Transcript Faculty – Student Communication & Interaction

Helping Struggling
Students to Succeed in
College
Brian D. Johnson, Ph.D.
Paul Dreyer, MA
Division of Professional Psychology
The University of Northern Colorado
Overview of Presentation
-
Discussion of psychological
problems frequently encountered
by college students.
-
Discussion of strategies to
help students succeed in college.
Overview of Psychological Problems
Encountered by College Students
1 The impact of
psychological problems in
college students.
2 Discussion of common
psychological disorders in
college students.
3 Discussion of Assault and
Suicide.
Mental Illness and College
Students
1.
Many types of psychopathology have a
mean age of onset during the late teen
and early 20’s.
2.
Aggressive treatment of early episodes
of a disorder has been shown to decrease
the severity/frequency/duration of
subsequent episodes.
Mental Illness and College
Students (Continued)
3.
There is a high degree of overlap
between the various mental disorders.
Thus it is quite likely that a student could
have multiple psychological disorders at
the same time.
4.
One-in-Five college aged individuals
have some type of psychological
disorder.
Mental Illness and College
Students (Continued)
5.
It has been estimated that 20-25
percent of students who leave a
college before graduating do so due
to psychological problems.
6.
It has been estimated that psychological
disorders cost the US economy $40
Billion dollars/year in terms of lost
productivity and lives.
How Disabilities Affect
Student’s Ability to Learn
- All psychiatric disorders affect one’s
attention & concentration.
- Most disorders associated with behaviors
that can seem to be illogical or
irresponsible.
- Adolescents/young adults often have an
intense fear of being different, thus they are
less likely to seek treatment or remain in
treatment.
Common Psychological Disorders in
College Students
Internalizing
Externalizing
Internalizing
Disorders
Externalizing
Disorders
Attention-Deficit/
Hyperactivity
Mood
Substance
Related
Anxiety
Eating
OppositionalDefiant
Types of Mood Disorders
Major Depressive Disorder
Dysthymic Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Types of Anxiety Disorders
1. Generalized Anxiety DO
2. Social Phobia
3. Obsessive-Compulsive DO
4. Panic Disorder
5. Posttraumatic Stress DO
Eating Disorders
Anorexia Nervosa
Bulimia
Attention-Deficit/
Hyperactivity Disorder
“Holy Trinity of ADHD”
Inattention
Impulsivity
Hyperactivity
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Loses temper
Annoying
Blaming
Angry
Argues
Noncompliant
Vindictive
Touchy
Substance Related Disorders
Substance Abuse
& Dependence
Special Topics
Assault
Suicide
Assault
Approximately 1:4 women & 1:17 men
report being raped/physically assaulted
by an intimate partner during their
lifetimes.
Over 300,000 sexual assaults occur in
the united states each year. The US has
the highest rate of forcible rape of any
industrialized country
(US Department of Justice, 2000; Allison & Wrightman, 1993)
Assault & College Students
Rates of sexual assault is approximately
3 times higher among female college
students.
20 percent of college women and 4%
of college men report being forced into
having intercourse.
Gidycz, Hanson, & Layman (1995); Brener, McMahon, Warren, & Douglas (1999)
Suicide
Second leading cause of death for college
student (second only to accidents).
Women are 3 times more likely to attempt
suicide, but men are 3 times more likely to
complete suicide. Single males are at
greatest risk.
US Suicide Rate by Age, Gender & Race
Suicide Rate in Colorado
Common Myths about Suicide
December has the highest suicide rate
due to the holidays.
You should not ask someone if they are
thinking about suicide because it might
put the idea into their head.
When someone’s depression improves,
their risk of suicide is reduced.
Suicidal behavior is inherited.
Suicide: What You Can Do
1.
Ask “Are you thinking about hurting or
killing yourself?”
2. Take ever suicide threat seriously.
3. Help person generate alternative options
to suicide.
4.Attempt to identify support system.
5. Facilitate their getting help from a
professional.
6. Make a suicide contract with them.
Strategies for Helping Students
to Succeed
•
What else can I
do?
•
How can improve
what I’m already
doing?
Overview of Strategies for
Helping Students to Succeed
1. Video Vignette
2. Presentation and Discussion
3. Additional Video Vignettes/Discussion
& Experiential Practice
Faculty – Student
Communication & Interaction
Classroom
Strategies
Trust-building
Strategies
Communication
Strategies
Classroom Strategies
o
Be Dynamic:
- Vary pitch, loudness, and tempo of your voice.
- Teach to multiple learning styles.
o
Be Clear and Understandable:
- Specify important information clearly.
- Use specific labeled praise.
o
Address students by name.
o
Have students address you by
your first name.Gorham (1988), Foushee & Sleigh (2004)
Classroom Strategies cont.
o
Encourage Discussion
- Ask questions that solicit viewpoints or opinions.
- Get into discussions based on student comments.
