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1990-1991 Dissertation Abstracts: Part 4
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ORDER NO: ABA91-09094
A STUDY OF MODIFICATIONS TO THE INSTRUCTION OF THE TRADITIONAL INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS LABORATORY TO IMPROVE STUDENT TEST PERFORMANCE ON MECHANICS TOPICS (LABORATORY INSTRUCTION) Author: LIKENS, DENNIS A. Degree: ED.D. Year: 1990 Corporate Source/Institution: AUBURN UNIVERSITY (0012) Director: ROBERT E. ROWSEY Source: VOLUME 52/01-A OF DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS INTERNATIONAL. PAGE 125. 163 PAGES Descriptors: EDUCATION, SCIENCES; PHYSICS, GENERAL; EDUCATION, HIGHER The purpose of this study was to determine if the laboratory significantly enhanced the learning of cognitive lecture concepts. The laboratory sequence as related to lecture was modified, creating four comparison groups. The comparison groups were: (a) subjects whose laboratory topic followed the introduction of the topic in lecture, (b) subjects who were tested over the concepts in their laboratory report, (c) subjects whose laboratory topics preceded lecture, and (d) subjects whose laboratories were unrelated to lecture. Data were collected on the students by use of a demographic survey, a pretest, a posttest at mid quarter, and a posttest at the end of the course. In addition, grades and ACT entrance scores were collected. The *Hata were analyzed by analysis of covariance. The data analysis failed to show any significant difference among student posttest score gains@Shen either the pretest or ACT scores were used as covariates in analysis of covariance. In addition, when the data were regrouped by subject major, subject high school class size, subject geographical origin, reported grade point averages, and high school science and mathematics courses taken, the data analysis failed to show any significant differences when analyzed by analysis of covariance. It was concluded from the findings of this study that laboratory instruction covering the topic of mechanics in the traditional physics laboratory does not aid in understanding the mechanics lecture cognitive concepts.
ORDER NO: ABA91-07797
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of grammar instruction on: (1) writing apprehension, (2) the overall improvement of students' writing, and (3) the improvement in grammar mechanics. This study proposed to answer the following questions: Are students more or less apprehensive after grammar instruction? To what extent has the writing of these studYSts improved? And is there a significant difference, based on measures taken early and late in the quarter, in students' application of the rules of grammar. In order to assess the impact of grammar instruction on writing apprehension, three different measures were employed: (1) to determine the level of writing apprehension students experience, the Daly-Miller Writing Apprehension Questionnaire was administered to students at the beginning and end of Winter Quarter 1990; (2) To assess improvement in writing quality, pre- and post essays written by all 138 participants (278 total) were evaluated holistically; (3) to evaluate improvement in grammar mechanics and usage, counts of selected errors from pre- and post essays were compared. For the most part, the results of this study revealed a significant difference in the attitude of students towards writing after exposure to grammar instruction. There was no significant difference in the overall improvement of students' writing on the pre- and post essays, and there was no significant difference in students' application of the rules of grammar.
ORDER NO: ABA91-07537
Over the past 20 years, there has been a great deal of research on numerous issues surrounding the use and validity of student ratings. Despite the tremendous number of studies, the relationship of student ratings to instructional environments unique to music curricula has not been investigated. Two such unique environments found in university departments of music are ensemble rehearsals and individual applied instruction. These instructional areas comprise a major portion of every music student's academic life and usually are taught by tenured or tenure- track faculty. This study statistically compares student ratings of college level applied music instructors and ensemble directors with those received by music history and music appreciation teachers, the last group representing classroom undergraduate courses similar to those taught in other academic departments. Music history and music appreciation teachers were considered first as two separate groups, then combined to form one large classroom sample. Using factor analysis, a multidimensional rating instrument measuring instructional organization and effectiveness, teacher - student interaction, student interest, and course demands was developed for this study. The 88 participating faculty represented 38 university music departments throughout the United States. Over 2500 students participated. Instructor scores for each dimension were compared using a multivariate analysis of variance procedure with post-hoc pair-wise comparisons made using the Scheffe test. In addition, instructor ratings were compared using a global response item. The results showed applied music faculty scoring significantly higher on all four dimensions while ensemble directors obtained significantly higher scores on three of the four dimensions. Similar results were obtained when instructor scores were compared using the global response item. Further investigation revealed that rating outcomes in the compariw/w of courses were most strongly related to student interest and class size. The results support the use of student ratings as measures of teaching effectiveness, but point to the need to develop separate norms for music history, applied, and ensemble instructors if student ratings are to be used when evaluating music faculty for promotion, tenure, or merit salary increases.
