Developing Academic Accountability and Leadership

Among Student-Athletes

Jennifer Sturm Mike McCallLearning Specialist Learning Specialist& Tutor Coordinator & School Psychologist

University of South CarolinaAcademic Enrichment Center

Session Outline

• Foundations• Description• Results• Considerations• Discussion

FOUNDATIONS

Study Skill DevelopmentCooperative LearningPeer Mentoring

Study Skill Development

• More practical and experiential than research-based

• Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI)

• Pauk, W. & Owens, R. J. (2005). How to Study in College (8th ed.). Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Cooperative Learning (CL)

• “instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning” (Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 1998, p. 1:14)

• Elements:– Positive interdependence– Individual and group accountability– Use of interpersonal and small group skills– Promotive interaction

CL: Promotive Interaction

• Johnson, Johnson, and Smith (1998) characterized PI as students:– Assisting each other– Sharing resources (info, materials)– Providing constructive feedback– Enhancing decision-making and insight– Improving each other’s accountability

CL: Educational Principles

• Chickering & Gamson (1987) outlined good practice in undergraduate education:– Encourages cooperation among students– Encourages active learning– Emphasizes time on task– Respects diverse talents and ways of learning

CL: Education Principles cont.

Hansen and Stephens (2000) on student centered learning

• Learning as socially interactive– “a social act that makes students accountable to

others” (p. 47)

Peer Mentoring (PM)What Is It?

• Terrion and Leonard (2007) define PM as a model where a more experienced person serves to work on career (academic) functions and/or psychosocial functions

• Mentors have relevant experience to pass on to mentees (Sanchez et al.)

• Peer tutoring can be seen as a form of peer mentoring

Elements of Peer Mentoring

• Small or large groups (1:1 to 20:1)• Mentor should be similar to mentees • Mentor should be older but share experience

with mentees• Mentors should regularly meet with mentees• Mentors should undergo training• Mentors should follow a plan

Peer Mentor Communication Skills

Mentors:– Need to be able to give constructive feedback– Need to listen to mentees and show empathy– Need to be able to teach a variety of skills through

multiple modalities– Need to instill trust in mentees– Need to lead by example– Nee to be enthusiastic

Peer Mentoring and Academics

• It is cost effective• Benefits both mentors and mentees• Increase instructional opportunities since

professors mostly lecture• Offers opportunities to respond and check

knowledge• Mentees experience empathy, praise

(feedback), and attention

A study on Peer Mentoring Freshmen

• Sanchez, R. J., Bauer, T. N., & Paronto, M. E. (2006). Peer-mentoring freshmen: Implications for satisfaction, commitment, and retention to graduation. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 5, 25-37.

• Based on Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), which states behavior is influenced by attitudes towards engagement, influence from social situations, and commitment to the organization

A study on Peer Mentoring Freshmen

• This study evaluated mentoring of freshmen business majors

• Results indicated that brief peer mentoring can be effective for improving student outcomes

• Students who were mentored reported more satisfaction with the university

• Improved attitudes towards the university can result in higher retention rates

DESCRIPTION

RationaleParticipantsMeasuresSessions

Rationale

• Academic skills workshop for 1st year student-athletes

• Promote academic accountability and engagement in a specific course

• Student-athlete leader/mentor

Participants

• Students (N=7)– 6 males, 1 female– 5 freshmen, 2

sophomores– 6 football, 1 track & field– GEOL 101

• Leader (N=1)– Female– Senior– Track & Field– Accounting, 3.6

Measures

• LASSI – pre and post• BASC-2 – pre and post• Reading – pre and post• Session evaluations – weekly• Student questionnaire – post

Measures – LASSI• www.hhpublishing.com/_assessments/LASSI/scales.html

• 10 scales– Attitude – Information Processing– Motivation – Selecting Main Ideas– Time Management – Study Aids– Anxiety – Self-testing– Concentration – Test Strategies

• Factors that significantly contribute to success in college

• Can be modified through interventions

Measures – BASC-2

• Goal was to assess attention problems, test anxiety, and school maladjustment

• Measure – Behavior Assessment Scale for Children – 2nd edition, college self report

• There are 16 scales derived from 185 items• T-scores above 60 are at-risk, and T-scores

above 70 are clinically significant• Measure is sensitive to changes in behavior

Measures – Reading

• To measure change, the assessment tool must be sensitive

• Nelson Denny Reading Test and Woodcock-Johnson III reading measures lack sensitivity for a short-term intervention

• Reading Curriculum Based Measurement (R-CBM) is quick and sensitive to improvements

Measures – Reading cont.

