Balkrushna Potdar, Marketing, CoBE*
Christopher Mabin, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics (TSBE) and University College, CoBE
Globally, despite universities trying various techniques to elevate student attendance (to in turn enhance their engagement and experience) in both on-campus face-to-face as well as online classes, there have been increasing concerns about a gradual decline in student attendance (Hollett et al., 2020). The present study uses ethnography and, more specifically, observation as the primary method to estimate whether, along with high-quality teaching, the practice of distributing appreciation certificates to students for attending both on-campus face-to-face as well as online classes, encourages them to consistently attend these classes; and, more significantly, if this practice encourages an active engagement of students in classroom activities.
As the present research uses an ethnographic research approach, to better understand the association between the distribution of appreciation certificates to students and the effect on their attendance, empirical research with a positivist research design is proposed. More specifically, to further this research, a theoretical lens of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) is proposed which is deemed helpful in predicting the causal effect of tangible appreciation on student attendance. A survey instrument using extant and relevant scale items will be developed and an anonymous voluntary online survey will be administered to adult 18+-year-old university students in Australia. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique will be used to analyse the survey data and to help generalise the findings of this empirical research.
Theoretically, this study proposes that along with high-quality teaching, tangible appreciation can be an extrinsic motivating factor for consistent student attendance and engagement at universities. Pragmatically, this research study proposes a novel technique for educators to encourage student attendance at both on-campus face-to-face and online classes.
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Hollett, R. C., Gignac, G. E., Milligan, S., & Chang, P. (2020). Explaining lecture attendance behavior via structural equation modeling: Self-Determination Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Learning and Individual Differences, 81, 101907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2020.101907