ORDER NO: ABA91-14148
The purposes of this study were to determine freshman composition requirements, to describe organization of writing programs, to describe staffing of writing programs, to identify common textbooks and syllabi requirements, to describe course content and pedagogy, and to describe common goals and philosophies of Texas writing programs. A questionnaire, mailed to 129 institutions of higher education in Texas, was returned by 92 institutions. Freshman composition is required in 97.8% of all responding Texas institutions, with almost all allowing some form of exemption. Remedial instruction exists in 91% of institutions surveyed, housed most often in the English Department. Almost two-thirds of all writing classes are taught by full-time faculty. Respondents in 75% of institutions reported having required syllabi. A great diversity appears in textbook selections. Writing in the first freshman course is based primarily on rhetorical principles, and in the second course, primarily on literature. Over half of the writing programs have stated goals, the most common being teaching students to write effectively. More than half of the institutions see their writing programs as process-centered. In anticipation of the effects of the Texas Academic Skills Program, many institutions foresee increases in remedial programs, better quality of students coming to regular classes, and a need to upgrade regular classes. Results of the study warrant the conclusion that diversity is a more common characteristics than conformity in Texas college and university writing programs. Also, the responding institutions seem to be moving away from literature as a basis of writing instruction toward writing per se, possibly as a by-product of the strong process orientation indicated by a majority of respondents. Major universities seem to be leading the way in this trend.
ORDER NO: ABA91-14113
The purposes of this study were (1) to chronicle the development of an open physics instructional laboratory, the Physics Instructional Center (PIC) at the University of North Texas; (2) to determine student, faculty, and staff perceptions about the characteristics of effective teaching assistants in an open physics instructional laboratory; and (3) to identify representative teaching assistants who were perceived by students as being mosf helpful and to determine their perceptions about the characteristics of effective teaching assistants. The literature which provided the developmental base for the Aen laboratory includes Sam Postlethwait's audio tutorial laboratories, modular curriculum development, individualized and personalized instruction, Keller plan instruction, student self-pacing, and the introduction of media to enhance existing curriculum efforts. This literature, the Physics Instructional Center, and its evolution over a decade are described. Instructional staff, teaching assistants, and students were interviewed, and students were surveyed to determine the most effective characteristics of teaching assistants in an open physics laboratory environment. The attributes which were deemed most important to an effective teaching assistant by students include the following, in order of importance: (1) was willing to help when asked; (2) was adequately prepared; (3) clearly understood the equipment and procedures; and (4) displayed a lack of rude, patronizing or condescending behavior toward students. The teaching assistant attributes which were deemed most effective by teaching assistants and faculty and staff directly correspond to the attributes described by students. The following conclusions were drawn from this study: (1) student input appears to be important in identifying the characteristics of an effective teaching assistant in an open laboratory environment; (2) students and instructional staff substantially agree on effective teaching assistant characteristics; and (3) the most important teaching assistant characteristics appear to include those that are personal in nature, those that involve knowledge of the discipline, and those that involve organization of the laboratory for students' learning.
