The Impact of Student Peer Interactions and Traditional Status on Student Assessment of Quality of Teaching and Learning

• In Event: Student learning and employability in international higher education

Proposal

American higher education is in the nascent stages of a paradigm shift that will fundamentally change the delivery of higher education. Historically, American institutions of higher education have existed to provide instruction; but slowly, professionals in higher education are shifting to a new paradigm that places learning ahead of teaching. This new paradigm suggests that institutions of higher education exist to produce learning. Accepting responsibility for producing learning is no easy task, and institutions of higher education will need to identify an arsenal of means by which to assist students in their pursuit of learning (Barr & Tagg, 1995).
The need to identify strategies for producing learning among students is also complicated by the increasing diversity in the composition of the student body at American institutions of higher education. Today’s higher education students represent a variety of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, life circumstances, abilities, employment levels, and ages. In 2000, approximately 6.5 million adult students were enrolled in postsecondary education (Imel, 2001). Among these 6.5 million adult students, many are working full- or part-time while attending college. Students bring a wealth of differences to the classroom, and classroom instruction can no longer be one size fits all if the goal is to produce learning, and not merely deliver instruction. Faculty members must begin to identify instructional strategies that provide an environment where learning can occur for all students.

Purpose of the Study and Research Questions
While higher education continues to migrate from a teaching paradigm to a learning paradigm, institutions of higher education must continue to identify instructional methods that create effective learning environments and allow students of diverse backgrounds to learn. As such, the purpose of this study is to investigate effective learning strategies for adult learners. The study is progressive and has three-fold: (a) to investigate if peer interaction has a greater effect on student assessment of quality of teaching and learning; b) to investigate whether differences exist in student assessment of quality of teaching and learning between older, nontraditional students and traditional-aged students when peer interaction is accounted for. The outcome of this study determined if providing an environment that supports peer interaction is an effective means to supporting learning for nontraditionally-aged students.

Methodology
Research Design
This study is based on multiple design elements. It is cross-sectional in that it considered variables of a specific higher education institution’s teaching and learning environment at a specific point in time. It also used a survey design to collect information from students on the key variables related to teaching and learning. This study utilizes causal comparative research design since it compared groups, including groups of students categorized by age and employment status. The study was designed to determine if peer interaction and traditional status influenced student assessment of teaching and learning. As such, relationships among variables were explored rather than manipulated to develop a prediction model.

Participants
The sample for this study consisted of 1536 students from one large public university in the southern part of the country. The sample came from a variety of colleges, departments and schools across campus and took a variety of courses ranging such as mathematics, natural science, social science, and humanities. They also represent a broad array of individuals, including traditional-aged, nontraditional-aged, differing employment status, and gender. This sample was 40 percent male, 60 percent female; 60 percent full-time student; 56 percent were under 25.

Measures
A variety of self-report measures have been developed to examine student perception of learning environment and their own characteristics as learners. This study used measures developed by Ellett, Culross, McMullen, and Rugutt, (1996). The measures assessed a wide variety of factors among college students ask students about teaching methods and classroom conditions and how these factors affected the extent to which learning is enhanced. Each item was rated on a three-point scale, indicating whether learning is (1) not enhanced, (2) sometimes enhanced, or (3) always enhanced. Factor analysis was used to collapse the survey into factors used in the study.

Study Results
As institutions of higher education become more learning-centered, and as the number of adults enrolled in higher education continues to increase, it is important to identify effective strategies for creating a learning-centered environment. A sample of (n = 1536) students were surveyed using subscales of Student Assessment of Teaching and Learning instrument (Ellett, Culross, McMullen, & Rugutt, 1996). The measures assessed a wide variety of factors among college students. Data screening led to the elimination of thirty-six cases. Regression results indicate that the overall model significantly predicts quality of teaching and learning, R2 =.237, R2adj = .236, F (2, 1497) = 232.936, p<.000. This model accounts for 23.7% of variance in quality of teaching and learning. The study concluded with a discussion of the importance of institutions of higher learning to be sensitive to variables discussed in this study so that they are fully involved in providing the kinds of educational experiences that can enhance quality of teaching and learning.

Conclusion, Discussion and Research Implications
This study extends the broad research of adult learning styles by focusing on peer learning, an element that the authors see to be a key factor for increasing quality of teaching and learning for all types of learners. The study examined whether adult learners think they learn better when they interact with their peers and that quality of teaching and higher is enhanced. The rationale for this study is grounded in a limited or lack of prior research that focused on the key variables of this study and suggested directions for further research as identified in the review of literature. Identifying strategies for creating an effective learning environment is important as institutions of higher education attempt to become more learning centered. A review of current literature suggests that this topic has not been considered at great depth in prior research. This study is important as a greater number of adult learners are returning to get an undergraduate degree, in both adult-only learning environments and in traditional learning environments.

Authors

• John Rugutt, Illinois State University

• Caroline C. Chemosit, University of Kabianga, Kenya

• Mohamed A. Nur-Awaleh, Illinois State University