Abstract
Boredom, disinterest, and disengagement are often observed in the classroom. Students' arousal and attention have been shown to be critical concepts in student engagement. It was hypothesized that introducing students to a relevant attention-grabber (a technique used to raise an individual's arousal level and focus their attention) will result in a statistically significant increase in retention of information. College students (N=846) enrolled in a general education course over eight consecutive semesters were randomly assigned to either an attention or a no-attention condition. The attention condition was exposed to a relevant attention-grabber while the no-attention condition listened to the instructor take roll. An independent-samples t-test found a significant difference in the scores of a 15-point quiz for attention (M=13.36, SD=1.5) and no-attention (M=12.85, SD=1.4) conditions; t (844)=5.20, p < .001. Results suggest that introducing a lecture with an attention grabber has a positive effect on learning and retention. Participants in this session will: (a) be introduced to “attention-grabbers” by way of demonstration, (b) brainstorm potential attention-grabbing techniques, and (c) discuss implementation and evaluation strategies.
Location
Room 1909
Recommended Citation
Rosegard, Erik, "May I Have Your Attention" (2012). SoTL Commons Conference. 17.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2012/17
May I Have Your Attention
Room 1909
Boredom, disinterest, and disengagement are often observed in the classroom. Students' arousal and attention have been shown to be critical concepts in student engagement. It was hypothesized that introducing students to a relevant attention-grabber (a technique used to raise an individual's arousal level and focus their attention) will result in a statistically significant increase in retention of information. College students (N=846) enrolled in a general education course over eight consecutive semesters were randomly assigned to either an attention or a no-attention condition. The attention condition was exposed to a relevant attention-grabber while the no-attention condition listened to the instructor take roll. An independent-samples t-test found a significant difference in the scores of a 15-point quiz for attention (M=13.36, SD=1.5) and no-attention (M=12.85, SD=1.4) conditions; t (844)=5.20, p < .001. Results suggest that introducing a lecture with an attention grabber has a positive effect on learning and retention. Participants in this session will: (a) be introduced to “attention-grabbers” by way of demonstration, (b) brainstorm potential attention-grabbing techniques, and (c) discuss implementation and evaluation strategies.