ORDER NO: ABA91-12686
This study researched the impact of a college course in human sexuality on the developmental growth of students, using Arthur Chickering's developmental theory as a framework. Three of the seven vectors described by Chickering (1969), managing emotions, establishing identity, and establishing interpersonal relationships were examined in terms of student development. Fifty students from three undergraduate classes fr^% Augsburg College volunteered to participate in this study during the 1987-1988 academic year and completed the research questionnaire at three testing periods. The Erwin Identity Scale, the Iowa Managing Emotions Inventory and the Mines-Jensen Interpersonal Relationships Inventory were administered to each of the groups at the beginning of the semester term, at the end of the semester, and at three months following the end of the term. The three MANOVAS performed analyzed the scores of the students on the three subscales of the Erwin Identity Scale, the five subscales of the Iowa Managing Emotions Inventory, and the two subscales of the Mines-Jensen Interpersonal Relationships Inventory. It was found that students taking a course in human sexuality did not significantly change on these measures more than students not enrolled in the course. A significant MANOVA treatment effect was found for the tolerance variable of the Mines-Jensen Interpersonal Relationships Inventory with a significant difference between the Human Sexuality class and one of the control groups. All students in the study changed in a positive direction, but a full appraisal of the impact of the course on development is still to be accomplished. It appears that the broadly conceived measures like those used in this investigation may be too global to fully assess the impact of a sexuality course on student development. Instruments need to be more sharply attuned to measure the impact of the educational interventions that were made in this study. Theory also needs to be expanded in order to more specifically assess the sexual development of the young adult. Most importantly, this study links sexuality education with student development theory and pom.:s the direction for further research.
ORDER NO: ABA91-12454
The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of teaching two theoretically based decision-making strategies, Elimination and Maximizing, using locally designed microcomputer programs designed to assist college students who are concerned about choosing an academic major. Specific outcomes targeted for attention were: (a) increased level of decidedness or commitment to a major; (b) reduced state anxiety associated with deciding on a major; (c) increased exploratory behaviors relevant to choice of major; (d) increased complexity in thinking about choice of major. One hundred thirteen university freshmen volunteers were randomly assigned to one of three groups, called the Elimination program, the Maximizing program, and the waitlisted control group. The Elimination program, based on the Elimination by Aspect theory, describes the "good enough" assumption and emphasizes approximation rather than precision of the choice. The Maximizing program was based on the Subjective Expected Utility theory which prescribes the "right" choice with maximum gain. The first two groups completed a 45-minute orientation and preliminary assessment session, one 90-minute computer interaction session, and a 15-minute post-test session after the intervention. A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to the participants in the program group 3 weeks after the treatment session. The wait-listed control group completed the post-test before going on the computer. The results showed that the Elimination group was significantly more decided; and their associated state anxiety was significantly lower. Students with a "rational" decision style who were taught the Elimination strategy showed greater choice certainty, and less career indecision than "rational' decision style students in the control group. Students in the exploration stage and taught the Elimination strategy scored significantly lower on choice anxiety as compared to "explorers" in the control group. For the Elimination program, students' decision-making stages, perceived urgency of making a decision, and the amount of time spent in the program emerged as strong predictors of treatment outcomes. For the Maximizing program, students' trait anxiety, decision-making style, and decision-making stage were significant predictors of treatment outcomes.
ORDER NO: ABA91-12429
The growing numbers of part-time community college faculty prompted this investigation into the relationship between clinical supervision of part-time faculty and student outcome measures. The study was carried out in an average sized, comprehensive, midwestern community college. The study design compared two groups of part-time community college faculty. The control group consisted of classes taught by unsupervised part-time faculty in English, Business and Secretarial Science. The treatment group consisted of courses in the same academic areas taught by part-time faculty who were clinically supervised during one academic semester. The clinical supervision was administered through trained full-time faculty from the same college. The variables used to study potential differences were: student persistence in the class, student achievement as measured by final grade, and students' evaluation of the instructor and course. A chi-square analysis was performed on the persistence variable and an analysis of variance and t-test were used in comparisons for the variables of grades and students evaluation of instructor and course. The analysis of the data collected yielded statistically significant differences at the 0.05 level for the variable of persistence when comparisons were made for the entire study group. The clinical supervision of part-time community college faculty in this investigation did not show any statistically significant differences for the variables of grades nor for the students' perceptions of the instructor and the course, between the groups of faculty who were clinically supervised and those faculty who were not supervised. The persistence of the students in the introductory level classes taught by part-time faculty who were clinically supervised was significantly higher than for those students taught by part-time faculty who were not supervised. While this study was limited in scope, the results merit further investigation into the possible impact of supervision on instructional effectiveness.
