Investigating Relationships between Undergraduate Students’ Flow Experience, Academic Procrastination Behavior, and Calculus Course Achievement

Abstract

Purpose: Calculus is generally offered as a freshman-year course and is a prerequisite for some advanced STEM-related courses in some undergraduate programs. However, some students experience difficulties in Calculus courses, leading to lower levels of achievement. Thus, there is a need to examine the factors which may be related to students’ achievement in Calculus courses. According to relevant literature, procrastination can diminish students’ achievement. Additionally, flow emerges as an important factor that may be related to students’ achievement and procrastination, but these relationships have not been studied in the context of Calculus courses.The purpose of this study was twofold. Firstly, undergraduate students’ academic procrastination was examined in relation to dimensions of flow experiences in a Calculus-I course. Secondly, undergraduate students’ academic achievement in Calculus-I course was explored in relation to their academic procrastination and dimensions of flow experiences. Research Methods: A total of 117 undergraduate students (54% female and 46% male, Mage=23.00) from various departments participated in an online survey. Findings: Multiple regression analysis showed that among flow-experience dimensions, “concentration on the task at hand” was negatively related to procrastination. In addition, two-step hierarchical regression analysis indicated that procrastination negatively predicted achievement in the first step. However, in the second step, only the “challenge-skills balance” dimension of flow positively predicted achievement. Implications for Research and Practice: In Calculus courses, if students are given tasks that foster their focus, their procrastination behavior can be diminished. In addition, if they are given tasks that are appropriate to their level and skills, their academic achievement can be predictably higher. In this context, real-life applications should relate to students’ own interests and skills. Therefore, their academic achievement can be higher.

Keywords

• Flow
• procrastination
• achievement
• Calculus course

Öğrencilerin Analiz Dersindeki Akış Deneyimi, Akademik Erteleme Davranışı ve Akademik Başarısı Arasındaki İlişkilerin İncelenmesi

Abstract

Problem Durumu: Üniversitelerde çeşitli bölümlerde (işletme ve iktisat bölümleri, mühendislik bölümleri, temel bilimler -matematik, istatistik, fizik, kimya, biyoloji- ve ilgili eğitim bilimleri) Analiz dersleri zorunlu ders olarak akademik programlarda yer almaktadır. Analiz dersleri genelde birinci sınıf öğrencilerine verilmektedir ve en yüksek kredili derslerden biridir. Ayrıca çoğu bölümde ön koşullu ders olarak okutulmaktadır. Bu dersi alan öğrenciler, limit, türev ve integral gibi temel konularda bilgi sahibi olmakta ve bu derste başarılı olanlar kendi alanlarında bu teorik bilgileri uygulama yeteneklerini geliştirmektedirler. Fakat, Analiz derslerinde lisans öğrencilerinin başarı düzeyi beklenenin altında kalmaktadır. İlgili alanyazına göre öğrencilerin akademik erteleme davranışının da başarıyı negatif yönde etkilediği bilinmektedir. Fakat, alanyazında, üniversite öğrencileri bağlamında, öğrencilerin motivasyonları çeşitli teorileri baz alarak ölçülmeye çalışılmış olsa da Analiz dersleri başarısına yönelik ve öncelikle “Akış” deneyimine odaklanan geniş çapta araştırmalar yapılmamıştır. Ayrıca, öğrencilerin akademik başarısının, akış deneyimi ve akademik erteleme davranışı arasındaki ilişki Analiz dersleri kapsamında çalışılmamıştır. Araştırmanın Amacı: Bu araştırmanın 2 temel amacı bulunmaktadır. İlk olarak, lisans öğrencilerinin Analiz I derslerindeki akademik erteleme davranışlarının, akış deneyimin alt boyutlarıyla (görev zorluğu-beceri dengesi, eylem-farkındalık 20 Aysenur ALP – Semra SUNGUR / Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 72 (2017) 1-22 birleşimi, belirlenmiş hedefler, göreve odaklanma, kendilik farkındalığının azalması, zamanın dönüşümü, amaca ulaşma deneyimi) ilişkilendirilerek incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. İkinci olarak, lisans öğrencilerinin Analiz I dersindeki akademik başarısının, akademik erteleme davranışı ve akış deneyiminin alt boyutlarıyla ilişkilendirilerek incelenmesi hedeflenmiştir. Bu amaçlar doğrultusunda, bu çalışmada aşağıdaki sorulara cevap aranacaktır:

Keywords

• Akış
• erteleme davranışı
• başarı
• Analiz dersi

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