If you are a student, you may have noticed that you or some of your fellow students have difficulty speaking up in class and participating in discussions. This can happen for various reasons: You might be worried about asking “stupid questions” or simply feel overwhelmed by the number of people listening in a large class.
Actively maintaining exchanges and discussions strongly contributes to the overall atmosphere of a course and the perceived quality of it, both for students and teachers. Therefore, the purpose of this form is to find out which factors contribute to this lack of participation in the class discussion, so that active measures can be taken to help students feel more comfortable in class. For this, we ask for your contribution!
If you are a student at the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, we would appreciate it if you could take about 10 minutes to answer a few questions. Your answers will be fully anonymous.
Thank you for taking the time to fill out this survey!
How much do you agree with the following statement: I feel safe speaking up in class. *
How often do you struggle with speaking up in a group setting outside of class? *
How much does the size of the class (number of students present) contribute to your fear of speaking up? *
How much do you agree with the following statement: If more students that I know personally are present in class, I feel more comfortable contributing to class discussions. *
How much do you agree with the following statement: It makes it easier for me to participate in class discussion if I have previously spoken to the lecturer outside of class. *
How much do you agree with the following statement: It makes it easier for me to participate in class discussion if the lecturer knows my name. *
What behaviour from other students makes you reluctant to ask/answer questions? *
How much of a difference does it make if you are sitting alone, compared to sitting next to people you know? *
How much of a difference does it make if you know that the lecture is being recorded? *
In which classroom structure do you struggle the most? *
How much do you agree with the following statement: I am more likely to speak up after first discussing the topic in a smaller group. *
How much do you agree with the following statement: I practice my comment in my head before saying it out loud. *
If you answer a question and your input is incomplete, what do you prefer to happen? *
What makes you put down your hand early, even if you have not been called upon yet? *
How much do you agree with the following statement: I like it when lecturers introduce a new topic and ask the class what they already know about it. *
What can a teacher do/say before, during or after your comment that makes you feel better about your input? *
How much do you agree with the following statement: When discussing in small groups (during workgroups/seminars), I prefer the teacher to stop by to check up on us before starting a collective discussion. *
How comfortable do you feel admitting that you do not understand the material in the lecture or the readings? *
Do you pay attention when someone else asks/answers a question? *
Are there cultural differences that make it difficult to engage in class discussion?
Did you ever experience a specific incident where a lecturer/student has done something to break you or someone else's confidence?
Are you neurodivergent? *
If applicable: How much do you think this influence how often you speak up in class? *
If the language of instruction in class is not your first language: Would you feel more comfortable speaking up in your first language? *
Which of the following terms do you personally believe describes you best? *
Do you experience gender dysphoria? *
How has your confidence changed in the past five years? *
Wrapping Up
Is there anything you would like the institute to change or organise?
If there was a focus group or workshop offered to exchange tips and tricks with fellow students about how to get more comfortable to speak up in class, would you be interested in joining?
Then you can read more information on the focus group or workshop on the POPcorner website and register there:
[Insert website link]
If you have any questions or remarks, you can send them to popcorner@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.