ORDER NO: ABA91-09777
Staff development for educators is a major enterprZ7YPin the United States. Attempts to influence instructional practices are made continuously by a variety of potential change agents through many media. According to Guskey, however, "Nearly every major work on the topic of staff development has emphasized the failings of these efforts" (1986a, p. 5). One reason for failure is the lack of understanding of the criteria teachers use in deciding whether to use a proposed teaching technique. Stakeholders in understanding teachers' decision-making process include staff developers, administrators, researchers, and the teachers themselves. Based on two years of research and polling and/or interviewing almost 900 elementary and secondary teachers, House has designed the Method Acceptance Scale for Teachers (MAST), a 45-item inventory that reflects nine identified factors in teachers' decision-making process. The MAST is designed for use during the planning stages of a staff development project to identify the decision-making criteria that are important to the targeted audience. The surge in growth in community colleges occurred during the late 1950's and the 1960's (Cooper, 1981). Most community college faculty were not trained to teach in an institution whose mission included the provision of education to both traditional and non-traditional students in studies as diverse as transfer, developmental, and technical (Cooper, 1981). Thus, what training most community college faculty have received has been through inservice staff development or academic training concurrent with their teaching. Researchers among community college teachers have concluded that one imposing task of community college administrations is the provision of inservice professional growth for their faculties. Staff development at the community college, then, is both vital and dynamic. The purpose of this study is to extend House's research on teachers' decision-making criteria to community college faculty. Because of the homogeneity of factor structures among the four previously studied populations, a similar factor structure was hypothesized for community college teachers. Although the hypothesized seven-factor structure of the instrument was not validated, the results of this study demonstrate that there are specific, identifiable criteria by which community college teachers evaluate teaching methods suggested to them--according to these results, five such criteria are: (1) Informal Student Outcomes; (2) Professional Issues; (3) Concept Reputation; (4) Quantitative Student Outcomes (5) Teacher/Student Enjoyment.
ORDER NO: ABA91-10206
The unfavorable impact of didactic teaching methods upon students' learning and attitudes toward education and the lack of research on teaching methods at the post-secondary level are the major problems addressed by this study. It was the author's intent that specific teaching alternatives be tested and analyzed as to their effectiveness in terms of both quantitative and qualitative outcomes. The study assessed student educational values and learning preferences and experimented with the creation of a classroom learning environment conducive to more meaningful learning experiences. Subjects consisted of two intact Introduction to Psychology sections with an approximate enrollment of 35 students per section. One group was arbitrarily selected as the experimental group, while the other constituted the control or contrast group. Treatment consisted of providing limited academic freedom within the confines of a traditional and conservative institution. In contrast to the control group which was taught in the traditional didactic manner, the experimental group had a series of alternate optional learning activities from which to choose or adfh!eir own. If they decided to do the alternate activities, their exams were counted as single value. In the control group exams counted double; this was also the case for experimental group section students who decided to earn their grade in the traditional manner or by exams only. Both groups were administered a Checklist of Educational Views as a pre and post dependent variable measure. Student course satisfaction was also measured. In order to appreciate the kind of climate which was to be facilitated by the instructor in the experimental section, senior psychology students observed and recorded classroom behaviors on a daily basis. Results of the statistical analyses indicated that there was no significant change in views toward education as measured by the checklist. Qualitative data, however, demonstrated a clear preference (in both groups) for permissive classroom environments. Experimental group students were quite pleased with having experienced the permissive environment and those who did alternate learning activities seemed to have had a more meaningful learning experience.
