TY - JOUR
T1 - Is it OK to ask? The impact of instructor openness to questions on student help-seeking and academic outcomes
AU - Micari, Marina
AU - Calkins, Susanna
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - Instructors’ actions in the classroom matter; what the instructor does and says can impact students’ attitudes about the course and learning approaches, which can in turn impact the quality of their learning. This study examines the relationships among instructor openness to student questions, student help-seeking behavior, and student final grade in lecture-style college/university courses. Two hundred sixty-eight university students completed measures on their perception of instructor openness to questions and their approach to help-seeking in class. Perceived instructor openness and help-seeking were positively related to grade. Help-seeking mediated the relationship between perceived instructor openness to questions and final grade. Participants were also asked for examples of communication behaviors instructors used to either promote or suppress help-seeking; themes emerging from these responses are presented, and implications for instructors are given.
AB - Instructors’ actions in the classroom matter; what the instructor does and says can impact students’ attitudes about the course and learning approaches, which can in turn impact the quality of their learning. This study examines the relationships among instructor openness to student questions, student help-seeking behavior, and student final grade in lecture-style college/university courses. Two hundred sixty-eight university students completed measures on their perception of instructor openness to questions and their approach to help-seeking in class. Perceived instructor openness and help-seeking were positively related to grade. Help-seeking mediated the relationship between perceived instructor openness to questions and final grade. Participants were also asked for examples of communication behaviors instructors used to either promote or suppress help-seeking; themes emerging from these responses are presented, and implications for instructors are given.
KW - academic help-seeking
KW - active learning
KW - classroom communication behaviors
KW - student questions
KW - student–faculty interaction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85077077592&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85077077592&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1469787419846620
DO - 10.1177/1469787419846620
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85077077592
JO - Active Learning in Higher Education
JF - Active Learning in Higher Education
SN - 1469-7874
ER -