An Experimental Evaluation of a Modified Morrison Procedure in Teaching American History

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of extensive pre-guidance, periodic checking, and detailed correction and comment on specific preliminary steps in the development of the documented research paper, written by freshman English students, according to their grade achievement. Also included was a cross-check analysis of written essays, prepared and impromptu. The study involved the research papers of forty-eight students enrolled in two classes. One group received detailed guidance, the other did not. An evaluation chart, developed by the instructor and another rater, was used on all papers; a systematic sampling of 19 percent of these was graded by the second rater. The inter-rater reliability coefficient (Pearson r) was established as .96.

The hypothesis-there will be no significant difference in the grade achievement of separate sections of second semester freshman English students on the research paper according to different instructional procedures-was not rejected. The conclusion was drawn that, within the limited scope of this study, the described methods were not validated by the classroom instructor as a means of improving the performance of students on the research paper.