| Abstract: | In determining whether or not students learned more effectively in different learning environments, experimental and control classes were conducted over a 2-year period in a basic statistics course that involved ten faculty members and 1,172 students. Grades, common examinations, and a checklist were the basic criterion measures used; mathematics background and overall grade point (GPA) served as control mechanisms. Major conclusions were: students preferring some type of independent study consistently underachieved; instructor types, which produced high achievement levels for specific types of students, were identified in behavioral terms; it probably will take drastic manipulations of the learning environment beyond the normal constraints of the university in order to produce effective changes in the learning pattern. |
