Extended Inquiry Project Final Draft Morriah Striplin ENGL 1102 Proff Hinnant 4/28/2014

Classroom Dynamics: The Pack Behavior of College Students

As a social species, humans exhibit particular behaviors when in groups. The group behavior of students within a classroom setting is an occurrence that has the potential to greatly affect the quality of an educational environment. Observations and research has shown that the overall group behavior of students within a classroom dubbed Class Dynamics evolves from a diverse multifaceted personality to a focused unanimous force as students progress from lower to higher leveled classes. This change is the result of a combination of factors that pertain to the students in class. These factors include the student classroom population, general class participation, the general subject being taught (whether or not the class is required by General Education Curriculum), and the students reason for taking the class. These factors all tie into the stage of education that the class is in, the higher the class the higher quality the type of student able to be in the class. This is especially true in classes in the sciences, which tend to require a math prerequisite as well as a science prerequisite. The general chemistry classes were not actively observed due to the fact that general chemistry is necessary for completion of general education and as such there is a fluctuation in the student body due to many students present only to pass the class for general education and have no plans to continue chemistry classes after general chemistry II. However, for the sake of

comparison, passive observations of general chemistry classes will be noted to show continuous trends. While the professor and the subject being taught does have an effect on class dynamics, it proved to be impossible to observe and so was excluded from the main research: as such, steps were taken to reduce variability within the observations by studying two classes of the same subject and with the same professor teaching. The controlled variable with this research is that the two classes observed were of different stages in the education. The classes used were organic chemistry I and organic chemistry II, both taught by Professor Horger in the same classroom. Neither class is a requirement for UNCCs Gen. Ed curriculum and both classes require completion of the general chemistry classes I and II.

Class Volume: Class evolution starts at the base classes required for general education and works its way up. Observations of the general chemistry courses and organic chemistry courses shows that classes within the sciences not required by general curriculum have a steady decrease of students at a fairly constant rate. Observations spanning four semesters of chemistry classes from general chemistry I through to organic chemistry II there is a decrease in students present as one progresses to the higher courses. This coincides in how as students gain experience and knowledge from previous courses only those willing to work to the standard required proceed to the higher levels. This trend of diminishing class size was further shown in the organic chemistry class lectures, organic 1 having less students than general chemistry 2 but more than organic 2.

The drop in population within the transition from general chemistry to organic is a predictable due to the mix of students within the general chemistry courses. CHEM 1251/1252 are required by the education curriculum of UNCC for any science majors and as such student not continuing on into a chemistry major have no incentive to take the organic chemistry class. Alternatively the drop in students is also because of students unable to pass the course. This is especially observable in the general chemistry classes due to the lack of prerequisites required and the fact that they are basic courses. The majority of freshmen students come straight from high school and must adjust to the college way of life as well as college class expectations. Data has shown that students from high school tend to have difficulty adjusting to college life. As Venezia states, On the academic side, many studies over the past ten years have documented the disconnect between what high school teachers teach and what postsecondary instructors expect with regard to students preparation for first-year credit-bearing courses in college.(117) This is fundamental to the understanding of student motivation when first entering college and shapes the class dynamics of basic level classes. The retaining of students for college combined with large classes makes class dynamics unstable and multifaceted within classes like general chemistry 1. The decline in students between the first and second half of class sections (ex: general chemistry I and II) can be explained by the necessity of passing the prior class to get to the latter. Observations from organic chemistry classes taken from mid-semester shows the student body capacitance at ninety students present in organic I and roughly forty students present in organic II. This reduction in students by 50% is also in correlation to the passive observation of the difference in general chemistry classes where the student population averaged two hundred and one-forty for class I and II respectively.