ORDER NO: ABA91-09757
The term "expressive writing" is confusing. Discourse theorists include various kinds of writing in an "expressive" category, and a wide range of approaches to writing instruction have been called "expressive." To clarify the term, I draw distinctions between what I call an "Authenticity" orientation to expressive writing instruction, and what I call a "Generativity" orientation. I carefully scrutinize the notion of "expressive writing" evident in the textbooks and writings of authors whose approaches are representative of these two views. First I examine and explain the features of the approaches as revealed in the goals these authors have for their students and the practices they recommend for attaining them. I then probe more deeply into the features using psychological theory to illuminate and analyze the underlying theories of self implicit in the goals and practices. Finally, I demonstrate how implicit assumptions about "self" shape the goals and practices that comprise these expressive writing approaches. I conclude that a fundamental difference between an "Authenticity" orientation to expressive writing and a "Generativity" orientation has to do with underlying assumptions about the self and how it operates in the writing process. Such distinctions make it possible to discern the value of expressive writing pedagogy for current composition teaching.
ORDER NO: ABA91-09742
Taiwan established its National Open University (NOU) in 1986 to provide people with greater equality and wider access to higher education. The problem studied was about how the NOU evolved as an innovative instructional system within the larger cultural context permeated by a traditional philosophy of education. This is a story about its socio-technology and NOU's institutional politics and about what could be learned of its development which could be useful to other practitioners in distance education. Various methods, including in-depth interview, observation, and content analysis of relevant documents were used. Several themes emerged. Traditional beliefs about education, instructional methods, and academic degrees all contributed to shaping how the National Open University developed as a technology-based instructional system and consequently, its status as a non-traditional university within the national education system. The local political culture and styles of decision-making also shaped how technologies were used in this case. The people factor and the available resources dominated NOU's emergence as a socio-technical instructional system in which form superseded substance. A further examination of NOU's development showed that institutional politics determined the realization of NOU's organizational goals. In summary, this study concluded that the introduction and the dissemination of an educational innovation in a society required a systemic change of the society, as described by one Chinese idiom "the pull of one hair may move the whole body." Only through the understanding of the systemic nature of the change process can practitioners plan for successful change strategies.
ORDER NO: ABA91-07542
The purpose of this study was to seek, by means of a questionnaire and interviews, School of Education, Indiana University, faculty perceptions of the use of instructional development techniques in their classroom instruction. The results of the study may be of use to those educators concerned about instructional improvement and to educational technologists interested in the useable techniques as classroom instructional activities, as well as factors that contribute to the successful instructional development practices. The questionnaire was based on a particular instructional development model, namely, The Systematic Design of Instruction developed and revised recently by Dick and Carey (1985). The questionnaire consisted of three parts: Demographic Data, Classroom Activities, and Attitudes Toward Instructional Development. Interviews were based on the data collected by the questionnaire. The questionnaire was mailed to all School of Education faculty who taught classes during the academic year 1988/1989. Portions of the SPSS-X package were used to analyze the results. A manual process was used to treat the information gathered through interviews. Some of the more important findings indicate that a considerable number of the instructional techniques in the Dick and Carey model are used by faculty in their classroom instruction. Faculty members perceptions indicate that most of the instructional techniques should be used in ideal circumstances. When considering the School of Education as departmental groups, statistical analysis failed to indicate significant differences among faculty members groups with dissimilar academic specializations. Faculty members expressed moderate positive attitudes toward the use of instructional development techniques in their classroom instruction. However, statistical analysis of the subjects' responses on the attitude scale indicates significant differences among those departmental groups. Certain demographic variables, teaching experience, and age level, seem to have significant effect on the use of classroom instructional activities. Professorial rank, however, seems to have insignificant effect relevant to the use of classroom instructional activities by the faculty. The faculty members perceptions indicate that those instructors who had longer teaching experience, use more ID instructional activities. Future research in this area would be desirable to determine if alternative inquiry procedures would confirm the findings of this study.
