Abstract:

Undergraduate management programs often require students to register for an array of courses ranging from marketing to finance to research methodology. Each course requires a different mindset, and students are expected to switch their way of thinking from one class to another which impacts their overall experience. The current research investigated the impact of ice-breaking techniques (various interactive games at the beginning of the class) on the learning ability and overall experience of students. The sample consisted of 30 undergraduate students who registered for marketing specialization and attended either a research methodology course or did not attend any course before an international marketing course on the day of the research. The data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA, and it was hypothesized that students who attended the research methodology course before the international marketing course would experience a more positive emotional state, feel more encouraged to actively participate in class, and feel more prepared to take in the learning material of a different subject compared to those who did not attend a course before it on that day. The results suggest that student experiences and learning outcomes improved in both groups along the measured dimensions, which paves the way for further research on how icebreakers could be incorporated into classroom materials to enhance student learning and overall experience.

Keywords:

Education development, Student experience, Learning ability.