The report from the LLAS Subject Centre National Student Survey project last academic year is now online. In the project we focused in on eight of the 22 questions. Whilst many of the questions were found to be problematic, this one was especially difficult to unpack.
Question 19: The course has helped me to present myself with confidence.
From the report
When answering this question, many students initially thought about giving oral presentations. It was also linked to employability and interviewing skills, but the question of whether this was about personal confidence or academic confidence was unclear. And where students reported an increase in confidence, was this down to the skills their course had given them, their year abroad, their work placements, or was it just part of being four years older?
One member of staff observed that the NSS is carried out at a time where students are at their most anxious, perhaps looking for work, perhaps worried about the future. In languages it was suggested that this question might be thought about in the context of L2 competence or confidence in dealing with people from other cultures. ―It’s a bit of a weird question said one student. ―It really wants you to say “yes”, because if you say “no”, you‘re saying something bad about yourself.
Further thoughts
Some further thoughts here. Some a little pedantic maybe, but that’s what happens when you start to unpack the question with students and lecturers.
| What this question might mean | Possible assumptions | Other issues |
| Employability
Doing oral presentations Feeling confident in person Interviewing skills Self-belief Able to express opinions without fear. Able to challenge the opinions of others. Not anxious Students can stand up for themselves Students are confident they will get a good job. |
Students were unable to present themselves with confidence at the beginning the course.
Confidence comes from going the course. Presenting oneself with confidence is a good thing (some students might benefit from being less confident) A course which does not help students present themselves with confidence is not a good course. The student who answers this question in negative might have been better off doing a different course or studying at a different place. |
Confidence might come from sources other than the course e.g. student societies, increased age, work experience, time spent abroad
Does a negative answer to this question suggest that the course was in any way inadequate? Some evidence of students thinking about L2 language confidence, but this question was for students of all disciplines. Students who answer this in the negative are saying something bad about themselves. Student anxiety or lack of confidence indicates poor teaching or course design. |
