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This past week, first-year students in my two First-Year Writing Seminars presented on research in Happiness Studies. Four students chose to analyze and discuss the study, The imposter phenomenon and its relationship with self‑efficacy, perfectionism and happiness in university students (Pakozdy et al., 2023).
George Gjinag, Duru Alayli, Daylinn Ramirez, and Bruce Jin discussed their respective understandings of the UK study on undergraduate students hoping to learn more about the implications of Imposter Phenomena.
The study asked:
- How is IP related to self-efficacy and happiness?
- Does perfectionism predict imposter feelings?
- Is gender, belonging, or competitiveness linked to IP?
All four talks were excellently executed as unique perspectives and applications sprung forth from the student work. Each student was asked to explain the content of article to the class, then talk about how the article was executed, focusing on organization, style, use of rhetorical devices, and to finally provide insight into how the article could be of future application and use for first-year students at Cornell.
The resulting class discussions were great! Not only did students share stories about their own experiences with IP (commonly referred to as Imposter Syndrome in the U.S.), but they also extended the discussion into two new areas:
Class Discussion
- What is the relationship between IP and AI use (misuse) for undergraduate university students here at Cornell?
- Would IP be improved from SU grading?
In the end, both FWS classes overwhelming believed that Imposter Phenomena is noteworthy factor for first-year students. They said that it impacts their quest for perfectionism and good grades and influences their happiness. Additionally, most students claimed that they would be less likely to abuse AI if they felt pressure to be ‘perfect.’
