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According to the extant literature, inquiry-based learning instruction can be an effective pedagogical tool as it frames learning as problem-solving activities. However, considerable debate exists about how to implement inquiry-based instruction. The present study compared the academic performance and engagement (as measured by course learning outcomes) of freshmen exposed to one of two inquiry-based learning modes differing in the volume of load-reducing instruction. The context was a writing-intensive, research-oriented course that enrolled second-language speakers with a didactic past. Thus, the study also examined whether the two modes differentiated freshmen’s second-language writing anxiety, a key emotive negative reaction likely to emerge in a writing-intensive course. At the end of the semester, the condition that involved greater load-reducing instruction before problem-solving activities yielded superior attainment of learning outcomes encompassing knowledge acquisition and use of problem-solving skills. No differences in engagement, withdrawal rates, or writing anxiety were detected. Writing anxiety was only minimally related to students’ performance and engagement as measured by the course learning outcomes. These findings illustrate that ostensibly minimal variations in the implementation of inquiry-based learning can have a selective impact on cognitive rather than emotive processing.

Scientific literacy is often viewed as beneficial to a workforce dealing with an ever-changing world dominated by science and technology. The earlier learners encounter science, the argument goes, the better equipped they will be to solve the problems that such a world may present. Yet, scientific literacy, a key learning outcome of undergraduate education, is particularly challenging for non-STEM students with a didactic instructional background. Their past educational experiences have led them to adopt a passive approach to course materials, which may put them at a disadvantage with STEM students. In the present study, we asked whether introducing research practice early in the undergraduate general education curriculum could promote the attainment of learning outcomes covering scientific literacy in non-STEM students. A first-year communication course devoted to scientific literacy, offered by an English-medium university in the Middle East, was selected. The instructional method adopted to organize course activities was guided inquiry-based learning, which was intended to foster a sense of agency as well as a collaborative and supportive environment. At midterm, non-STEM students’ scientific literacy was estimated to be below that of STEM students. Also, resistance to inquiry-based learning was more often expressed by non-STEM students. At the end of the semester, the scientific literacy of these two groups of students no longer differed. It was concluded that guided inquiry-based learning is an effective method for allowing non-STEM students to overcome past disadvantages in their exposure to science. Its ability to promote a sense of agency through problem-solving activities in a supportive environment may be primarily responsible for this outcome. Individual differences, however, existed, including non-STEM students’ greater acquiescence to this instructional method’s high cognitive demands than endorsement of its mode of learning.

One of the challenges of sustainable education in the post-pandemic world is students' writing anxiety. The present study aimed to answer two key questions about writing in a second language for Arabic-English speakers enrolled in a written communication course after a return to on-campus instruction. First, it examined whether early exposure to English would predict diminished anxiety. Then, it assessed whether anxiety predicted specific writing deficits in the quality and quantity of students' writing. Students completed a writing anxiety questionnaire, answered questions about their exposure to English and their attitudes toward English writing, and responded in writing to the query \"Who am I?\". In this correlational study, overall anxiety increased with students' later exposure to English and decreased with exposure to English-speaking media, and favorable attitudes toward English writing. Overall anxiety was linked to particular writing qualities, such as increased use of concrete words, and brevity of exposition. Yet, somatic anxiety, appraisal concerns, communication apprehension, and avoidance behaviors were differentially related to measures of English exposure and attitudes as well as to writing quality and quantity. For instance, late exposure to English writing was related to increased levels of appraisal concerns, somatic anxiety, and communication apprehension, but not to avoidance behaviors. Except for appraisal concerns, all other forms of anxiety were accompanied by decreases in word and sentence outputs and increases in the use of concrete words. Appraisal concerns were related to a decreased use of low-frequency (i.e. unfamiliar) words. Applications and implications for sustainable education in the post-pandemic world are examined.

The “Dunning–Kruger effect” refers to the tendency of poor performers to overestimate test outcomes. Although a widespread phenomenon, questions exist regarding its source and sensitivity to countermeasures. The present field study aimed to (a) examine whether practice with tests used in previous classes can enhance students’ ability to estimate test outcomes, (b) determine the main source of the effect (i.e., is it unawareness of one’s readiness or wishful thinking?), and (c) assess the extent to which particular individual differences can be used as predictors of test performance. In this study, participants practiced with old tests and then completed the final exam. Before and after the exam, they predicted their grades and indicated their subjective confidence in the predictions made. Furthermore, participants’ emotional intelligence and self-efficacy about their academic abilities were surveyed. Results suggested that poor performers were not unaware of their test preparation, but rather engaged in wishful thinking. In fact, although they overestimated their test grades, their estimates not only improved after completing the final test but also were regarded with little confidence. Overall, estimation bias was a good predictor of students’ final test performance, whereas subjective confidence and emotional intelligence only weakly predicted such performance. Thus, if proactive interventions are to be developed for at-risk students, performance-estimation tasks may offer valuable information regarding such students’ future performance in a course much more than emotional intelligence and self-efficacy measures.

