4.4 The Personal Interviews
4.4.3 Student problems experienced whilst studying thermodynamics
125 solutions to as many past test papers as they can, and simply learn how to write out the answers if that question, or something very similar comes up, clearly a very shallow approach to
learning. The lecturer is well aware of this method, and usually takes steps to anticipate or avoid this problem. The Researcher has observed this much more frequently in the last several years, whereby students gather as many solutions to problems as they can in the hope that one learnt will come up. Scott and O’Connell (2000, pp.1-2) in describing the requirements of students to achieve in thermodynamics “requires knowing the fundamental principles and using procedures that are abstract and mathematical. Next, teaching styles and structures based on problem- solving methodologies or on deductive reasoning can require students to discover for the first time a need for strategies of learning that are more sophisticated than what is their usual previous experience of memorization and working of many example problems without
generalization”. Discovering all of these requirements at one time, abstract thinking, deductive reasoning and deeper levels of learning, together with all the others demands placed on students can be overwhelming leading to brain overload as Sweller (1988, as cited in Kirschner, Sweller and Clark, 2006, p.77) suggests, highlighted in Chapter 2.2.5. Staying self motivated with all these things going on could be difficult.
126 4.4.3.1 Academic issues
Academic issues were further broken down into subject-related issues, student-related issues and lecturer-related issues.
4.4.3.1.1 Subject-related issues
The issues associated with the subject itself were by far in the majority compared with the other areas. Although, as mentioned earlier, the focus of this study centred on the theory presentation style and test 1, other associated issues were raised as to problems students have with the subject, and hence will be included here. The other components of the subject are mainly the examination at the end of the semester and the Thermodynamics laboratory practicals run during the course of the semester, which were generally run in parallel with the class theory and would have been performed by some students during the time that the spreadsheet and other study exercises were being undertaken.
There are probably many ways that one could sub-divide the issues raised by students under this broad heading. The Researcher has considered the terms and their context and divided them into major components associated with aspects of the subject, namely the computer spreadsheet intervention, the tests and Thermodynamics laboratory practicals. Hence, the tests and practicals, although not investigated as part of the intervention directly, were mentioned by students as having some problems associated with them, and are therefore included here. Other aspects such as books, notes and library use are also included.
Discussing first the computer related problems. The computer intervention, used as a self learning exercise, for students to teach themselves thermodynamics by interacting with the formulae whilst sitting in front of a computer, seemed to be a first for most, if not every student in the class. Some appeared to get on with the task fairly quickly, and progressed quite rapidly.
However, from what was said in the interviews, many students appeared baffled initially as to what to do. Student A, who battled with the new presentation style, said:
“...I’m just wondering if maybe the whole computer thing in the beginning of the the semester was such a good idea, because first of all you had to understand the formulas, ah then there if you understood the formulas then the computers worked, it’s not a problem, but we very bad with the formulas. You did spend a couple of weeks with us going through all the different, um, what the different symbols and stuff and all that
127 mean, um, but maybe a bit too fast with the new information...”.
Student B, a repeat student, said of the computer spreadsheet exercises:
“...taking a new sub a a new student into that course, to to to the computer exercises, I think eh it was the best eh introducti introduction part where we were being exposed to to computer exercises. I think eh it it did work because, ah, you can actually you can its practical you can actually do it and see that how how how a process operates and that's basically the idea to see.”.
Student E said:
“...initially uh wh uh most of the class was quite baffled about what to do, because there’s no – there no ah, there were no ah question like given to us – we were just told to create a spreadsheet and no no um definite direction, you know, in which to take and um so initially it was just a little bit baffling, but afterward um working together in the groups, and then um we somehow put something together you know eventually a spreadsheet. Um, maybe maybe more direction could be given. It would have would have would have made it a lot easier...”,
indicating that more thermodynamics theory would have been helpful. It should be noted that the same theory that is normally discussed in class, was presented in the lectures in the format as mentioned in Chapter 2.3.5, although only half the usual time was available, as mentioned in Chapter 3.3 and seen in Table 3.3. A short time later student E mentioned that their main source of information was supplied by friends, stating that:
“...I had friends who had given me certain books from the university, so it was pretty much there already just had look through it and understand it, sift out what we needed and stuff...”.
