Investigating Graduate Students' Perceptions of Classroom Participation: A Survey Study at a U.S. Midwestern University

• In Event: Invited Session for Graduate Student Research on Data-Driven Decision Making

Abstract

Participation in class discussions or discussion-related activities in graduate classes is vital to students’ academic development. Research is this area is needed as classrooms in US higher education are becoming increasingly diverse. For this study, classroom participation was examined from three domains that emerged from related literature, namely, (1) “academic benefits,” (2) “academic affirmation,” and (3) “democracy in class.” The study investigated graduate students’ classroom participation according to three domains by examining perceptions of a random sample (N=480) of graduate students at a US Mid-Western research university. The study was guided by the following two research questions: (RQ1) What is the participation state of graduate students at the university regarding the three domains? (RQ2): How do participants’ demographic characteristics (e.g., sex, first language, age, GPA, race, requiring accommodation or not) explain their participation state? A validated self-designed survey (Cronbach’s Alpha value is > 0.7) was used to collect responses from the participants' students using Qualtrics in Summer 2022. Data were cleaned and processed with SPSS 28. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses (i.e., multiple linear regression analysis) were performed to address the research questions. The findings provide knowledge about graduate students’ classroom participation, thus providing insight to faculty, staff, and policymakers in better supporting graduate students' development.

Author

• Ning Guo, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology
  Presenting Author