Empirical Research in Teaching and Learning: Contributions from Social Psychology

198 Pages·2011·3.204 MB·English

by  Debra Mashek, Elizabeth Yost Hammer

Empirical Research in Teaching
and Learning
Empirical Research in Teaching and Learning: Contributions from Social Psychology
Edited by Debra Mashek & Elizabeth Yost Hammer
© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN: 978-1-444-33719-8
Empirical Research in Teaching
and Learning
Contributions from Social Psychology
Edited by
Debra Mashek and Elizabeth Yost Hammer
Thiseditionfirstpublished2011
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Empiricalresearchinteachingandlearning:contributionsfromsocialpsychology/
[editedby]DebraMashek,ElizabethYostHammer.
p.cm.– (Blackwell/claremontappliedsocialpsychologyseries;3)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-4443-3719-8
1. Socialpsychology–Studyandteaching. I.Mashek,DebraJ.II.Hammer,ElizabethYost.
HM1033.E5342011
302.071’1–dc22
2010042202
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
Thisbookispublishedinthefollowingelectronicformats:eBook9781444395310;WileyOnlineLibrary
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Setin10/12.5pt,MinonbyThomsonDigital,Noida,India
1 2011
Contents
Contributors vii
Preface ix
Debra Mashek & Elizabeth Yost Hammer
1 How Can Social Psychology Galvanize Teaching andLearning? 1
Regan A. R.Gurung & Kathleen C. Burns
2 ASocial Look atStudent–Instructor Interactions 32
Janie H. Wilson, Karen Z. Naufel,and Amy A. Hackney
3 Self-Construal, Cultureand Diversity inHigherEducation 51
Shelva PaulseHurley and Eric Alexander Hurley
4 Unintentional Prejudice and Social Psychology’s Lessonsfor
Cross-Racial Teaching 73
Elliott D. Hammer
5 Teaching inWays that Support Students’Autonomy 90
Johnmarshall Reeve
6 Achievement isan Attitude: The Importance of Help-Seeking
Attitudes when Predicting Academic Achievement 104
Jessica Clevering, Shelley DeFord, TasiaYamamura,
and Debra Mashek
7 Applying theScienceof Learning tothe Artof Teaching 114
Diane F. Halpern and Clayton L.Stephenson
vi Contents
8 Which Strategies Best Enhance Teaching andLearning
in Higher Education? 130
John Hattie
9 Understanding Faculty ReluctancetoAssessTeaching andLearning:
ASocialPsychologicalPerspective 143
Dana S.Dunn,Maureen A. McCarthy,Suzanne C.Baker,
JaneS.Halonen, andStacyBoyer
10 Applying Social Psychology in theCollege Classroom:Teachers
and Learners Need (Your) Scholarship 160
Randolph A. Smith
Index 174
Contributors
SuzanneC. Baker, James Madison University
Stacy Boyer,Moravian College
KathleenC.Burns,University ofWisconsin-GreenBay
Jessica Clevering,DordtCollege
ShelleyDeFord,Harvey Mudd College
Dana S.Dunn, Moravian College
Regan A. R. Gurung, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Amy A. Hackney, Georgia Southern University
Jane S.Halonen, Universityof West Florida
Diane F.Halpern,Claremont McKenna College
ElliottD. Hammer, Xavier University of Louisiana
John Hattie, University of Auckland
Eric Alexander Hurley,Pomona College
Shelva Paulse Hurley, Claremont Graduate University
Debra Mashek, Harvey MuddCollege
MaureenA. McCarthy, KennesawStateUniversity
Karen Z.Naufel, Georgia SouthernUniversity
Johnmarshall Reeve,Korea University
viii Contributors
Randolph A.Smith, Lamar University
Clayton L.Stephenson, Claremont GraduateUniversity
Janie H. Wilson, Georgia SouthernUniversity
Tasia Yamamura,ScrippsCollege
Elizabeth YostHammer, Xavier University of Louisiana
Preface
Debra Mashek & Elizabeth Yost Hammer
Dr Stuart Oskamp envisioned the Claremont Symposium on Applied Social
Psychologyasavenueforscholarstoexamine“topicscrucialtoourunderstanding
ofhumanrelationshipsandthebuildingofahealthy,diversesociety”(cgu.edu/
pages/4513.asp).Sinceitsinceptionin1986,theSymposiumhastimeandagain
achievedthisaimbyinterrogatingtimelyissuessuchasextremism,theintegration
ofworkandfamily,communityengagement,stigmaandprejudice,psychological
aspectsofthelegalsystem,thepreventionofriskbehaviors,intimaterelationships,
and cross-cultural relating.
Feeling that research in social psychology offers many lessons for higher
education,wesoughttocontinuethistraditionbyorganizingthe2009Claremont
Symposiumaroundissuesofcentralimportancetoeachofourcolleaguesandall
ofourstudents:teachingandlearning.Oncetheconferencethemewasselected,it
wasclearthatacollaborationwasinorder.Toorganizeahigh-qualityandtopical
conference,theorganizersshouldhaveafootinboththesocialpsychologyandthe
teachingandlearningworlds.Luckily,overseveraldaysofgradingAPPsychology
exams (and afew beers), wemadea connectionandthe planning began.
Our collaboration includes two social psychologists. We are from different
partsofthecountry,differenttypesofinstitutions,andhavefocusedourcareerson
differentcontentmatter.However,wehaveasimilarpassionforourstudentsand
classroom experiencesand weboth recognize the value of viewing education in
socialpsychologicalterms.DebraMashekspecializesincloserelationshipsandthe
application of close relationship theory to issues of community connectedness
and community engagement. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at
HarveyMuddCollege,a liberal arts college inClaremont,CA,andhasreceived
national recognition for her teaching. Elizabeth Yost Hammer has spent her
careerexploringissuesrelatedtoteaching.SheiscurrentlyaKelloggProfessorin
teachingandservesastheDirectoroftheCenterfortheAdvancementofTeaching
at Xavier University of Louisiana, the only historically Black and Catholic