Later when questioned about library use student E said:
“I’m not sure how to use the um the library”,
a problem common to students as pointed out by several researchers and detailed in Chapter 2.2.3.
Student F, mentioned earlier in Chapter 4.4.2.5 as a surface learner, was a repeat student who registered late and only arrived after the spreadsheet assignments were completed and was handed the assignment sheets to do entirely on his own, but said about the spreadsheet assignment handout:
128
“...As soon as rules and guidelines are set out, like you set that sheet out, those those exercise sheets, if for the first one and second one. As soon as you can go step-by-step through something, it’s so much easier.”,
and said of the layout of the assignment sheets:
“...so much easier than than trying to go through notes and trying to see where I am and ah just, it was much easier following that.”.
Interestingly, student F also mentioned an external source of notes, when he said:
“I always work on my own but I use the other notes from the other people because...it’s easier”,
stating later that he did not use the library notes referred to in Chapter 2.2.2 and 4.3.2 as he found them “confusing” and not “particularly easy to get to grips with”.
The next part to consider was the Thermodynamics laboratory where the practicals were run.
Although this was not part of the study directly, the result obtained from it contributed 30%
towards the class mark as seen in Table 3.4. It was mentioned when discussing difficulties students had with the course, and came up on several occasions, various concerns being raised by different students. The main issues seemed to be copying (plagiarism), cheating, teamwork, venue size (laboratory) and synchronisation of the practicals with class theory.
Generally the students seemed to manage to do the practicals without too much difficulty (i.e.
taking the readings), student H stating:
“Not really the experiment”,
in connection with performing the practicals. However, the writing of the reports, the more difficult task since one has to try and analyse the results, seemed to be a stumbling block. When referring to the most difficult tasks in thermodynamics, student H said:
“ ...more of exams and practicals, you see, the reports, the writing of the reports.”
and of the group allocations said:
“...in practicals, and this is second time now and again I didn’t. Because of the grouping, the people you get group with and its problematic…the communication between the students”.
He also mentioned the rubric guidelines that students should get to assist in writing up the reports. This rubric appears to be known and available to some students and not others, student H being one who did not appear to have a copy. There is, however, a fairly comprehensive one that appears in the Thermodynamics III manual, and the Researcher had seen a similar one
129 being passed around by the other lecturer for this subject, who also ran the practicals for
Thermodynamics II and who lectured the second half of the semester.
Also concerning the doing of the practicals, students B said:
“doing the prac, no, it’s not difficult”, but of the writing up the practicals, he said:
“...writing the report about the prac that's the difficult part.”, because that is:
“where you we have to discuss and conclude about the prac itself. Then you have to…you must have an understanding of the prac itself”.
Of cheating in practicals, student H was unhappy since:
“...it's unfair to me, if I'm not cheating. I mean they should [get caught]”.
Cheating is becoming a major problem, not only in the Department, but in the Institution, as alluded to in Chapter 1.7.1, plagiarism being the main one with respect to practicals, even when the group members have signed a declaration that it is their own work.
Another problem related to practicals is the synchronisation between the class theory with the practicals, an almost impossible task given the numbers of students doing the subject, the available size of the laboratory and supervision of the sessions by staff and assistants. Student B said:
“the better way is to to actually, if you are on that eh section that corresponds with the prac, with that with that particular prac, I think you should do the prac during that section in class”.
The last part of the subject related issues concerned the past papers. Having left out any reference to past papers in the study habits survey due to an oversight, the Researcher took the opportunity during the interviews to investigate the use that students made of the library services, especially in relation to past papers, as seen in interview questionnaire described in Chapter 3.11.2 and seen in Appendix I. Other areas of library concern are also covered later under non-academic issues, in Chapter 4.4.3.2, although it is not always easy to make a clear distinction between the two areas covered.
