“I Like and Prefer to Work Alone”: Social Anxiety, Academic Self-Efficacy, and Students’ Perceptions of Active Learning

Abstract

Two psychological variables, social anxiety (psychological distress relating to the fear of negative evaluation by others) and academic self-efficacy (confidence in one’s ability to overcome academic challenges) are linked with student perceptions of active-learning practices and final grades in a course.

Aspects of Large-Enrollment Online College Science Courses That Exacerbate and Alleviate Student Anxiety

“…Student Suggestions for Instructors about How to Reduce Anxiety in Large-Enrollment Online Science Courses Decreasing student anxiety can result in an increase in student motivation and performance (McKeachie, 1951;Culler and Holahan, 1980;Fletcher and Carter, 2010;Vitasari et al, 2010;England et al, 2017England et al, , 2019Hood et al, 2021). Many of the strategies that students in this study identified to reduce anxiety in online college science courses are further supported by the literature and may provide instructors with effective ways of mitigating student anxiety.…”

“…High levels of student anxiety have been shown to negatively affect student motivation and performance in college (McKeachie, 1951;Culler and Holahan, 1980;Fletcher and Carter, 2010;Vitasari et al, 2010;England et al, 2017England et al, , 2019Hood et al, 2021). Student anxiety may be particularly detrimental in science courses owing to the rigor and difficulty of the material (Udo et al, 2004;Mallow, 2006) and the competitive, chilly and sometimes hostile environments (Seymour and Hewitt, 1997;Brainard and Carlin, 1998;Wyer et al, 2001).…”

“…Studies have shown that students who report experiencing anxiety in college science courses perceive difficulty thinking through science problems and articulating their thoughts about science (Cooper et al, 2018a;Cooper and Brownell, 2020;Downing et al, 2020). Further, anxiety in college science courses has been negatively correlated with both students' performance (England et al, 2017(England et al, , 2019Hood et al, 2021) and plans to persist in biology degree programs (England et al, 2019).…”

“…Recent research has aimed to identify specific aspects of college science courses that affect student anxiety in an effort to identify potential targets for interventions that could make classrooms more inclusive for students. For example, studies have examined student anxiety as it relates to students asking and answering questions in large-enrollment courses (Nadile et al, 2021), as well as how active learning, defined as having students engage in their learning through activities and discussion in class (Freeman et al, 2014), affects student anxiety at research-intensive (R1) institutions (England et al, 2017;Cooper et al, 2018a;Adkins-Jablonsky et al, 2021) and community colleges (Downing et al, 2020;Hood et al, 2021). Collectively, these studies have identified that active-learning courses have the potential to increase students' anxiety because they often increase social interactions among students and between students and instructors.…”

Virology in the Classroom: Current Approaches and Challenges to Undergraduate- and Graduate-Level Virology Education

“…However, as noted by Hacisalihoglu et al (36), other recent studies indicate that it is the active learning itself, whether in a high-or lower-tech classroom, that matters (37,38). Yet, faculty must remember that students with social anxiety (39) or disabilities (40) may be averse to certain forms of active learning. Most importantly, faculty/instructors need to continually consider who the students are and what the best ways are to help them learn, and they must ensure that students have an appropriate environment (also see Section 5) for successful learning.…”