"Help! I Need Somebody": The Role of Peer and Instructor Relatedness in Undergraduates' Academic Help-Seeking

• In Event: Social-Emotional and Motivational Inputs to Success

Abstract

Undergraduates’ views of help-seeking when experiencing academic confusion about course concepts were explored using focus groups. Findings are presented in four themes. First, students evaluated which resource to use, usually starting by relying on themselves, moving to peers, the TA, and instructor. Second, the instructor played a critical role in establishing a culture where students could seek help, with students sensitive to feelings of relatedness or belonging. Third, the help-seeking process was fraught with emotions that acted as catalyst or inhibitor. Finally, students were influenced by whether their identities of being members of underrepresented groups made them feel distinct and out-group. Instructors who matched students on identity markers or worked to encourage all students’ learning were perceived most positively.

Authors

• Taylor Payne, The University of Texas at Austin

• Allison Zengilowski, University of California - Davis

• Diane L. Schallert, The University of Texas at Austin