cognitive gap larger than 20 points may inhibit communication (Kirton) between the

student and faculty member and may explain lack of student engagement.

 Learning and Stress

 College students may be influenced by stress positively or negatively (Sandler,

2000). That is, stress as a stimulus can provoke a negative or positive reaction to the

situation at hand. If a student has a positive reaction it is the fear of failure that motivates

this student to succeed, but a negative reaction will likely be detrimental to classroom

success. Given this variability of outcome from stress, little research has been conducted

with attention to stress associated specifically concerning the undergraduate classroom.

 A word of caution is given regarding terminology and definition in discussing

stress. Coping behavior specific to the reaction to a stressor can be defined as a conscious

effort to deal with an event to which an individual has not yet developed automatic

patterns of response (Shields, 2001). In this document, reaction is used instead of the

word coping so that the reader does not confuse coping as a reaction to stress with coping

behavior defined by Kirton (2003).

 A student's reaction to the stressor may determine if the stress is beneficial or

detrimental to the academic achievement of the student. In a study conducted to examine

this hypothesis, Aspinwall and Taylor (1992) surveyed 672 freshman undergraduates.

Their findings provide evidence that a positive mood, higher optimism and an active

reaction to stress orientation had positive effects on adjusting to new college experiences.

Furthermore, the reaction to stress construct avoidance had detrimental effects on the

adjustment to new college experiences. Hockey (1979) considered the role of stress in

aiding the selectivity of attention and response in performing a cognitive task. Hockey