Abstract

Many faculty report a growing trend in which students are unable to help themselves, sometimes calling learned helplessness. However, this phenomenon is more accurately described as learned passivity, where students are repeatedly rewarded for passivity and therefore tend to ask for help without first trying to solve problems themselves. Learned passivity is an especially significant problem for information systems (IS) educators. IS professionals must continuously adapt to new technologies and diagnose complex, novel problems. IS students who exhibit learned passivity after graduation are unlikely to find career success. Thus, it is crucial for IS faculty to understand learned passivity, its causes, and its consequences in order to address it.

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