[Defense] Exploring the Impact of Humorous Video Format on Students’ Stress and Score Performance in Math Tests
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
In
Partial
Fulfillment
of
the
Requirements
for
the
Degree
of
Doctor
of
Philosophy
Fettah
Kiran
will
defend
his
proposal
Exploring
the
Impact
of
Humorous
Video
Format
on
Students’
Stress
and
Score
Performance
in
Math
Tests
Abstract
We report on a study investigating the stress and performance effects of relatable humorous videos in undergraduate math exams. We recruited 35 lower-division students to test this novel form of questioning. Per an institutionally approved experimental protocol, the students took a foundational math exam that included 12 items from each of the following three categories: Abstract (A), Word (W), and Video (V), where A featured formula-based questions and W analytic questions expressed in plain descriptive form. The V category had questions like the W category but expressed in relatable humorous video form. Stress was proxied by sympathetic arousal, which was measured through facial electrodermal activity heart rate, and heart rate variability. The first was extracted via thermal imaging, while the last two through smartwatches. Results from all three physiological channels indicate that questions expressed in relatable humorous video form significantly curtail hyperarousal (and thus stress) with respect to similar questions expressed in plain descriptive form. Furthermore, the study’s results suggest that exam performance is negatively affected by pre-exam anxiety, while it is positively affected by generous time allotment. The findings highlight the potential of V questions in making the math experience less stressful and more endearing to undergraduate students. Due to the importance of foundational math courses, such a change stands to bring downstream benefits to STEM education. Future research efforts will be directed towards the development of machine learning (ML) algorithms for predicting stress profiles of students under different forms of questioning in foundational math tests.
Tuesday,
November
12,
2024
1:00
PM
-
2:30
PM
HBS/Health 1 Bldg, Room 302
Dr. Ioannis Pavlidis, proposal advisor
Faculty, students, and the general public are invited.
- Location
- HBS / Health 1, Room 302, 4349 Martin Luther King Blvd, Houston, TX 77204