reading time methodology showed no differences in reading time for task-relevant and task-irrelevant text, but participants recalled task-relevant text better than task-irrelevant text independently of whether the information was consistent with their topic beliefs. In Experiment 2 (n = 76), a think-aloud methodology showed that participants engaged in confirmation strategies when reading belief-consistent text and disconfirmation …

Students’ Attachment Styles To Their Professors: Patterns Of Achievement, Curiosity, Exploration, Self-Criticism, Self-Reassurance, And Autonomy, Lian H. Conrad

All College Thesis Program, 2016-2019

This study explored whether professors for young adult college students could serve as caring and trustworthy attachment figures who fostered certain mindsets, perceptions of the self, and academic behaviors. A convenience sample of 89 first-year college students in introductory psychology courses completed an online survey. First, the study sought to replicate the established relationships between students’ achievement goal orientations and curiosity, exploration, self-criticism, and self-reassurance. Then, the study analyzed students’ attachment styles to their First-Year Seminar (FYS) professors in relation to achievement goal orientations to see if attachment style could then predict similar patterns of academic behaviors. Contrary to expectations, …

Is A Mediocre Female Professor Evaluated More Negatively Than A Mediocre Male Professor?, Stephanie M. Besst, Rebecca A. Humbert

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

Prior research has shown differences in student's evaluations of male and female professors. This study was designed to examine if these gender differences occurred in mediocre professors. Participants read a mediocre female or male candidate's teaching philosophy and an evaluation by a colleague. They were then asked to evaluate the candidate. The materials were identical except for the gender of the candidate. It was predicted that mediocre female candidates would be punished to a greater extent than mediocre male candidates. No significant results were found - possibly due to a floor effect.

Lutheran Social Services Service Learning Project, Timothy D. Immelman, Cullen T. Mcanally, Dino V. Saracco

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

Background: Lutheran Social Services (LSS) is an organization whose mission is to “express the love of Christ for all people through service that inspires hope, changes lives, and builds community.” A significant part of what they do involves leading afterschool activities that promote the learning of specific academic and life skills. Those learning objectives are as stated as follows: (1) working together, (2) communication, (3) following instructions, and (4) personal boundaries. As liberal arts students, we provide external perspectives regarding ways to enhance their four learning objectives.

Because they have our help in developing new leisure activities for their students, …

He's Sarcastic And She's Caring: Students' Stereotypes Of The Typical Male And Female Professor, Pamela L. Bacon

Psychology Faculty Publications

Gender stereotypes are prescriptive. For example, if people have a stereotype that women are warm and caring, then they also tend to have a societal prescription that women should be warm and caring. When an individual fails to fulfill a gender prescription, he or she may face social punishment. For example, if a woman is cold and uncaring, then she might be judged more harshly than a man who is cold and uncaring because the woman is violating the gender prescription but the man is not. Research on gender stereotypes suggests that students' perceptions of the best and worst college …

Video Game Addiction And College Performance Among Males: Results Of A One Year Longitudinal Study, Michael Livingston, Zachary L. Schmitt

Psychology Faculty Publications

Video games are played by the vast majority of Americans between the ages of 2 and 17, with males showing higher usage rates (Lenhart et. al., 2008). Furthermore, recent research has demonstrated that 9% of male gamers ages 8 to 18 are addicted to playing video games. Those addicted were significantly more likely to have a lower GPA, have greater difficulty paying attention in class, and were more likely to have been involved in a physical fight over the past year compared to non-addicted gamers (Gentile, 2009).

The majority of video game addiction research has focused on adolescent gamers. The …

The Nature And Nurture Of Intuition, Thomas Q. Sibley

Forum Lectures

Are people just innately good at mathematics or not? My teaching experience suggests mathematical ability is not just fate: Students develop their mathematical abilities by doing mathematics. In particular we discuss geometric intuition, its connection with geometric reasoning and the possibility of developing them, using examples to get the listeners actively thinking about their own geometric thinking.

Cultivating Sacramentality Through Administrative Work: Guidance From St. Benedict On Being A Catholic Department Chair, Rodger Narloch

Psychology Faculty Publications

One dilemma encountered by department chairs and administrators at Catholic colleges and universities is how to respect the pluralistic religious views of the faculty while being faithful to one's own and the institution's Catholic tradition. The Rule of St. Benedict offers guidance that can result in deepening the respect for all individuals by welcoming all as Christ, adapting to the temperament of the individual, and listening with the ear of one's heart. Through these practices one may cultivate a sacramental vision of the world in oneself and within the academic culture of the department or institution, creating an environment in …

The Role Of Gesture In Spatial And Non-Spatial Learning In Children And Adults, Gwendolyn Marrin, Amanda Olsen

Psychology Student Work

The purpose of this study was to identify whether gesture differentially affects spatial or non-spatial language comprehension and memory in both children and adults. Previous research (i.e. Goldin-Meadow, 1996, 2001; McNeill, 1992, 2005) examines only the role of gesture in learning without addressing development. For this study, participant’s baseline gesture rate is recorded and then stories containing either spatial or non-spatial components are read to the participants. Participants then receive factual and convergent comprehension questions. While answering, they either gesture naturally, are required to gesture, or are told not to gesture. A three-term inference problem task (Knauff & Johnson-Laird, 2002) …

How Do Students’ Beliefs About Learning Relate To The Teaching Methods And Classroom Activities They Perceive As Effective?, Robert A. Kachelski, Rodger Narloch

Psychology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine how college students' beliefs about learning and knowledge related to the types of teaching methods and classroom activities they perceive as effective in helping them to learn. Comparisons were also made based on year in college. Beliefs about learning were assessed using the Epistemic Belief Inventory (EBI; Schraw, Bendixen, & Dunkle, 2002), which yields scores on 5 dimensions: Omniscient Authority, Certain Knowledge, Quick Learning, Simple Knowledge, and Innate Ability. A number of significant correlations were found. For example, scores on the Quick Learning dimension were negatively correlated with effectiveness ratings for lecture, …

The More You Know: Reviewing Concepts Using Student-Created Public Service Announcements, Pamela L. Bacon

Psychology Faculty Publications

In past course evaluations, my social psychology students consistently reported that they started offering their roommates unsolicited social psychological interpretations of their behaviors and beliefs. I began to wonder if my students’ desire to educate others could be harnessed to help them review course material. I reasoned that elaborating on the material covered in the class would help them learn (Loyens, Rikers, & Schmidt, 2007) and finding a creative outlet for their desire to teach others might preserve some roommate relationships.

In an attempt to encourage students to build on past material, I turned to one of the most well-known …

Understanding Power In The College Classroom, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This article presents a theoretical framework for conceptualizing power relations in educational settings and argues that research on the metamorphic effects of social power provides an empirical basis for the constructive use of power in the college classroom. It recommends that teachers should concentrate on strengthening their informational, expert, and referent power bases; limit their use of legitimate and reward power; and avoid the exercise of coercive power at practically any cost.