Michael Rosander

Academic dishonesty, ethical norms and learning

This study is aimed to deduce which ethical norms and considerations are implicitly present in the students’ answers when they are asked to define to what degree the presented actions in a questionnaire are acts of cheating. Data are analysed by factor analysis as well as qualitative analysis. The questions asked are: What characterises the items regarded as cheating? What characterises the items not regarded as cheating? The implicit logic in the students’ attitudes is: The lower the degree of effort and work, the lower degree of learning can be expected; the lower is the degree of learning, the higher will be the degree of academic dishonesty. If the academic dishonesty does promote learning, it can be morally justified by mixed arguments from three ethical theories, consequentialist, deontology and virtue ethics.

Self-efficacy and strategies to influence the study environment

This study investigates the relationship between student influence and academic self-efficacy in a sample of 275 students in two Masters programmes in Engineering. Students in only one of the programmes studied according to problem-based learning (PBL). Results indicate that students choosing strategies to influence course content or structure, through course evaluation and recommending changes to teachers had significantly higher self-efficacy beliefs than those who did not use such strategies. It is principally the students who studied according to PBL that demonstrated higher self-efficacy beliefs, actively influenced their studies through engaging in debate with teachers. It can be claimed that increasing student self-efficacy beliefs is important not only in academic performance, but also in influencing in a positive way the institutional atmosphere.

Conformity on the Internet - The role of task difficulty and gender differences

Conformity and the effects of social influence have been studied for a long time in face-to-face situations but have received less attention in contexts of computer-mediated communication (CMC) such as the Internet. The purpose of this study was to investigate conformity behavior in use of the Internet. The social context for the participants was the Internet communities from which they were recruited. Four hypotheses were tested by a survey containing knowledge and logic questions. Half the participants were subjected to conformity manipulations and the result showed a clear conformity to erroneous majority alternatives. Of the participants in the Conformity group (n=477) 52.6% conformed at least once, with an average 13.0% of participants conforming on each critical question. The conformity increased with higher task difficulty, both subjective and objective. The fourth hypothesis, that women would conform to a higher degree than men, received no support. Instead, the results showed higher conformity for men on both difficult and logical questions. Reasons for conformity on the Internet such as turning to the group for guidance, avoiding social isolation and protecting ones self-esteem are discussed with reference to theory and earlier research.

Leaders’ limitations and approaches to creating conditions for interaction and communication in parental groups: A qualitative study

The aim of this study was to describe and understand parental group (PG) leaders’ experiences of creating conditions for interaction and communication. The data consisted of 10 interviews with 14 leaders. The transcribed interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed that the leaders’ ambition was to create a parent-centred learning environment by establishing conditions for interaction and communication between the parents in the PGs. However, the leaders’ experience was that their professional competencies were insufficient and that they lacked pedagogical tools to create constructive group discussions. Nevertheless, they found other ways to facilitate interactive processes. Based on their experience in the PG, the leaders constructed informal socio-emotional roles for themselves (e.g. caring role and personal role) and let their more formal task roles (e.g. professional role, group leader and consulting role) recede into the background, so as to remove the imbalance of power between the leaders and the parents. They believed this would make the parents feel more confident and make it easier for them to start communicating and interacting. This personal approach places them in a vulnerable position in the PG, in which it is easy for them to feel offended by parents’ criticism, questioning or silence.

The Purpose of Tutorial Groups: Social Influence and The Group As Means and Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate how first-year students view the purpose of tutorial groups in problem-based learning. In all, 147 students from 24 groups participated, providing 399 statements. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed a focus on both learning and social influence. Learning involved the tutorial as both an objective and as a means. Social influence is important for a tutorial to become a well-functioning group, together with opportunities to use the group as an objective in and of itself to learn to work in a group, cooperate, solve problems and communicate. Social support and feelings of togetherness create conditions for intrinsic motivation, as well as stronger identification with the group. A tutorial group as a well-functioning learning environment requires both the group as an objective and as a means.