SELECTED CLASSROOM BEHAVIORS AS PREDICTORS OF ACHIEVEMENT IN INTRODUCTORY ACCOUNTING.

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

RILEY, DOROTHY MARY.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania.

Subjects (All):

Business education.

0688.

Local Subjects:

0688.

Physical Description:

117 pages

Contained In:

Dissertation Abstracts International 42-03A.

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

text file

Summary:

This study investigated the relation of certain classroom behaviors to academic achievement while considering the scholastic aptitude, past achievement and gender of the student.

Three accounting classes of 113 students at Villanova University were observed unobtrusively for the entire 1980 Spring semester and student-instructor and student-student interactions were recorded. An observational record modeled on the Bales' and Flanders' system of interaction analysis was used to record student questions and responses to instructor and student-to-student questions and responses. Students were also asked to rate their liking of the instructor and their perceptions of the instructors' liking for them; concurrently, the instructors were asked to rate their liking of the students.

The hypothesized functional relationships were tested by means of intercorrelations and stepwise multiple regression analyses across classes and within each class. Male students performed significantly better than female students on the Accounting I final examination. Additionally, student liking of the instructor, past achievement as indicated by college grade point average and high school rank, and class attendance significantly predicted performance on the final examination.

In individual classes completed homework and student responses to instructor were significantly related to exam performance while student-to-student talk contributed negatively to achievement.

Student liking of instructor was the second most important predictor of achievement, and was significantly related to students' perception of instructor liking of student. Instructor liking of student, while not directly related to the achievement criterion, had an indirect relationship; it was related to classroom behaviors that were conducive to achievement. Students who liked instructors asked questions and responded in class, completed their homework, and attended class regularly.

To determine students' attitudes toward the course and to validate the observational data, course evalutions were administered. The relevant items on the student evaluations of the course supported the observed data and offered further insights into the prediction of achievement.

In the classes studied the successful accounting student was male, had a high grade point average or high school rank, attended class regularly, turned in homework, responded to instructor's questions, did not engage in student-student talk during class, liked the instructor and perceived correctly that the instructor liked him/her, felt the course was valuable, put a good deal of effort in the course, and felt free to discuss course problems with the instructor outside of class.

Implications for accounting education were discussed and it was recommended that class participation be encouraged in the introductory accounting class by (a)first, emphasizing the importance of homework preparation for class discussion, (b)second, developing a degree of instructor control to insure a minimum of student-student talk, (c)finally, instructors should be aware that a student's liking of the instructor is associated with increased class participation and higher exam performance.

Notes:

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-03, Section: A, page: 0969.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Pennsylvania, 1981.

Local Notes:

School code: 0175.

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.