Pedagogical affect, student interest, and learning performance

Abstract

Using a sample of over 1000 students, this study reveals that student perceived learning depends directly on their interest and behavior (pedagogical affect and learning performance), and indirectly on student/instructor interaction, responsiveness, organization, liking/concern and learning performance. Student interest is indirectly affected by liking/concern through its influence on learning performance. Recommendations for schools, department heads and university administrators are addressed. Directions for future research are also presented.

A Modified Team-Based Learning Physiology Course

“…Abrantes and colleagues used path analysis to determine that learning performance predicts perceived learning (b 5 0.23) and perceived learning can predict better course evaluations. 13 However, this study found that pedagogical affect, such as instructional methods (b 5 0.31) and student interest (b 5 0.50), were stronger predictors of perceived learning. While the correlation coefficient for comfort and instructor evaluation was high (r 5 0.60), the small sample size (n 5 6) results in high variability, which may be a limiting factor in finding a significant correlation.…”

“…Student interest reflects attention level in class, interest in learning the material, perception of the intellectual challenge of a course, and acquired competence. 13 Student interest is important in part because it facilitates effective teaching and creates a more favorable learning environment.…”

“…Instructors who use responsive teaching (defined as the capacity to know students' needs, respond quickly, and thus engage in systematic learning) positively influence student interest. 13 Students who are described as competent within an area seem to base their interest more on the particular topic area rather than on their ability to learn the material. Thus, it is unclear whether high levels of interest in a given area will be adequate to propel these individuals into the next stage of development; ie, interest alone may not improve student performance in a given area.…”

The Impact of Team-Based Learning on a Foundational Pharmacokinetics Course

“…This may be related to the perception of learning. Abrantes and colleagues 19 found that factors of course organization, student-instructor interaction, instructor responsiveness, and instructor likeability all positively impact perceived learning. According to the course evaluations, there was no difference in attitudes toward course organization or the instructor's approachability between the current and previous year's courses.…”

“…Students felt they missed out less on instructor interaction during the smaller-group format than during the TBL year. Given that student-instructor interaction plays a smaller relative role in the perception of learning than does instructor responsiveness, 19 it is surprising that students felt they missed out on learning. This lower extent of perceived learning may better relate to the intellectual development of students and the role peers play in the learning process.…”