Re-setting the concentration levels of students in higher education: an exploratory study

Abstract

Evidence suggests that college students' concentration levels are limited and hard to maintain. Even though relevant in higher education, scant empirical research exists on interventions to 're-set' their concentration during a college lecture. Using a withinsubjects design, four active learning interventions are administered across two seniorlevel undergraduate classes at a university in the mid-south USA. The influence of these interventions on students' ratings of their concentration level on course material is examined. Implications for practice and future research are offered.Walk into several college classrooms on any college campus across the globe and chances are that one may see the same thing: instructors standing in front of seemingly interested students. However, closer observations may reveal students who are less engaged than they initially appear; some students periodically doodle or make lists, as still others daydream about their plans for the evening. Put simply, students often duel with the information being presented by the instructor and their own wandering thoughts. Why does this occur in the classrooms of well-intentioned college instructors? The problem may stem from a disconnect between instructors' teaching methodologies and students' concentration levels. Instructors can discern when students' concentration has diminished to the point of disengagement; thus, a plausible approach would be to equip educators in higher education with simple and useable instructional strategies that increase the level of student engagement.Research focused on interventions to enhance students' concentration levels is scarce; yet college instructors must be aware of the needs and tendencies of their learners. Thus, the purpose of this exploratory study is to analyze the effect of active learning interventions on concentration levels of undergraduate students. The authors examine four specific active learning strategies in a within-subjects design and explore the effect of these interventions on a sample of senior-level students' ratings of concentration. Concentration levels in college classroomsMalcolm Knowles (1973), the father of adult learning theory, claimed that adults learn differently from other student populations. While the process of learning may vary for college and elementary school populations, they share at least one element in common Á

Mind wandering, together with test anxiety and self‐efficacy, predicts student's academic self‐concept but not reading comprehension skills

“…Within a MW framework, teachers should be aware that MW is highly frequent in educational setting, probably more than in other activities (Unsworth, McMillan, Brewer, & Spillers, ) and that it occurs more frequently when students reported feeling anxious, as well as when they consider the activity as boring (McVay, Kane, & Kwapil, ). In this view, teachers should implement pedagogical techniques which are known to reduce MW, such as increasing engagement, quizzing, demonstration, and guided reciprocal peer questioning (Bunce, Flens, & Neiles, ; Burke & Ray, ). They should also somehow accept MW and help students, and particularly those who are more anxious and less self‐confident, understanding how MW might manifest during lessons and study.…”

Mind wandering and education: from the classroom to online learning

“…For instance, Burke and Ray (2008) tested the efficacy of four active learning interventions (student-generated questions, guided reciprocal peer questioning, truth statements, and think-pair-share) across four instructional theory lectures. Each lecture was devoted to testing one of the four interventions, with the intervention occurring halfway through lecture.…”

An Investigation into Factors Affecting Concentration of University Students

“…In terms of teaching method, there are still many professors in universities today use instructor-centred methods to place themselves in the role of being a master of the subject matter. Also, in his paper, (Burke & Ray, 2008) also showed his opinion toward the whole-class method which is also called directing method. He considered this method was not very effective since it just embraced the role of the instructor, not the students, so it is very easy for students to lose interaction with their instructor.…”