An analysis of student achievement in programmed business english in selected business schools and junior colleges

The purpose of this study was to determine and analyse student achievement as a result of the use of an experimental edition of a programmed business English textbook in selected classes. The participants in the study were 202 post high school and junior college students distributed in seven classes in four states. The textbook used was the experimental edition of Programmed Business English, developed by Harry Huffman of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Virginia, and Syrell Rogovin, a linguist at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center. Yorktown Heights, New York. The students took a pretest before initiating their study of the textbook. Four interim tests were taken during the study, and a posttest was taken at the conclusion of the study. A comparison of posttest over pretest achievement represented students’ business English achievement as a result of their study of the textbook. Specific problems and findings in the study were: 1: Problem: Reliability of the pretest and the posttest used in the study. Findings: By using Tests A and B (pretests and posttests) the investigator found a .66 positive correlation between Tests A and B. By using the split-half method on Tests A and B the investigator found a .82 positive correlation on Test A and a .87 positive correlation on Test B. 2: Problem: Business English achievement of students before they used the program business English textbook. Findings: The achievement of individual students before they used the programmed business English textbook ranged from a low of 23 percent for a student in Class 1 to a high of 82 percent for students in Classes 3 and 7. 3. Problem: Business English achievement of selected classes of students after they used the programmed business English textbook. Findings: The achievement of individual students after they used the programmed business English Textbook ranged from a low of 31 percent for a student in Class 2 to a high of 99 percent for a student in Class 3. 4. Problem: Analysis and interpretation of the business English achievement of each class after the programmed business English textbook had been used. Findings: The mean gains in points were 20.41, 24.39, 25.00, 22.31, 19.09, 36.18, and 19.14 for the seven classes who used the textbook. 5. Problem: Comparison of the business English achievement among the classes that used the programmed business English textbook. Findings: Class 6 had the highest mean achievement (88.41) after completing the textbook used in the study, and Class 1 had the lowest mean achievement (64.59). The mean posttest achievement for all the classes was 74.11 percent. 6. Problem: Participating instructors’ opinions as to the strengths and weaknesses of the programmed business English textbook. Findings: Five of the six instructors who returned questionnaires to the investigator had favorable opinions of the textbook. They stated that it was beneficial for more detailed work and left the teacher free to work with slower students. All the replies stated that the textbook provides for more hours or periods of instruction than were used. The major objection to the textbook was the testing program. The tests, according to the instructors, were too infrequent and covered too much material. The advantages the instructors cited were: the provision for individual differences, the immediate verification of response, and the opportunity provided the teacher to work with individual students.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Business Education

Department dc:contributor.department

Business Education

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Year dc:date.issued

1965

Author dc:creator

• Adkins, Dorothy Mae

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/75960

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/75960