Downloads & Free Reading Options - Results

TWO EXPERIMENTS WERE DESIGNED TO MEASURE INTERACTION EFFECTS OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN COLLEGE STUDENTS (MEASURED BY ATTITUDE, INTEREST, AND ABILITY TESTS), AND PROGRAMED INSTRUCTION VARIABLES (RESPONSE MODE, FEEDBACK, AND PREFERENCE FOR RESPONSE MODE). IN EXPERIMENT I, SUBJECTS NUMBERED OVER 350 COLLEGE FRESHMEN ENROLLED IN TWO SECTIONS OF REMEDIAL MATHEMATICS. SECTION COMPOSITION WAS NON-RANDOM, AND STUDENTS WERE AWARE THAT ONE SECTION WAS AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (WHICH HAD CHOICE OF RESPONSE MODE), AND ONE A CONTROL (TAUGHT BY CONVENTIONAL TEXT). ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE ON CRITERION ACHIEVEMENT TESTS FOR EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS ONLY SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FOR PROGRAMED INSTRUCTION VARIABLES AND FEW CORRELATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND ACHIEVEMENT TESTS WERE SIGNIFICANT. CORRELATIONS BETWEEN EDUCATIONAL TREATMENTS AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES WERE NON- SIGNIFICANT. IN EXPERIMENT II, PREFERENCE FOR FEEDBACK WAS VARIED INSTEAD OF RESPONSE MODE, BUT WITH NO CONTROL GROUP. ALMOST 250 STUDENTS IN A PSYCHOLOGY COURSE PARTICIPATED IN THE TWO DAY EXPERIMENT, AND OVER 87 PERCENT CHOSE THE FEEDBACK CONDITION, THUS ELIMINATING AN ANALYSIS OF PREFERENCE. THE SAME CRITERION ACHIEVEMENT TEST WAS GIVEN BEFORE AND AFTER EXPOSURE TO FOUR PROGRAMED EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENTS. CORRELATIONS ON DIFFERENCE SCORES FOR TREATMENT AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES DID NOT DIFFER. (LH)