”Du skal ikke stikke næsen for langt frem”: Et studie af normer for deltagelse og forberedelse blandt førsteårsstuderende

Resumé

Studerende på videregående uddannelser forventes at deltage aktivt i undervisningen og tage ansvar for egen læring. Alligevel oplever undervisere ofte, at studerende er meget tilbageholdende i timerne. Dette studie undersøger, hvilken roller normer spiller for studenteraktivitet. Tolv studerende blev interviewet to gange i løbet af et semester. Det viste sig, at normer havde en stor adfærdsregulerende rolle, ligesom det viste sig, at der var en betydelig forskel mellem udtalte og uudtalte normer. Den observation, der overraskede os mest, var, at der var meget snævre rammer for legitim delta­gelse på holdtimerne, mens der var meget vide rammer for ikke-del­ta­gel­se. Disse præliminære resultater kalder på en diskussion af, hvordan normen om ansvar for egen læring fortolkes og praktiseres af universitetsstuderende.

The aim of Danish universities is to encourage  students to become active, independent, and responsible learners; yet, university teachers often encounter students that are very reluctant to participate in discussions. This study examines how norms influence student engagement in classes. Twelve students were interviewed twice during their second semester. The study suggests that norms regulate behaviour and furthermore the study uncovered a demarcation between spoken and unspoken norms. To our surprise, we found there to be strict boundaries for legitimate participation in discussion, while there was a high tolerance for non-participation. These results – although preliminary – call for a discussion of how the tenets of independence and responsibility are conceived by students.