ORDER NO: ABA91-07455
This experimental study examines the impact of a newly developed instructional method upon non-art major college students' learning of the basic concepts in visual principles of art, and upon transfer effect of the learned concepts in visual design toward production of their own art works, in this case, paintings. During the instructional treatment, the experimental group (N = 27) received the instructional method with a critical independent variable, "formal modification of model paintings in conjunction with formal analysis"; the control group (N = 27) received an independent variable, "production of original paintings." Following the instructional treatment, the instruments designed by the researcher, i.e., "a written formal analysis test" and "an art studio production task", were administered to both groups to measure the dependent variables, (a) ability to perceive the visual principles in newly encountered art work, and (b) ability to apply learned concepts of visual principles to production of their own original art works. The Sign test, a nonparametric statistical test, was administered to test the null hypotheses, Ho: $\mu$Xi = $\mu$Yi on the art studio production task, and Ho: $\mu$Xi = $\mu$Yi on the written formal analysis test. Both hypotheses were rejected at the.05 level. It was concluded that the learners of the experimental group significantly outperformed the learners of the control group in perceiving visual design principles in art and achieving aesthetic formal quality in their own original art works. Thus, this study supports the claim that the formal modification process which utilizes master artworks as conceptual prototypes is a significantly effective mode of learning the concepts of visual design in painting.
ORDER NO: ABA91-06469
At a time when education is facing problems, programs utilizing holistic teaching techniques, as well as those that teach students strategies for facilitating whole brain functioning could benefit educator and student. This study involved evaluation of a program to foster students' abilities to apply right brain/left brain research results practically into their academic pursuits. Lozanov's theory and Milton Erickson's approaches for utilizing unconscious processes were the bases for the program. The primary goal of the program was to improve students' GPAs. Employed in the study was a control-group pretest-posttest design. Subjects were undergraduate college students, assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group was subdivided into an instructor-assisted group and a self-directed group. Both experimental groups viewed videotapes about right/left brain functioning and relevant academic applications. The instructor-assisted group also participated in interactive discussions about the information and skills presented. Both experimental groups completed pre- and posttests (using the Academic Performance Orientation Questionnaire (APOQ) and a post-workshop evaluation. The control group completed the APOQ pre- and posttreatment. Grade point average (GPA) data for all participants were obtained@Brom student records. Indicated from analyses of covariance was that the program did not produce statistically significant changes in subjects' GPAs, but did produce significant changes in subjects' orientations to academic tasks as measured by the APOQ. APOQ pre- and$0k W W W<[V and some subscale scores for the experimental group were significantly different. Also, the self-directed experimental group subjects showed more significant change than the instructor-assisted group. The program was not recommended for use to produce relatively immediate changes in college students' GPAs. However, the program was recommended as a way to improve their academic orientations, which should have long-term, positive impact on academic performance. Improvements in the program also were suggested.
ORDER NO: ABA91-05093
This study was undertaken as a first step in a programmatic effort designed to explore issues of access to instruction and the situated demands of the instructional culture of introductory college chemistry. The research employs an ethnographic approach which is informed by cultural theory derived from cognitive and symbolic anthropology. This study expands the research base on chemistry instruction to the college level. It is also a novel approach to the study of instruction in higher education and opens up new ways of looking at and understanding classrooms as cultures, disciplines as cultures, and how they come together to create university instruction. The site was an introductory organic chemistry course for non-majors offered at a large midwestern university. Lecture and two sets of recitations were observed and recorded over nine weeks. The findings of the study reveal that the course was text- and test-driven and that a second curriculum was in place to aid students in the taking of exams. The model of instruction that was identified was labelled "the schooling" of science; this raises questions about the purpose of such a course with respect to the discipline and to the student population involved. In addition, the finding that the professor redefined the curriculum to match her interests and specialization challenges the generic model of teaching/curriculum posited by the process-product model. The differences found between the two recitation sections, particularly with respect to implementation of the second curriculum, also support this challenge. Implications of the study are that the "schooling" model needs to be examined across disciplines. Educators need to determine what model of teaching they want and how pedagogical strategies help or hinder attainment of that model. To understand a theory of teaching at the university level, the situated demands of the instruction as well as the general nature of the course need to be explored.