• Students read orally for 1 minute• Assess accuracy (number of words read

correctly/total words attempted)• Assess fluency (Words read correctly per minute)• Any text can be turned into a reading probe by

visiting http://www.interventioncentral.org/htmdocs/tools/okapi/okapi.php

• Oral reading fluency for adults should be able to read more than 150 words correctly per minute with above 90% accuracy

Measures – Session Evaluations• Student self-evaluation and leader’s evaluation of

student• Likert Scale (1=Poor, 5=Excellent)

– Student’s preparation for today’s session– Student’s attention during today’s session– Student’s effort during today’s session

• Report to advisor:– Present– Book– Notes– This week’s goal– Goals for next week

Measures – Student Questionnaire

• 6 Items – 7-pt Likert Scale (1=Not at all, 7=Significantly)

• 8 Items– Open-ended questions

• Specific questions in results section

Sessions

• One evening per week, 1hr session– During football study hall

• Private study room– Conference table with chairs– White boards

• Note taking, reading, discussion, goal setting, test preparation

Sessions – General Agenda

1. Check for book, notes, and last week’s goal/assignment (5min)

2. Review last week’s assignment (10min)3. Brief discussion of new course material

(5min)4. Activity (20-25min)5. Chapter quiz (10min)6. Set goal/assignment for next week (5min)

Sessions – Sample Activities• Current event• Read section, answer questions, and share• Read, identify 5 facts, teach group• Read, create quiz questions for group• Read, choose 1 concept and relate to real life,

share• Teams given 2 topics to research and present• Individual outlines, compare, discuss differences,

create master outline• Flashcards• Chapter quizzes, ways to recall information

RESULTS

ParticipantsLeader

LASSI

• Increases of more than 6pts:– Self-Testing: 47.9 – 54.5– Selecting Main Idea: 37.9 – 45.7

• Decreases of more than 6pts:– Study Aids: 69 – 57.1

• Individual Improvements– Participant 4: 6/10 categories– Participant 6: 8/10 categories– (Participant 3: 1/10 categories)

BASC-2 College Self Report

• One student remained at-risk for attention problems on both pre and post tests, but the student reported reduced school maladjustment

• One student reported reduced test anxiety but an increased school maladjustment

• One student reported reduced attention problems but increased test anxiety

• One student had a reduced report of attention problems due to treatment for ADHD

• Three students reported no significant changes

Conclusions About Changes in Behavior

• A few students reported reduced test anxiety, which could indicate that students felt more comfortable during test due to a better understanding of how to take tests

• The student who experienced increased test anxiety may have increased awareness of testing difficulties due to increased study efforts and test taking strategies (i.e. more responsibility for test performance)

• The student with the increased school maladjustment score generally had a poor attitude towards participating in the group

Reading Curriculum Based Measurement

• WRCM Range 91-150– All of the readers need to improve their fluency on

the Geology material• Three students improved fluency (1, 4, and 13

words)• Accuracy range 97.2% to 99.3%– All students were sufficiently accurate readers

• Accuracy was similar or slightly lower for all students (91%-98.7%)– Second reading probe was slightly more difficult than

the first probe

Reading Results cont.

