A COMPARISON OF SIMULATION, CASE STUDIES, AND PROBLEM PAPERS IN TEACHING DECISION-MAKING.

UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATES IN POLITICAL SCIENCE WERE SUBJECTED TO TWO TYPES OF TEACHING TECHNIQUES-SIMULATION (GAME PLAYING) AND CASE STUDY. PERSONALITY FACTORS OF MOTIVATION AND COGNITIVE STYLE WERE DETERMINED FOR THE STUDENTS IN EACH GROUP. THESE WERE CONSIDERED THE INTERVENING VARIABLES. THE STUDENTS WERE TESTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE COURSE OF KNOWLEDGE OF FACTS AND PRINCIPLES. RESULTS WERE LARGELY INCONCLUSIVE, ALTHOUGH TWO IMPORTANT FINDINGS CAN BE STATED--BEHAVIORAL MEASURES OF INTEREST REVEAL SIMULATION TO BE MORE INVOLVING AND INTERESTING THAN CASE STUDIES, AND SIMULATION OFFERS MUCH MORE STUDENT-TO-STUDENT FEEDBACK THAN CASE DISCUSSION SECTIONS. MANY REASONS WERE GIVEN FOR BELIEVING THAT TRADITIONAL METHODS OF PRESENTING SUBJECT MATTER MIGHT BE REEXAMINED. SIMULATION MAY OFFER A RELATIVELY RICH SET OF POSSIBILITIES FOR ACCOMMODATING THE NEEDS IN TERMS OF REEVALUATED GOALS OF EDUCATION AND TESTING PROCEDURE.