130 Students are continually encouraged and reminded to obtain past paper questions from the library which will give them extra problems when learning for tests and the end of semester examination. There was also a section on the Gantt Chart, handed out with the Learner Guide (Thurbon, 2006b, p.7) at the start of the semester, indicating additional problems they could find in Eastop and McConkey (1993), a recommended book for the subject, and a note suggesting that further problems could be obtained from the lecturer or from Joel (1987 and 1996), another recommended book. A reminder to use past papers was also mentioned on the Gantt Chart.
Seven students said that they had used past papers as study aids. Student A said he had not used them at all, and student F said that he had obtained past test papers and solutions from his friends, but had not had any time to read through them before the exam. One of the interviewees, student E, said that they had got hold of past papers from friends because, as mentioned previously in this section, they couldn’t use the library.
Having obtained the papers, they were then asked what they did about finding out if they were doing things right. This proved interesting as several different approaches were taken, summed up in Table 4.15 below, the last three columns each representing a different style of approach.
They either read the question and: considered the format of the question, or how they would approach the solution themselves, or did the problem by themselves or with a study group.
Table 4.15: How the Interviewees tackle past paper questions and solutions How they performed
the task and who they did the problem with:
Considered the format of test and examination questions
Considered how they would approach the solution after reading
the question
Worked out the solution
By themselves 1 1 1 1 1 1
In a group 1
Then compared answers with or consulted:
Other students 1 1
Working group members 1
Friends 1 1
Lecturer 1 1 1 1
Tests and tutorial problems 1 1
131 When questioned as to how they check their answers, there were several totally different
methods: they compared their answers with other students, or working group members, or friends, or the lecturer was approached, or they compared the past paper solutions with similar problems from tests and tutorials, generally in the order indicated going down Table 4.15.
Only three students took a multiple approach to check their answers, the others using only one comparison. However, as this was under interview questioning, one has to realise that this may not have been their only approach, they may have just forgotten about other methods they used.
Another interesting point is that only four students mentioned approaching the Lecturer, student H saying during the interview that:
“Now I see the need, but I haven't.”
4.4.3.1.2 Student-related issues
Many issues relating to students’ progress in Thermodynamics II could have been discussed in other places in this thesis. Whilst interviewing students the Researcher listened to the various comments students raised, trying to classify them into different areas. Concerning academic issues, students raised several points, some of which will be mentioned here. In doing this, the Researcher extracted keywords and phrases under a category termed “success or failure”, in an effort to relate them to areas where students themselves talked about issues that may lead to either success or failure in the subject. Twelve were identified as positive, eleven as negative and seven as both positive and negative (i.e. they were used both in positive and negative statements). They are summed up in Table 4.16 below, the context of their use being highlighted in Appendix S, under the “Success or failure” section.
Considering Table 4.16, if one considers all the words in the “Success” column they are all associated with positive intentions. Similarly the “Failure” column terms are typically
associated with negative issues. Finally the terms in the “Both” column can be taken both ways depending on their context as mentioned previously.
Success in the subject can result from taking an interest, being committed and dedicated, being consistent and disciplined, and so on. However, in the performance of all these actions the key area of importance is an understanding of the Language of Thermodynamics. This was highlighted in Chapter 2.3.2. Application of the theory and using past papers are two excellent
132 ways to achieve this. Several of these characteristics have been alluded to in various sections dealt with previously. Further, working in groups or teaching others can aid in the
understanding and lead to a deeper approach to learning. The Council On Higher Education.
