The Hack
If you aren’t sure if you are understanding, then reach out to a peer or a teacher for help.
If you are embarrassed or worried what people might think of you because you reached out for help, then try reaching out using technology, like via email or chat message, as many students perceive this as less threatening.
The Story
Recognizing when you need help is hard. It requires a skill called metacognition. Metacognition means being awareness of your own learning. It means you know when you are learning something and when you aren’t quite getting it. When you aren’t understanding something, there are many ways to try to figure it out, but one of the most effective ways to learn is to reach out to someone who already knows the material to help you learn what you aren’t understanding.
The Research
Kitsantas and Chow studied (1) in which scenarios students are most likely to ask for help, (2) which kinds of students are more likely to ask for help, and (3) whether reaching out for help improved student success. They found that (1) students are more likely to reach out for help in an online environment, because students perceive it as lower risk than if they had to reach out for help in person, (2) students with high self-efficacy, or belief in their abilities, were more likely to seek help, and (3) students that reach out more frequently did better in their courses than students who did not ask for help.
The Source
Kitsantas, A., & Chow, A. (2007). College students’ perceived threat and preference for seeking help in traditional, distributed, and distance learning environments. Computers & Education, 48(3), 383-395.