- Have discussions about things unrelated to class w/
students or class as a whole
- Get into conversations w/ individual students before or
after class
o
Become technology savvy
- Interactive syllabi, use email, “Smart” classrooms, etc.
Gorham (1988), Foushee & Sleigh (2004)
Classroom Strategies cont.
o
Give Feedback
- Provide feedback on individual work through
comments on papers, oral discussion, etc.
- Praise students’ work, actions, or comments
o
Show Students You Care
- Ask how students feel about assignments, due dates,
or discussion topics
- Refer to class as “our” class or what “we” are doing
- Invite students to telephone, email, or meet outside of
class if they have questions
Gorham (1988), Foushee & Sleigh (2004)
Classroom Strategies cont.
o
Consider focusing on skill development
rather than grades:
- May increase motivation and performance of struggling
students if your presented the importance of “process”
as well as “outcome”
o
Make materials and policies relevant:
- Clearly outline and explain course materials and policies
- Make use of critical questioning,research on studentgenerated questions, decision-making exercises, etc.
Gorham (1988), Foushee & Sleigh (2004), McKeachie (1999)
Classroom Strategies:
In-Class Interactions
Use of humor – can be both verbal &
nonverbal (i.e. smile!).
Self-Disclosure – mostly concerning
education, experience as professor, beliefs &
opinions, family & friends, leisure activities.
Teacher Narratives – myths, legends,
personal anecdotes, story-like descriptions
of others’ experiences.
Downs, Javidi, & Nussbaum (1988 ); Downs, Manoochehr & Nussbaum (1988)
Classroom Strategies cont.
Six paradoxes of classroom design, your
classroom should:
1) Be Bounded and Open
2) Be Hospitable and Charged
3) Invite the voice of the Individual and the Group
4) Honor “little” stories of the students and “big”
stories of the discipline
5) Support Solitude and Provide Community Resources
6) Welcome Silence and Speech
Palmer (1998)
Behaviors Associated w/
Decreased In-Class Interaction
- Calls on students to answer
questions even if they indicate
that they don’t want to talk.
- Frequently asks questions
that have specific correct answers.
- Inappropriately or without balance, criticizes
or points out faults in students’ work,
actions, or comments.
Gorham (1988), Menec & Perry (1995)
Decreased In-Class
Interaction (Continued)
-
Makes inappropriate or offensive comments.
-
Sits behind desk while teaching.
- Sits on a desk or in a chair while teaching.
- Talks in a dull/monotone voice.
- Tense body posture.
- Looks at board or notes while lecturing.
Richmond, Gorham & McCroskey (2002), Menec & Perry (1995)
Trust-Building Strategies
“Trust between teachers and students is the affective
glue that binds educational relationships
together…enhancing motivation and stimulating
learning.” (Buskist & Saville, 2001)
“A good relationship between teacher and learner is
crucial for effective learning, at any level of
education.” (Ballantyne, Bain, & Packer, 1999)
Trust-Building Strategies
o
Maximize Your Out-of-Class Interactions:
- Students who engage in OCI with faculty display
increased academic & cognitive development
- Greater student-faculty OCI linked to higher teaching
evaluations
- Shaped by and related to faculty in-class behaviors and
attitudes – cues to accessibility
- May be formal or informal
- Try to arrive to class a few minutes early and stay a few
minutes late to be available for your students
Jaasma & Koper (1999), Buskist & Saville (2001)
Trust-Building
Trust-Building Strategies
Strategies cont.
cont.
o
Be Approachable:
- Post and keep consistent office hours
- Provide email and phone contact choices and respond to
questions and concerns promptly
o
Use humor and be less formal outside of class.
- Increases chance of building positive rapport
o
Be conscious about matching your intentions and
students’ perceptions.
Perrine & King (2004), Buskist & Saville (2001)
Trust-Building Strategies cont.
o
Expertness:
- Perceived expertness through both in-class and out-ofclass interactions
- Assertiveness to initiate actions with students who need
support
o
Ability to Change :
- Listen to your students and reevaluate your strategies if
necessary
o
Responsiveness:
- Role model consistent, prompt, and sensitive
responsiveness
- Interpersonal communication skills…
Aylor & Oppliger (2003), Buskist & Saville (2001)
Communication Strategies
Nonverbal Communication
Reflective Listening/Empathy
Verbal Immediacy
Open Questions
Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal Communication
“SOLER”
Smiling
- Squaring up/Face-to-face body position
- Opening body position and decreasing physical
barriers
- Leaning forward
- Making eye contact
- Appearing relaxed
-
Gorham & Zakahi (1990); Richmond, Gorham & McCroskey, (2002)
Reflective Listening/Empathy
Reflective Listening – Focusing on the
emotional content of interpersonal
communication and then reflecting those
emotions back to the student.
-
-
Most interpersonal communication has both
manifest content & underlying emotional feelings and
meaning. Reflective listening focuses on the feelings
and meaning.
Once we become aware of the emotions likely being
expressed, we reflect or describe them back to the
student.
