Browsing by Person "Duffy, Tim"

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A review of the positive impact of a Self Administered Motivational Instrument (SAMI) on Deep and Strategic approaches to study and on academic attainment
(Institute of Education, University of London, 2009) Duffy, Tim; Rimmer, Russell
This research concerns the wider context of behaviour change and approaches to study among students in higher education. Drawing on the counselling approach known as motivational interviewing, a Self Administered Motivational Instrument (SAMI) has been designed in which students take decisions about changing their approaches to study. Motivational interviewing has been demonstrated to positively influence a range of behaviours, including alcohol- and drug misuse and weight loss. The SAMI is paper-based and as the name suggests is self-administered. Within the SAMI, students are asked to rate their academic performances if they continue to study as they are and if they change their study approaches. These questions were designed to stimulate ambivalence, if warranted, over current study approach. This is also engendered by asking students to complete the reliable, valid and relatively brief deep and strategic components of a shortened version of the RASI learning-style instrument (Duff, 1997). This shortened RASI is known as the DRASI. The SAMI has been tested in a controlled study with 328 first, second and third year university students in Scotland, UK. In this paper the design of the SAMI and the controlled study are reported. The main conclusions are: - When the SAMI is applied, approaches to study change. In particular, there was an on-average increase in strategic approaches to learning. Further, greater strategic scores among those who completed the SAMI, were associated with a greater likelihood of attaining the top two grades of A or B1. Thus, in line with applications of brief motivational interventions in other areas, there is evidence of effectiveness. - A small to moderate effect size of 0.32 was noted for strategic scores within the intervention group. Teachers, students and policy makers might regard this as a reasonable return for a low cost, easily administered intervention. Further research is required to assess if similar outcomes occur when the SAMI is applied in different academic environments, with or without support from academic staff, over longer periods and using different media, such as electronic delivery.
Improving Students' Motivation to Study A Photocopiable Resource for College and University Lecturers
(Reflect Press Ltd, 2008-09-24) Duffy, Tim; Rimmer, Russell
Consisting of an in-depth introduction providing the theory and practice of improving students' motivation, together with a photocopiable resource, this book provides a low cost and easily administered intervention for improving students' motivation. The photocopiable resource can be used by students on their own to improve their approaches to study in colleges and universities. It may also be used by lecturers, tutors and teachers to help their students to understand and improve their own study performance. The resource has already been evaluated in the higher education setting and found to have positive effects on study habits and on academic performance. The photocopiable resource is known as the SAMI (Self Administered Motivational Instrument). The SAMI is one of the first brief instruments that draw on the principles of motivational interviewing to provide a means for college and university students to reflect on changing their approaches to study. Further, it is the first such intervention that is provided as a self-completing, self-help guide. The framework of the SAMI draws on the theory of motivational interviewing and incorporates a problem-solving and decision-making approach. The underpinnings are that: students can be assisted to contemplate the advantages and disadvantages of change; students can be encouraged to set realistic, achievable goals in relation to the behaviour they seek to improve; successful modifications can be accomplished with a well-structured, relatively brief intervention. This resource is a valuable tool for any college or university lecturer dealing with the challenges of student motivation. The resource also provides a useful guide to student motivation and motivational interviewing for trainee teachers and lecturers.
Review of the integrity of a Self Administered Motivational Instrument
(Elsevier, 2013-06) Duffy, Tim; McCaig, M.; McGrandles, A.; Rimmer, Russell; Martin, C. R.
Background: Motivational interviewing (MI) was developed by Miller and Rollnick as an evidence-based counselling approach for use in supporting people with alcohol problems. Over the years the principles and spirit of MI have been reviewed and fine-tuned and the approach has been embraced by practitioners worldwide and across fields. Since 2001 a number of instruments have been designed to evaluate the fidelity of MI practice. For the purposes of this study, one such instrument is used to assess a self-administered motivational instrument, known as the SAMI, which takes the interviewer role. Objectives: The SAMI is evaluated against the MITI 3.1.1, which is designed to assess the extent to which MI interventions perform on five global dimensions. These are evocation, collaboration, autonomy/support, direction and empathy. Design: The SAMI was assembled based on the principles and spirit of MI, problem solving and goal-setting. The targeted behaviour changes were student learning styles and approaches to study. Setting: The SAMI was distributed, completed and submitted electronically via the university virtual learning environment. Participants: Thirty three mature students of a university which delivered online nursing programme were invited to complete the SAMI. Of these, 25 submitted completed transcripts. Methods: Transcripts of a sample of six completed SAMIs were assessed by a group of teachers and researchers with experience in the use and evaluation of MI, using five-point Likert scales to assess the SAMI on the five dimensions. Results: Overall, an average score exceeding 4.5 was attained across the five dimensions. Conventionally, such a score is recognised as competency in MI. However, on one dimension (empathy), the rating was three. Conclusions: This current research confirms that global principles have been observed in the online delivery of MI using the SAMI to probe approaches to study. 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.