ORDER NO: ABA91-06537
This study determined the attitude of a college faculty toward using microcomputers for instructional purposes. By conducting a needs assessment and a comprehensive review of literature in the areas of computer applications in higher education, computer literary, training, and training models, a Training Model for microcomputer instruction of the college faculty was developed. The survey instrument which was designed during the course of the study was sent to the entire population of eighty-seven College of Education faculty members. The instrument had three parts: (A) Opinion about using microcomputers for instruction, (B) Training needs, and (C) Background information. Based on a five point Likert scale, the respondents indicated their attitude toward using microcomputers as instructional tools. Fifty-two questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 60 percent. To determine the reliability of the attitude portion of the questionnaire, the internal consistency method was used. Chronbach alpha coefficient of reliability for Part A of the questionnaire was found to be 0.94. Training needs assessment was conducted by using a matrix which provided information on the respondents' level of current knowledge, level of training needed, and preferred method of training. Demographic data gave information on age, gender, and higher education teaching experience of the participants in the study. It was found that the respondents had a very positive attitude toward using microcomputers in their classes. Based on the review of literature and the results obtained from the survey instrument, a Training Model was developed. The Training Model includes a discussion on the Content, Process and Facility needed to design an effective microcomputer instruction training program for a college faculty.
ORDER NO: ABA91-05965
The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in the effect of two instructional methods on the improveme|t of the writing ability of 38 students enrolled during the fall semester, 1989, in a freshman composition course at a small, four-year liberal arts institution. The researcher was interested in determining whether two widely used instructional procedures--process and product--differed in the extent to which they facilitated student learning. The purpose of the four statistical procedures used was twofold: (a) to determine whether where was an overall significant difference at p $<$.05 between students in an experimental group when compared to students in a control group on change scores when compared in a multivariate analysis of variance, and (b) to determine if significant differences existed at p $<$.05 between students in an experimental group when compared to students in a control group on five sections of two instruments; the English Proficiency Examination (EPE) and five sections of the California Achievement Test--Writing Assessment (CAT). The comparisons led to these findings: (a) there was a difference between students in an experimental group and students in a control group on change scores when compared in a multivariate analysis of variance and (b) overall significant differences on sections of the EPE and sections of the CAT did not exist between students in the experimental group when compared with students in a control group as evidenced by their performances on these instruments. While the experimental group showed slight improvement on all sections of the EPE and the CAT, significant improvement at p $<$.05 was shown in three sections: composition, vocabulary, and punctuation. These conclusions were drawn: (a) Even though statistically significant findings at p $<$.05 were minimal, overall slight improvement made by students in the experimental group indicated that the process instructional procedure has the potential to have a positive effect on students' ability to write effectively and (b) this study should be replicated over a longer period of time. One semester is a relatively short period to effect a performance change in a complex area such as writing.
ORDER NO: ABA91-05037
The problem of this study was to describe and compare the relationship of learning style and leadership style upon the selection of instructional strategies by nursing educators in associate and baccalaureate degree nursing programs. Data were collected using Kolb's Learning Style Inventory, Hersey and Blanchard's Leader Effectiveness and Adaptability Description, a researcher-developed Instructional Strategies Inventory, and the Personal Data Form. It was found that leadership style was highly correlated between the associate degree and baccalaureate degree faculty groups. More of the associate degree faculty members had basic leadership styles of Low Relationship/Low Task and High Task/Low Relationship. Most of the baccalaureate faculty members had Low Relationship/Low Task leadership styles. The following conclusions were developed: (a) Nursing faculty in associate and baccalaureate degree programs have similar learning and leadership styles; (b) nursing faculty tend to use the traditional instructional strategies such as lecture, discussion, and case studies at the same frequency of use; and (c) the selection of instructional strategies in nursing education may be affected by variables other than the instructor's learning and leadership styles. In view of the findings of this study, the following recommendations for further study appear to be warranted: (a) Further research should be conducted to determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of identified instructional strategies in nursing education, and (b) more research should be done to identify creativity in the selection of instructional strategies in nursing education. The following implications are suggested from an analysis of the data: (a) Although faculty characteristics are rarely a determining factor in the design of a nursing curriculum, they must be taken into account when selecting instructional strategies, and (b) the apparent lack of diversity in instructional strategies utilized in the classroom setting emphasizes the need for faculty to expand their knowledge base in this area.
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