• Overall, students did not make significant improvements to their reading rate

• Overall, students accuracy was sufficient on the pre and post test

• Although improving reading was a goal, we didn’t specifically target fluency as much as comprehension

• The number of skills we attempted to include may have limited the impact of each skill due to lack of time to practice

• Difference in probe difficulty may have limited findings though passages graded out similar according to reading difficulty calculations

Session EvaluationsPARTICIPANT PREPARATION ATTENTION EFFORT

1 3.3 | 3 4.7 | 4.25 4.7 | 3.75

2 4.4 | 4.6 4.8 | 4.6 4.4 | 4.6

3 4 | 3.9 4.5 | 4 4.8 | 4.4

4 3.7 | 3.7 4.3 | 4.1 4 | 4.4

5 3.75 | 3.4 3.75 | 2.6 3.75 | 2.8

6 3.8 | 4 4.2 | 4 4.5 | 4

7 4.8 | 3.5 4.8 | 3.3 4.8 | 3.5

•Leader rated better – green •Within 0.3 – blue•Student rated at least 1pt higher – salmon

Student QuestionnairesQUESTION 1 to 7

How much did the GEOL Study Group help your study skills? 4.7

How much did the GEOL Study Group help you perform better in the class? 5.5

How helpful was it to study with other student-athletes? 3.8

Rate your effort towards the GEOL Study Group. 4.6

Rate your effort towards the GEOL class as a whole. 5.8

How helpful was it to work with an upper-class student-athlete? 6.1

Student Questionnaires cont.

• What skills did you work on during this semester?– Highlighting (6)– Notetaking (4)– Flashcards (4)– Outlining (3)– Identifying important information (2)– Reading (2)– Time management (1)– Test taking (1)

Student Questionnaires cont.

• What parts of the GEOL Study Group helped your performance?– Read section and teach important parts (4)– Read and do quiz questions (3)– Going over the material (2)– Visual learning (1)– Highlighting (1)– Flashcards (1)– Knowing more information for each exam (1)

Student Questionnaires cont.

• What would have helped you do better in Study Group?– Nothing (2)– More closed-off area (1)– Being more prepared (1)– Focusing better (1)– “Regular” people (1)– More visual aids (1)– More homework (1)– Less distracting group members (1)– More meaningful activities (1)

Student Questionnaires cont.

• What would have helped you do better in GEOL class?– Pay better attention (3)– Take notes (2)– Start study group earlier (2)– Take advantage of i-clicker questions (1)– See notes before class (1)

Student Questionnaires cont.

• What study skills do you want to improve?– Studying (2)– Reading comprehension (2)– Notetaking (2)– Identifying/highlighting important information (2)– Focusing (1)– Organization (1)– Writing (1)– Reading (1)– Flashcards (1)

Student Questionnaires cont.

• What did the Study Group leader do that was helpful?– Show different ways of studying (3)– Break down information (2)– Relate to us (2)– Printing off online quizzes (2)– Hints on how to remember information (1)– Kept control (1)– Very encouraging (1)

Student Questionnaires cont.

• What could the Study Group leader do differently?– Nothing (2)– Give notes (1)– Organize the first few sessions (1)– Write on board (1)– Stricter on football boys (1)– Be a GEOL major (1)

Student Questionnaires cont.

• Any final comments?– Thanks for helping me pass this class (1)– Glad I did it (1)– Made me go over the information (1)– Keep doing it for first year students (1)

Leader Results

• Weekly Journals• Researcher Observations

Weekly Journals

• Journals contained:– Session activities – successful or not– Student behavior– Goal/assignment for next week– Additional comments

• Introduction/bio provided her with an “in”• Study tips well-received• Sessions went smoother as weeks advanced

Researcher Observations• At first, unsure of what she could contribute to

the sessions• As sessions progressed, she developed more and

more into role of leader• During sessions, she maintained a good

demeanor• Connected with students immediately because of

her similarity to them, and earned their respect because of her academic success

• Students listened to her study suggestions

CONSIDERATIONS

BeforeDuringAfter

Considerations – Before

• Initiating group with students who are beyond 1st semester

• Scheduling• Finding a leader• Choosing a course • Number and diversity of students• Skills to target

Considerations – During

• Students’ responses to activities• Cannot follow a strict schedule• Professor’s presentation of material• Students did not want to complete work

outside of sessions• Misinterpretation by staff of the purpose of

the group• Rescheduling session time

Considerations – After

• Start with 1st semester freshmen• Late start in the semester• Number of skills – less may be more• Number of students• More diverse group

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS??

THANK YOU!!

Jennifer Sturm – sturmj@mailbox.sc.eduMike McCall – mccallmw@mailbox.sc.edu