TY - JOUR
T1 - A Digital Single-Session Intervention (Project Engage) to Address Fear of Negative Evaluation Among College Students
T2 - Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
AU - Ghosh, Arka
AU - Cohen, Katherine A.
AU - Jans, Laura
AU - Busch, Carly A.
AU - McDanal, Riley
AU - Yang, Yuanyuan
AU - Cooper, Katelyn M.
AU - Schleider, Jessica L.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 JMIR Publications Inc.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Background: Increasingly, college science courses are transitioning from a traditional lecture format to active learning because students learn more and fail less frequently when they engage in their learning through activities and discussions in class. Fear of negative evaluation (FNE), defined as a student’s sense of dread associated with being unfavorably evaluated while participating in a social situation, discourages undergraduates from participating in small group discussions, whole class discussions, and conversing one-on-one with instructors. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the acceptability of a novel digital single-session intervention and to assess the feasibility of implementing it in a large enrollment college science course taught in an active learning way. Methods: To equip undergraduates with skills to cope with FNE and bolster their confidence, clinical psychologists and biology education researchers developed Project Engage, a digital, self-guided single-session intervention for college students. It teaches students strategies for coping with FNE to bolster their confidence. Project Engage provides biologically informed psychoeducation, uses interactive elements for engagement, and helps generate a personalized action plan. We conducted a 2-armed randomized controlled trial to evaluate the acceptability and the preliminary effectiveness of Project Engage compared with an active control condition that provides information on available resources on the college campus. Results: In a study of 282 upper-level physiology students, participants randomized to complete Project Engage reported a greater increase in overall confidence in engaging in small group discussions (P=.01) and whole class discussions (P<.001), but not in one-on-one interactions with instructors (P=.05), from baseline to immediately after intervention outcomes, compared with participants in an active control condition. Project Engage received a good acceptability rating (1.22 on a scale of –2 to +2) and had a high completion rate (>97%). Conclusions: This study provides a foundation for a freely available, easily accessible intervention to bolster student confidence for contributing in class.
AB - Background: Increasingly, college science courses are transitioning from a traditional lecture format to active learning because students learn more and fail less frequently when they engage in their learning through activities and discussions in class. Fear of negative evaluation (FNE), defined as a student’s sense of dread associated with being unfavorably evaluated while participating in a social situation, discourages undergraduates from participating in small group discussions, whole class discussions, and conversing one-on-one with instructors. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the acceptability of a novel digital single-session intervention and to assess the feasibility of implementing it in a large enrollment college science course taught in an active learning way. Methods: To equip undergraduates with skills to cope with FNE and bolster their confidence, clinical psychologists and biology education researchers developed Project Engage, a digital, self-guided single-session intervention for college students. It teaches students strategies for coping with FNE to bolster their confidence. Project Engage provides biologically informed psychoeducation, uses interactive elements for engagement, and helps generate a personalized action plan. We conducted a 2-armed randomized controlled trial to evaluate the acceptability and the preliminary effectiveness of Project Engage compared with an active control condition that provides information on available resources on the college campus. Results: In a study of 282 upper-level physiology students, participants randomized to complete Project Engage reported a greater increase in overall confidence in engaging in small group discussions (P=.01) and whole class discussions (P<.001), but not in one-on-one interactions with instructors (P=.05), from baseline to immediately after intervention outcomes, compared with participants in an active control condition. Project Engage received a good acceptability rating (1.22 on a scale of –2 to +2) and had a high completion rate (>97%). Conclusions: This study provides a foundation for a freely available, easily accessible intervention to bolster student confidence for contributing in class.
KW - active learning
KW - active learning course
KW - college student
KW - fear of negative evaluation
KW - intervention
KW - negative evaluation
KW - pilot randomized controlled trial
KW - science course
KW - single-session intervention
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85179013154&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85179013154&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2196/48926
DO - 10.2196/48926
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85179013154
SN - 2368-7959
VL - 10
JO - JMIR Mental Health
JF - JMIR Mental Health
IS - 1
M1 - e48926
ER -