This study examined whether differences exist in the emotional state of students whose approach to undergraduate courses is either preferentially learning-oriented or grade-oriented. It focused on an understudied population of female college students of Saudi Arabian descent who were enrolled in a challenging writing course. Their emotional state was assessed both globally, through the appraisal of their degree of happiness, and locally, through the appraisal of their writing anxiety (a task-specific emotional state). The study contributed to the extant literature by examining whether the association between goal orientation and emotional state, which is predicted by goal orientation theory, could be found in the selected understudied student population. Results illustrate differences between STEM and non-STEM learners. For STEM students, a grade orientation was associated with declining self-reported happiness and increasing writing anxiety. In contrast, for both STEM and non-STEM students, a learning orientation was associated with increasing happiness and declining writing anxiety. Differences existed in the particular type of writing anxiety that was experienced by STEM and non-STEM students. These findings suggest that interventions for students who are struggling academically may need to address personal dispositions if such interventions are to foster subjective well-being (including positive emotions).

This study examined the extent to which different forms of writing anxiety could account for writing performance in a second language (English). Then, it determined whether implicit or explicit attitudes toward in-group and out-group members could predict writing anxiety in its different forms. Participants were female undergraduate students whose first language was Arabic and their second language was English. Before admission, standardized tests deemed students competent users of the English language. In this study, students reported little or no writing anxiety. Writing in a second language was predicted by somatic anxiety, cognitive anxiety, as well as avoidance behavior. However, in-group (i.e., Arab Muslims) implicit attitudes did not predict any form of writing anxiety, whereas a preference for people other than Arab Muslims minimally predicted lower evaluation apprehension. These findings support the notion that writing anxiety is detrimental to performance, even when experienced at a minimal level, and by students who are not beginner language learners. Most importantly, they suggest that in-group or out-group attitudes play a marginal if not null role in second-language writing anxiety.

This study examined whether an assignment devoted to the accuracy of artificial intelligence (AI) detection programs would deter first-year students from relying on generative AI writing tools. Students who were enrolled in a written communication course dedicated to scientific writing first conducted and then wrote about a study on cognitive biases (control condition) or a study on the accuracy of AI detection programs (experimental condition). All students were second-language speakers of English who perceived the course as challenging. Thus, the enticement of using generative AI writing tools to aid writing was considerable despite explicit prohibition. During class meetings, students wrote the introductory section of their research reports and received feedback from the instructor. Then, they revised their work at home before submission. The topic of the assignment did not deter students from relying on generative AI writing tools. On the contrary, students in the experimental condition were more likely to use such tools. Furthermore, the more students relied on such tools, the lower their grades on the assignment as scored by independent raters unaware of each student’s classification as either AI user or non-user. These findings suggest that students’ informed awareness of the likelihood of detection may not yield the expected educational outcomes.

The present study aimed to examine the extent to which self-reported concerns about prospective and retrospective memory functioning, anxiety related to worrying, and academic self-efficacy can predict academic achievement (as measured by GPA) in undergraduate students during the first year of university studies. Purposive sampling was utilized to select participants from an understudied population of bilingual Saudi Arabian female STEM students. Participants were asked to report concerns about prospective and retrospective memory lapses, the extent to which they were confident in their ability to carry out academic tasks (i.e., academic self-efficacy), and the frequency and impact of anxiety-linked worrying. Responses illustrated greater prospective than retrospective memory concerns. Nevertheless, GPA increased as reports of retrospective memory lapses and distracting worries decreased. The relationship was modest, suggesting that awareness of retrospective memory failures and distractions does not correspond to an inability to satisfy academic demands. Instead, it may result in compensatory strategies that minimize the impact of both memory failures and distractions. Students also exhibited a modest relationship between memory concerns and academic self-efficacy, which suggested that memory issues play a minor role in the confidence students possess in their academic abilities. Taken together, these findings illustrate that although prospective memory lapses may be more noticeable in students' everyday lives, the ability to retain and retrieve past information and skills is more likely to impact performance on tasks that contribute to students' GPAs. The implications for teaching and learning of STEM undergraduate students are examined.

An educated workforce is key to transforming an economy, such as that of Saudi Arabia, into a diversified and sustainable system. To achieve this goal, young people of college age are expected to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute to the new economy. In this study, we examined the relationship between two dispositions that may be critical to the workforce that these undergraduate students are likely to join: self-efficacy and pro-socialness. Self-efficacy (i.e., people’s confidence in their abilities) can foster adequate responses to challenges. Pro-socialness (i.e., people’s consideration of others’ needs and desires) can sustain teamwork. We also examined gender differences, as these students are from a society that is in the process of shedding its patriarchal, gender-segregated past. A convenience sample of male and female undergraduate students of Saudi Arabian descent was surveyed. They were exposed to student-centered instruction at an English-medium university. In this context, two dimensions of pro-socialness emerged, concerning either behavior or understanding others’ emotions. Gender differences favoring women were found to be limited to the former dimension. Notwithstanding the lack of gender differences in self-efficacy, confidence in one’s abilities was more strongly linked to pro-socialness in men. These findings suggest that males and females conceptualize pro-socialness and self-efficacy differently, suggesting distinct interventions if either skill is deficient. In males, instruction targeting one of these dispositions may also benefit the other. In females, deficiencies may be targeted separately.