(2010) report benchmarks ”42 survey items that capture
Table 4.16: Summary of terms students used to distinguish between success and failure
Success (positive) Failure (negative)
Both
application blame the lecturer attendance
assist students cheating commitment
consistency demotivated discipline
curious lazy Focus on strong/weak
points
dedication negative attitude practical
hard work not work hard
enough
read
interesting panic tried
key importance race [ethnicity]
Language (of Thermodynamics)
stress
method approaching problems
too late
past papers venue size
understanding
many of the more important aspects of the student experience” that “represent important student behaviours”(Kuh et al., 2005, as cited in CHE, 2010), amongst them being that students should be actively involved in tutoring or teaching other students, whether it be for reward or
otherwise.
For student A, who was mentioned earlier in Chapter 4.4.2.4 as being de-motivated, the change of interest towards the subject came about during the more practical part of the subject, the second half, when normal lecturing took place, and when the theoretical parts of the subject
133 done during the computer exercises were applied in a more practical sense. He said:
“I think when you came to combustion and steam plant, uh, then I kind of th thought – kinda figured out where all these bits and pieces come from...so it’s now got a place, it’s got a picture, I can...picture it, I could more or less understand it...so that’s where the change came in”.
If one had to surmise as to the type of learner this student may be, one would probably suggest he was a visual/global learner. Felder and Brent (2005, p.60) suggest that visual learners prefer
“pictures, diagrams, flow charts, demonstrations” and describe that global learners generally
“may have trouble applying new material until they fully understand it and see how it relates to material they already know about and understand”. If one compares the result of the learning styles from Table 4.8, it was noted that the class was generally biased towards being visual learners.
As mentioned previously, when one considers the words in the “Failure” column of Table 4.16, they all share a negative association. They could be broken down into several areas such as failure to understand the theory and apply it, failure to work on weak personal areas, being lazy, de-motivation, having a negative attitude, poor study techniques, panic under stress and so on.
Several students mentioned their own and the failure of others to understand the theory or being able to apply it. Student B said:
“most of the students, uh, are are actually having a hard time to actually apply their knowledge or theoretical knowledge on their own”.
Student E, after intimating that graphs were a weak point at school, said of graphs:
“...like for about graphs had never been my strong point, and somehow I I don’t seem to get graphs or understand them...”,
pointing out further that:
“...after all these years I’ve chosen to like ignore it, and you know cause I had you know um bad taste left a bad taste in my mouth but um ja, that well that’s presented a bit of a difficulty with me...”.
Both said later that they would fail because they had not put enough work and effort into the subject as a whole. Some students seem to get de-motivated quite easily and quickly, as pointed out previously for student A.
134 Students often come into the subject with a negative attitude, partly from rumours that they have heard from previous students. Student H said:
“people they come with that idea that its difficult, so once they fail, um, its given that they were going to fail anyway”.
Concerning study techniques, student E, when asked to describe what others attributed to their success, said that:
“They work with the tuts and they work consistently. They try to understand, they they probably pay more attention in than I do, or they work at home and they go home and they they do a little bit of work every day”,
and then student E commented that their own study was:
“not a set routine”.
When student C, who had a deep approach to learning, was asked what they thought contributed to others not doing well said that:
“I would say they panic and they don’t study and last minute they start asking
questions on how to do that and not understand the fundamentals of that section itself, and they want to know how to calculate a certain problem, without understanding the dynamics of the problem itself.”
4.4.3.1.3 Lecturer-related issues
There were several issues raised by students about the lecturer. These included the style the lecturer adopted for class theory, the lecturer’s approach to students and the subject, and the colour or race of the lecturer.
In Chapter 1.5 the Researcher introduced his current classroom lecturing style as very similar to
“the inquiry method” (Postman & Weingartner, 1971, pp.38 - 47). The approach of answering a question with another question is not always popular with students as they like to get a straight answer to their question. However, the Researcher has found that they do not then tend to try and reflect on what they asked and why, and that an immediate answer given often does not solve the problem, as another student will ask the same question again, sometimes only several minutes later. The Researcher’s method evolved over the years, by accident and frustration with