Autonomous and Controlling Language
As we prepare for another academic term, the question of effective syllabus returns. Some institutions have created templates addressing foundational requirements and others have implemented software programs (such as Simple Syllabus) to help guide instructors and provide a more consistent experience for learners. In any case, most universities around the world maintain the approach that curriculum, processes and course catalogs will indicate “what” we teach and we, as instructors, will determine “how” we teach it. That being said, I would like to share a very recent (May 2022) article, entitled “First Impressions Matter! An Experiment Comparing Autonomous and Controlling Language in Course Syllabi” by Tamayo et al.
In this study, the authors found that students reported “more positive feelings when viewing the autonomy-supportive syllabus; and students who viewed the autonomy-supportive syllabus reported more positive impressions of the professor (more supportive, better quality), were more likely to have positive expectations and more likely to have a self-determined motivation.” This study connects autonomy-support to the theoretical framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2017).
The authors connect a autonomy-supported syllabus to a learner-centered syllabus and include supportive literature:
A learner-focused syllabi include strong learning outcomes, authentic assessment descriptions, a positive motivating tone, and a detailed course schedule (Palmer et al., 2014).
Results show that students perceive the professors of learner-focused syllabi as more creative, caring, happy, receptive, approachable, and enthusiastic, and are more likely to ask for help (Richmond et al., 2016; Wheeler et al., 2019).
Syllabi that include supportive statements promote higher intentions to seek help during the course (Gurung & Galardi, 2021).
The methods for the study included creating “two syllabi for a hypothetical course entitled “Introduction to Human Sciences.” The syllabi were identical other than some adjustments to the language to make it either autonomy-supportive or controlling. To control for any potential extraneous factors, there was no assigned professor listed.” The paper includes a table that compares the type of language between a traditional and autonomy- supported syllabus. Some of the examples include:
References
Merchán Tamayo, Jully Paola; Rocchi, Meredith; Lennox Terrion, Jenepher; and Beaudry, Simon (2022) "First Impressions Matter! An Experiment Comparing Autonomous and Controlling Language in Course Syllabi," International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Vol. 16: No. 2, Article 7. Available at: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2022.160207
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