An Evaluation of 'Elective Class Participation'

An experiment was designed as an instructional method, elective class participation (ECP), in which class attendance was not re quired and the instructor tended to be a guide rather than lec turer. Ss were adult students enrolled in one of two semesters of introductory psychology. For two years data were collected on all Ss. Half the sessions were taught the conventional way; the other half used the ECP approach. Hypotheses tested were: Ss in the ECP groups would show more posttest gain over the pretest scores than those in the control groups; the ECP method would elicit favorable reactions. The criterion measure was posttest gain over pretest score. Biserial part correlations were computed be tween ECP and control groups and posttest score residualized with respect to six control variables: sex, hours attempted, semester grade point average (GPA), cumulative hours completed, cumula tive GPA, and pretest score in course subject matter. Four correla tions were positive, indicating that enrollment in the ECP group was related to a higher posttest score. In one group the relation ship was statistically significant. The data were further analyzed into the following groups: ratings of classes which consisted pri marily of lecture, demonstrations, films, and feedback quizzes. No significant differences were found among ratings of the last three, but when each of the last three was compared with the lecture classification, it was found that Ss rated ECP classes higher than the locture classes. It is apparent that Ss preferred to attend (or at least rated the quality higher) classes in which novel techniques were used. Ss' ratings of the ECP course indi cated that 59% rated it average or better and a satisfying learning experience while 41% rated it fair or poor.