Student Experiences of Confusion and Implications for Instructor Responses (Poster 19)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thursday 8:00 a.m.
  In Poster Session: Focusing on Teachers and Student-Teacher Interactions

Abstract

In this study, we analyzed undergraduate students’ experiences with confusion. Data stem from interviews with undergraduate students and were analyzed using thematic analysis and a combination of deductive and inductive coding. Findings indicate that instructors can support students to move through confusion productively by creating opportunities for students to interact with their peers, providing broad access to course materials, creating a classroom environment where students feel safe to ask questions, and considering the emotions students experience as they work through confusion. Because most research on confusion has focused on its causes and results, this study offers new findings about how students experience confusion. These findings offer implications for how college instructors can support students to move through confusion productively.

Authors

• Allison Zengilowski, Lehigh University

• Karin Brown, University of Michigan