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- Title
- EFFECTIVENESS OF THE USE OF BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES WITH AND WITHOUT STUDENT SELF-EVALUATION TESTS IN THE TEACHING OF INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
- Creator
- EVERETT, EUNICE FLEMING., Florida Atlantic University, Cook, Joseph B.
- Abstract/Description
-
The literature reveals some studies dealing with behavioral objectives, but few of these concern the community college. Almost no research has dealt directly with student self-evaluation testing. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of behavioral objectives with and without student self-evaluation testing could improve achievement and reduce attrition in Intermediate Algebra at the community college. Three Intermediate Algebra sections at Broward Community College, Ft....
Show moreThe literature reveals some studies dealing with behavioral objectives, but few of these concern the community college. Almost no research has dealt directly with student self-evaluation testing. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of behavioral objectives with and without student self-evaluation testing could improve achievement and reduce attrition in Intermediate Algebra at the community college. Three Intermediate Algebra sections at Broward Community College, Ft. Lauderdale, were each randomly subdivided into two classes. The investigator and a colleague each taught three classes, each class by a different instructional method. The control method LR involved traditional lecture and test review. In the experimental treatment LOR, references were made to stated lists of behavioral objectives during the lectures and review sessions. Treatment LOS was identical to LOR, except that review was replaced by self-evaluation testing. Students returned the self-evaluation tests after keying them and noting the objectives missed. A comprehensive pretest was administered the first class meeting. This same test served as a posttest and course final examination. Six unit tests were administered during the term. Student achievement was measured by the raw posttest score (A(,1)) and by a composite score of unit test and posttest percentages (A(,2)). Seven research hypotheses relating to the independent variables instructional method, instructor, and sex, and their interactions, were tested for both measures. Separate analyses of covariance with the covariates age and pretest score were performed to test the seven hypotheses for A(,1) and A(,2). No significant differences were found for A(,1). Sex, however, was found to be significant in affecting A(,2), F (1, 81) = 5.150, p (LESSTHEQ) .026, with females achieving higher scores than males. Differences in A(,2) due to method were near significance, F (2, 81) = 2.928, p (LESSTHEQ) .059. The mean A(,2) score for method LR was 1.39 above that of LOR and 6.99 above that of LOS. The analyses of covariance indicated that pretest scores did significantly affect both A(,1) and A(,2), p (LESSTHEQ) .001. Six research hypotheses tested the effects of method, instructor, sex, method and instructor acting together, method and sex acting together, and course time interval upon withdrawal rate, WR. Chi-square tests were applied to the withdrawal data. Withdrawal rate varied significantly with respect to sex at the .05 level; 56.3% of the males withdrew; 41.1% of the females withdrew. Method and sex acting together were found to affect WR. Females withdrew significantly less than males within method LR, (chi)('2)(1) = 8.978, p (LESSTHEQ) .01. Finally, 25.5% of the students taking the pretest withdrew between Unit Tests 1 and 3, prior to the completion of the review of Elementary Algebra. It was concluded that for Intermediate Algebra, composite scores are better measures of achievement than single posttest scores, that pretest scores can be used as predictors of achievement, that female students are more persistent and achieve better than males, and that students tend to withdraw during the review units of the course. Further, the use of behavioral objectives did not significantly affect student achievement in lecture-taught classes. Self-evaluation testing had a negative effect on achievement--perhaps due to anxiety resulting from the testing format. Research needs to further explore the use of self-evaluation testing as a learning tool. The causes of heavy attrition in Intermediate Algebra, particularly the attrition of males, need to be found. Also, more research is necessary to verify the usefulness of pretest scores as predictors and composite scores as measures of achievement in Intermediate Algebra.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1980
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11770
- Subject Headings
- Algebra--Study and teaching (Higher)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
