Where Do You Turn? Student-Identified Resources in the Basic Course Experience, Sources of Information, Feedback, and Help-Seeking Behaviors

Authors

Ashley Jones-Bodie, University of MississippiFollow
Lindsey B. Anderson, University of MarylandFollow
Jennifer Hall, Purdue UniversityFollow

Section Name

Research Articles

Abstract

This study explored the formal and informal resources students enrolled in a basic communication course use to gather information and receive feedback about their course experience, including presentations and work in the class. To do so, an online survey was completed by 393 students at three universities. The data were analyzed thematically using an iterative process facilitated through NVivo coding software. This process not only allowed for a descriptive summary of the students’ responses and the creation of a typology of resources, but also revealed four emergent themes related to student motivations to seek out and use sources of information/feedback: (1) the level of availability (2) the value of personalized feedback, (3) the perceived authority, and (4) need for of examples. Taken together, these findings inform practical implications about information literacy, availability of vetted examples, and family/friend involvement, all of which are important for basic course administrators and instructors to consider in order to support student success and learning in the basic communication course classroom.

Recommended Citation

Jones-Bodie, Ashley; Anderson, Lindsey B.; and Hall, Jennifer (2020) "Where Do You Turn? Student-Identified Resources in the Basic Course Experience, Sources of Information, Feedback, and Help-Seeking Behaviors," Basic Communication Course Annual: Vol. 32, Article 5.
Available at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/bcca/vol32/iss1/5