“Seeing the Theory Is Believing”

Abstract

Both “theory” and “writing” engender a great deal of anxiety for the typical undergraduate sociology major. Writing-intensive theory courses increase this feeling exponentially. Active learning approaches to teaching theory are often advocated as a way to combat these fears, but few studies have tested whether these innovations effectively reduce student anxiety. This article describes and evaluates the Film Analysis Papers writing assignment designed to reduce student anxiety in an undergraduate theory course. I present data from a questionnaire that asked students to assess the effect of writing about film on theory anxiety. Findings show that the film assignment reduced anxiety about writing theoretically and improved student confidence in their ability to theorize. This study is unique in that it isolates the effect of active learning approaches on theory anxiety in order to understand whether anxiety mediates the relationship between active learning and learning outcomes in theory classes.

Finding the Right Fit: Helping Students Apply Theory to Service-Learning Contexts

“…Rinehart asks students to list in small groups their personal assessment of particular topics that sociologists study, individually answer and discuss in small groups a set of questions for each theorist, relate a specified theory to films or newspapers featured in class, and to conduct a formal group presentation focused on a particular theorist. Building on Rinehart and other scholars’ work, Julie Pelton (2013) proposes and assesses the effectiveness of a series of scaffolded activities to help students apply theory to familiar case studies. Using popular film, Pelton (2013) combines a series of low-stake writing assignments, which include individual reading guides and a 2-day workshop that leads students through the process of doing a film analysis, with high-stake papers that integrate each major theory by asking students to apply a specific theory to a given film.…”

“…Building on Rinehart and other scholars’ work, Julie Pelton (2013) proposes and assesses the effectiveness of a series of scaffolded activities to help students apply theory to familiar case studies. Using popular film, Pelton (2013) combines a series of low-stake writing assignments, which include individual reading guides and a 2-day workshop that leads students through the process of doing a film analysis, with high-stake papers that integrate each major theory by asking students to apply a specific theory to a given film. Her data reveals that the act of writing helps empower students in the process and the use of film reduces their anxiety (Pelton, 2013).…”

“…Using popular film, Pelton (2013) combines a series of low-stake writing assignments, which include individual reading guides and a 2-day workshop that leads students through the process of doing a film analysis, with high-stake papers that integrate each major theory by asking students to apply a specific theory to a given film. Her data reveals that the act of writing helps empower students in the process and the use of film reduces their anxiety (Pelton, 2013). However, Pelton does not specifically address the selection process and indicates the theory to apply to a particular film with the exception of two out of seven film paper options, which students could potentially not select.…”

“…Past scholars have proposed the perceived abstractness and distance of theory from students’ lived experiences as contributing factors to students’ struggles (Holtzman, 2005; Lowney, 1998; D. E. Pedersen, 2010; Pelton, 2013). While asking students to apply a particular theory to experiential activities, such as service-learning projects or internships, can help address some of these barriers, the added component of the messiness of real life can also increase student confusion and anxiety about the process (Holtzman, 2005; Silver & Perez, 1998).…”

“…Moreover, the task of selecting from several seemingly plausible options and making a case for a particular selection requires a level of comfort with ambiguity that William Perry’s research shows is not prominent in all learners at all stages of their development (1998). Yet, scholars have not fully addressed how to scaffold classroom activities to support students in theory application, particularly as it relates to selecting and integrating theory with data from service-learning experiences (Pelton, 2013; Rinehart, 1999).…”