Social Change Assignment SAMPLE The issue to be addressed is improving the academic performance of students in math classes at Missouri State University in Springfield, MO. 1. Goal: increase attendance Technique: each day a student attends class, their name is entered into a lottery for a prize. There will be weekly prize drawings consisting of coupons for free beverages at the food court. The more days the student attends class, the more entries and the greater the chance of winning. Theoretical principle/concept Individual: operant conditioning theory and the use of positive reinforcement to encourage behaviors; the positive reinforcement is in the form of an intermittent reinforcement schedule (variable ratio) since the student doesn't know which date of attendance will result in a prize. Group dynamic: Social learning theory and vicarious reinforcement is also being used; if they see their friends win the lottery prize, they will think they might win, too, if they continue to attend class. Therefore, they are more likely to model the behavior. 2. Goal: all assignments turned in on time Technique: have students who struggle with this work in groups with students outside of the classroom who are conscientious about schoolwork Theoretical principle/concept: Individual: as humans, we tend to experience less stress if we have social support from others Group dynamic: conformity to social norms; we tend to go along with the crowd so that we do not feel like an outcast (normative social influence). Characteristics to consider: students have multiple demands on their time and this is especially true for those students who need to work either full time or part time in order to support themselves and to pay for their college education; they may not have the time in their schedules to meet with other students outside of class 3. Goal: increased confidence in academic ability Technique: have them first complete easier/shorter assignments in which they are successful in order to give them confidence; use verbal persuasion to encourage them Theoretical principle/concept Individual: performance experiences can increase self-efficacy (self-efficacy refers to confidence in our abilities). If we perform well at a task, this increases our confidence as well. This can be helped by beginning with easier tasks and working our way up to more complex and difficult tasks. Group dynamic: verbal persuasion - if others encourage us and feel we can succeed, this also increases our self-efficacy and makes us more likely to work at something. Characteristics to consider: some students, due to their race or gender, may find that their performance is negatively impacted due to stereotype threat