Reflective Listening/
Empathy cont.
Empathy - the ability to understand
someone else’s feelings subjectively.
-
Active listening.
Unconditional regard for your students
Speaking and listening with an awareness of self
and an unbiased, open attitude.
McKeachie (1999), Foushee & Sleigh (2003)
Verbal Immediacy
Types of Immediacy Skills:
Minimal Encouragers
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
Normalizing
Verbal Immediacy:
Minimal Encouragers
Minimal Encouragers – are small indicators to
another person that you are listening and want
the conversation to continue.
Nonverbal Encouragers - Head nods, eye
contact, hand gestures, etc.
Verbal Encouragers - brief utterances through
which you can encourage someone to continue a
discussion. “Oh”, “So”, “And then?”, “Ummhmmm” and “Tell me more”.
Verbal Immediacy:
Paraphrasing
-
Paraphrasing – Listening to what a student
says and then accurately repeating the essence
of that communication (thoughts and feelings) in
a more concise way. Be careful not to parrot
things back using the student’s same words.
-
Key Word Paraphrase – is when you repeat
back a couple key words that the student has
said.
Verbal Immediacy:
Summarization
Summarization: Listening to a student’s
communication and repeating back the
thoughts/feelings (and reasons/meaning for
them) to the student in a more condensed
and organized manner.
Verbal Immediacy:
Normalizing
Normalizing: Communicating to the student that
his or her feelings may be appropriate or common.
- Normalizing attempts to alleviate a student’s sense
that “I’m crazy!” However, it should not discount or
minimalize what the student is feeling.
- You can often normalize a situation through use of
self-disclosure
Open Questions
Open Questions: Questions asked in such a
way that students will give you more than
short or yes/no answers.
What Questions: Often leads to discussions
regarding facts & specifics about a situation ( “What
happened next?”)
How Questions: Often leads to discussions
about the process or sequence of events (“How did
that happen?”)
Why Questions: Typically asked to search for
the reasons underlying their behaviors, thoughts or
emotions (“Why do you suppose it is necessary for
you to always present last?”)
Useful References
American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and
statistical manual of mental disorders (4th Ed). Washington
DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Aylor, B., & Oppliger, P., (2003). Communication Education, 52,
2, 122-134.
Buskist, W., & Saville, B. K. (2001). Rapport-building: Creating
positive emotional contexts for enhancing teaching and
learning. American Psychological Society Observer, 14(3), 1213, 19.
Christophel, D. M. (1990). Communication Education, 39, p. 323340.
Downs, V. C., Javidi, M., & Nussbaum, J. F. (1988).
Communication Education, 37, p. 127-141.
Fichten, C. S., & Goodrick, G. (1990). Rehabilitation Counseling
Bulletin, 34,2, p. 103-126.
Foushee, R.D. & Sleigh, M. J. (2003). Going the extra mile:
Identifying and assisting struggling students. American
Psychological Society Observer, 16 (2).
Useful References cont.
Gorham, J., & Zakahi, W. R. (1990). Communication Education,
39, p. 354-368.
Hargie, O. D. W. (1988). Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 1,
p.75-83.
Jaasma, M. A., & Koper, R. J. (1999). Communication Education,
48, p.41-47.
McCroskey, L. L., Richmond, V. P., & McCroskey, J. C. (2002).
Communication Education, 51, p. 383-391.
McKeachie, W. J. (1999). Teaching tips: Strategies, research, and
theory for college and university teachers (10th ed.).
Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath.
Menzel, K. E., & Carrell, L. J. (1999). Communication Education,
48, p. 31-40.
Palmer, Parker J. The Courage to Teach. San Francisco: JosseyBass Publishers, 1998.
Reiman, A. J., & Bostick, D. (1995). Elementary School Guidance
& Counseling, 30, 2, p. 105-118.
Useful Internet Resources
American Association of
Suicidiology
http://www.suicidology.org/
National Institute of Mental
Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
Suicide Awareness Voices of
Education (SAVE)
http://www.save.org/
American Psychological
Association
http://www.apa.org
Colorado Coalition Against
Sexual Assault
http://www.ccasa.org/
American Psychiatric
Association
http://www.psych.org/public_info/
National Sexual Violence
Resource Center
http://www.nsvrc.org/
National Alliance for the
Mentally Ill
http://www.nami.org/
Useful Internet Resources cont.
American Academy of
Psychiatry and the Law
http://www.emory.edu/AAPL
The Faculty Room, DO-IT
http://www.washington.edu/
doit
American Psychological
Association (APA)
National Mental Health
Association
http://www.apa.org
http://www.nmha.org
Anxiety Disorder Association of
America (ADAA)
National Alliance for the
Mentally Ill (NAMI)
http://www.adaa.org
http://www.nami.org
Association of Higher
Education and Disability
(AHEAD)
National Institute of Mental
Health (NIMH)
http://www.ahead.org
http://www.nimh.nih.gov