The population of classes is a major factor in the way the class dynamics are shaped over time and as such has a direct effect on how the population will behave within a class environment. This was seen most distinctly in the comparison of the organic classes: the first class has a far larger student body than the second class. Also seen was that the organic 2 class was far more focused and well behaved than the organic 1 class. The research done with organic I showed that the first lower class had a far greater student body, increasing the overall anonymity of the individuals and the distractions of the class as a whole. Because of the number of students the dynamics of the organic 1 class was capable of splitting into a two section class divided into the first half of the class closet to the teacher and the back half of the class. By nature of proximity to the class authority the first half of the class suffers from less distractions and is better able to focus on the subject material. While the second half of the class, while still largely quiet and attentive, the individuals must work harder to participate in the class material. Some in the back of the class stop participating altogether by the end of class. The organic 2 class has no such division. Due to the lesser amounts of students no matter where the individuals sits the class anonymousness is diminished. The bulk of the class still inhabits the front half of the class however the back half of the class is still a participatory group in the material. Throughout the session students from the entire class asked questions about the material. The number of questions in the class were also far greater than the lower level, organic I students asked approximately five questions while students from organic II asked eleven. Student numbers affects the groups mindset, seat orientation, and participation through questions. All of these play a role in shaping a classes personality and alter the group dynamics within a class.

Participation and Interaction: An anomaly found within consecutive observations is that despite a decrease of students the majority of the class occupies the first few rows to full capacity. Observing the organic one class revealed that the same students inhabit the front few rows, these rows have some significance as they are the closest to the teacher. This allows greater contact with the teacher and material and decreases the amount of distractions the students are subject to; the proximity also discourages distracting behavior as they are easily noticed by the teacher. As a rule the students most serious about learning the material will vie for the front rows. This is shown as most questions pertaining to the material come from the front three rows of students; observed later in the class period. In comparison with the organic 2 class the majority of the early students inhabited the front three rows filling them almost to capacity. While a group of students filled the back row, leaving the middle of the class room almost unoccupied. The seating arrangement has an indirect effect on the classrooms dynamics as those nearest to the teacher are better able to focus on the material without peer distractions. Coinciding with the decrease in student population and seating is an increase of in class participation. The students in the organic 2 class asked double the questions of the organic 1 class. Also interesting is that in the organic 1 class the majority of the questions came from students occupying the first few rows. This is congruent with previously done research done by Karabenick that states, asking questions can be a proactive learning strategy that signifies student involvement and self-regulation rather than dependency. (95) This class participation was most noticeable in the number and frequency of questions during the lecture. There was an average of seven questions during the lecture of Organic 1 in comparison to the twenty five questions asked by students during organic 2 lecture. The bulk of the questions during lecture comes from the front

three rows, however in the organic 2 class there were questions from all areas of the room. Questions are a recognized sign of participation within any teaching environment this is congruent with research done by Karabenick stating teachers will likewise be responsive to students who seek help by asking questions appropriately in the classroom.(96) This is a key part in seeing the focus of the classroom as a whole, the number of questions allows for an accurate gauge on how the class dynamics are focused and the attention the students have on the material. Good class participation was best observed in the organic 2 class where class size was relatively low and the majority of the students were in close proximity to the teacher. The overall impression was that the students respected their teacher. Later perusal of the organic 2 syllabus showed that the grading policies were even and fair the well balance grading policies plays into students expected grades influence their academic moral within a class. From what was observed UNCCs organic courses did well in not being overly strict in its grading policy which would make hardworking students expend energy learning how to achieve the grade rather than learn the material. As stated by Powell: Evaluations of both the instructors performance and the course decreased as the stringency of the grading criteria increased (300). While none of my observations directly supported this student evaluations were hinted when comparing the students of the different level classes and by looking at the class syllabus. This high moral and even handed grading policy effects class dynamics by creating a fair enjoyment for the students to focus on learning the material without worrying about what grade they are getting. This is not to say that all the students in the class are getting a high grade, but that all the students can accurately guess at the grade they are at.

In conclusion I found that student participation and class size to be the leading factors in the shaping of class dynamics. The change from lower to higher level courses resulted in a decrease in student population and an increase in student participation.

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