Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

6-1984

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Curriculum and Instruction

Major Professor

A. Paul Wishart

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the use of two instructional methods, Audio-Tutorial and Conventional-Expositive, in teaching natural science at the college level. Freshmen college students were selected for both the experimental (A-T) and the control groups. The two groups involving twenty-one students were randomly selected from a population of 102 students and tested over a period of six weeks.

Measurements of two main dependent variables, immediate achievement and retention, were obtained by using two equivalent test forms given to the students during the first week of study (pretest) and during the sixth week (posttest). Three weeks after the students were post tested, a follow-up test (retest) was administered. An ancillary dependent variable, i.e. "memory" and "analysis" questions, was also tested in this investigation with the same equivalent test forms. An "attitude" questionnaire was developed in order to identify the responses of students and instructors toward the laboratory testing methods.

Analysis of Variance was used to identify and compare any significant differences at the .01 level of the A-T and Conventional groups for the achievement and retention scores. The analysis of data indicated that the A-T instructional group scored significantly higher than the Conventional-Expositive group in the immediate achievement. The A-T instructional group scored significantly higher than the Conventional-Expositive group in their level of retention and remembered about 10% of the mastery knowledge tested by the retest. The A-T group did not achieve as high a level on "memory" items as those using the Conventional method. However, the A-T group retained about 50% more knowledge (memorization) than did the Conventional group. The A-T method resulted in higher achievement on "analysis" items when compared with the Conventional method. The A-T group retained 80% of the posttest mastery knowledge, whereas the Conventional group retained their same mean scores.

Data obtained from the "attitude" questionnaire indicated superiority of the A-T method in the areas of students' motivation, and involvement and use of reinforcement strategies. Students also benefitted from preciseness of the instruction, procedures, and accommodation to perform individually.

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