universityin the country.
x Preface
Our Vision of the Volume
Inourinitialconversationsaboutthearrayoftopicswewouldlikerepresentedin
thesymposiumandultimatelythisvolume,itbecameclearwebothfeltstrongly
thatsocialpsychologyoffersmorethanmerelyinterestinginsightsintotheform
andfunctionofteachingandlearning.Indeed,socialpsychologyoffersconcrete
toolsfor enhancingteaching and learning.
Thus,wewantedcontributorstoboththeSymposiumandthisvolumetodraw
uponempiricalresearchandempirically-basedtheoriesfromsocialpsychologyto
informthescholarshipofteachingandlearning.Chaptersbeginbyprovidingan
accessible theoretical grounding in the social psychological principles most
relevant to the authors’ area of expertise. Chapters then describe how this
theoreticallensinformsourunderstandingofteachingandlearning(i.e.,demon-
stratinghowwecanseetheseprocessesthroughasocialpsychologicalframe).In
addition to providing specific empirical evidence drawn from teaching and
learningcontexts,chaptersprovideconcretestrategiesfortranslatingthisevidence
“on the ground.”
Importantly, we see this volume as a resource for all who are interested in
enhancingteachingandlearninginthehighereducationsetting.Theemphasison
applyingsocialpsychology—inconjunctionwithasolidempiricalapproach—makes
thisvolumerelevanttoscholarlyteachersfromalldisciplines.Althoughallchapters
focusonsocialpsychologicalquestions,theanswerstothesequestionsarerelevantto
allclassrooms.Likewise,weanticipatethepeoplewhostaffcentersassociatedwith
facultydevelopmentinitiativesdesignedtoadvancetheartandscienceofteachingwill
findvalueintheempirically-validatedtoolsofferedinthesechapters.
Content Contributors
Socialpsychologyexaminesthemanywaysweareinfluencedbybothsocialand
non-social contexts. As the table of contents of any social psychology textbook
reveals,thetopicswithinsocialpsychologyarevastandvaried,rangingfromself-
perception to other-perception, helping to hurting, and self-identity to group
identity. Rather than attempt an exhaustive survey of the many ways social
psychologicaltheoriesbearonteachingandlearning,thecontributorsweinvited
craftedchaptershighlighting what is possible in this domain.
Weknewthatweneededsomeonetosetthecontextofthevolume—toestablish
the usefulness of researching and applying social psychology in the classroom.
ReganGurungquicklycametomind.Herecentlyco-authoredabook,Optimizing
teaching and learning: Practicing pedagogical research, directly calling for an
increase in the scholarship of teaching in learning. We knew his voice would
make thecase for our theme.
Preface xi
When considering social psychology in the classroom, one of the first things
thatcomestomindisthestudent–teacherrelationshipandclassroominteractions.
Becauseofherworkonimmediacybehaviors,JanieWilsonwasanaturalforour
theme.Sheisoneofthefirstscholarstodoempirical,classroom-specificresearch
on issues such as touching (in an appropriate context, of course) and first
impressions of faculty formed via apre-semester email.
Thestudyofstereotypingandprejudiceisoneofthemostenduringareasof
social psychology. Obviously the applications to higher education are vast. We
recognized that Shelva Hurley would make a significant contribution given her
workontheimpactofdifferentculturalexpectationsontheeducationalexperi-
encesofstudentsattheinstitutionallevel.IncontrasttoHurley’sconsiderationof
studentsofcoloratmajorityWhiteinstitutions,ElliottHammerexaminescross-
racial teaching from a unique perspective. He—a White male teacher at a
predominantlyBlackuniversity—surveyedstudentsabouttheirexperienceswith
faculty and applied many of the concepts from the stereotyping and prejudice
literaturetohisfindings.
Questions about the interactions between people sit at the heart of social
psychology.JohnmarshallReeveasksandanswerssuchquestionsinthecontextof
interpersonal motivation. In particular, how do teachers motivate students? He
drawsfromself-determinationtheory,andhisextensiveworkwitheducatorsatall
levels, toadvocate for autonomysupportive classrooms.
As with the study of stereotyping and interpersonal interaction, attitudes
likewiseareacornerstoneofsocialpsychology.Thus,wewantedtoincludesome
research examining the influence of attitudes on behaviors in higher education
settings. Jessica Clevering’s work on help-seeking seemed like a perfect fit. She
foundthatattitudesaboutaskingforhelp,moresothanhelp-seekingbehaviors,
are related toacademicachievement.
Although not a social psychologist, Diane Halpern is a recognized expert on
learning and teaching. She has been a leader in expanding the scholarship of
teaching and learning, and applying theories and tools from our content dis-
ciplinestostudentlearningandeducationalexperiences.Weknewhercontribu-
tionswouldbothenergizethediscussionandofferaprimeexampleofhowto“do”
the scholarship ofteaching and learning.
Buildingonhisexpertiseinacademicself-conceptandquantitativemethodol-
ogies,JohnHattietacklesafascinatingpredicamentintheteachingandlearning
literature: evidence exists demonstrating the efficacy of most all educational
interventions. Yet, as all students know, not allteachersor forms of instruction
are equally effective. With an eye toward pinpointing the elements of effective
teaching, Hattie offers a synthesis of over 800 meta-analytic studies to identify
teaching strategiesthat result in thegreatest gain instudent achievement.
Onetopicweknewwouldbeofvaluetoreadersisthatofassessment.Inthe
currentacademicclimate,allfacultyareexposedtoissuesrelatedtoassessment,