On Pedagogy and the Human Sciences

In launching PHS, our goal is to stimulate theory, practice, research and reflection on the process of teaching and learning in disciplines that address the question of what it means to be human. In so doing, we cast our net broadly to include not only psychology and the traditional social sciences, but also disciplines that are often considered to be part of the humanities – philosophy, literary studies, religious studies, history and related fields. We embrace the full range of different modes of inquiry, including philosophical reflection and analysis, quantitative and qualitative empirical research, action research, ethnography, hermeneutic and discursive analysis, and other modes of expression and analysis

Metacognition and Motivation in Anatomy and Physiology Students

The purpose of this study was to use a grounded theory, qualitative approach to gain a deeper understanding of students’ self-regulated learning processes in a required first-year gateway Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) course that is critical for success in health care-related academic programs and professions. At the end of a two-semester sequence in A&P, students were recruited to participate in individual 30-minute semi-structured interviews based on questions related to their metacognitive beliefs and behaviors. Investigators reviewed verbatim transcripts from 25 primarily first-year students and identified four major themes: 1) career orientation, 2) relevance of Anatomy and Physiology, 3) success as the ability to earn good grades, as well as retention and ability to apply materials, and 4) student behaviors referring to the learning and metacognitive strategies reported by students. Within the theme of student behaviors, four sub-themes emerged: collaborative work with peers, self-responsibility, self-awareness, and evolution as learners. The results of this study will help investigators to design and implement strategies to improve success in this course for pre-health professional students

A Model and Test of Individual and Organization Factors Influencing Individual Adaptation to Change

This study analyzed the antecedents and outcomes of individual adaptation to a changing work environment. We developed and tested a model of both individual factors and organizational factors affecting individual responses to change. We hypothesized that individuals reporting higher levels of the antecedent variables would also report higher levels of adaptability. We also hypothesized better adaptors would perceive better work outcomes. The model was tested in a field study of 169 participants across four different organizations experiencing varying changes. Results indicated participation, role clarity, and optimism were positively related to adaptability. Further, we found that better adaptors were more satisfied with their jobs, were less likely to quit the organization, and perceived higher performance after the change. Change managers can take heart in that most of the variables associated with successful adaptation are under the organization’s influence, so facilitating change is not an impossible task

Enhancing Team Learning Experiences in the Classroom

There are many different and effective ways to introduce teams and team learning into the management classroom. This paper discusses different ways we incorporated group and team learning in the classroom using a variety of activities. From our initial student survey, we developed a measure of teamwork and independent learning. Our findings indicate that when students perceive a fair work distribution in their teams, they are also more team oriented than students who perceive an unfair work distribution. Suggestions for enhancements to team learning, and future ideas for research are discussed

High- and low-reactive temperamental profiles: Longitudinal implications.

This study was a follow-up to a longitudinal investigation of the relation between an early temperamental classification of high and low reactivity and behavior and attitudes expressed a decade later (n = 131). There were three goals of the study. Because of the conflicting reports regarding the consistency of mother and children reports, this study used a multi-method approach and investigated the relationship between children's self-reports, parents' assessments, and independent assessments of the children's behaviors. Children and their mothers were interviewed extensively. For a more independent evaluation of children's behavior, their classroom teachers were also briefly interviewed. In addition, an in-home interviewer rated the child on a range of behaviors, and children's behaviors in an unfamiliar setting, a university laboratory, were observed. There was consistency across these reports of children's behavior. Second, the current study represented a unique opportunity to explore the long-term implications of early reactivity to novelty on several areas of functioning in middle childhood. In particular, presence of anxious symptoms and fearfulness was assessed as was shyness and social competence, and oppositional defiant behaviors. Children originally classified as high reactive were rated as more anxious by their mothers, but they did not express significantly more anxieties than those originally classified as low reactive. Moreover, there were no differences in reported levels of fear. High Reactive children were more likely to report being shy and also considered more shy by observers. There were no differences in the reported levels of problem behavior. The final goal of this project was to construct a picture of bi-directional parent-child influences on the development of child behaviors and attitudes. It was found that parents of children originally classified as high reactive were more likely to isolate their children and less likely to use reason than mothers of children originally classified as low reactive. Mothers of high reactive children who were likely to isolate and unlikely to use reason considered their children more anxious and more argumentative than mothers of high reactive children who used the opposite parenting style. Other child outcomes were examined, including sociability, shyness, and oppositional defiant behavior.Ph.D.Developmental psychologyPsychologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/123598/2/3096104.pd