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Effects of a self instructional program in business administration implemented at the graduate level to international students

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Effects of a self instructional program in business administration implemented at the graduate level to international students

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Content EFFECTS OF A SELF INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IMPLEMENTED AT THE GRADUATE LEVEL TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS by Rosalyn Burns Collier A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Education) July, 1982 UMI Number: DP24879 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Dissertation Pubi sbsnq UMI DP24879 Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THE GRA DU ATE SC HO O L U N IV E R S IT Y PARK LOS AN G ELES, C A L IF O R N IA 9 0 0 0 7 This dissertation, w ritten by Rosalyn Burns Collier under the direction of h.ox... Dissertation Com - mittee, and approved by a ll its members, has been presented to and accepted by T h e Graduate School, in p artial fu lfillm en t of requirements of the degree of D O C T O R O F P H I L O S O P H Y Dean D a te July 27, 1982.... Ph.D. '83 > 1 DISSERTATION COMMITTEE chairman ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For my mother, who listened to the dream; to Bea and Carl for helping to make it a reality; to my hus band, Dennis for his love and support; to my son, Joseph Scott, for being the perfect ending to a long process; and finally, to Sandra, Stephen and Eileen. Special thanks to Dr. F. Knirk, Instructional Technology Department, University of Southern California; Frank Chew, Flex Ed, University of Southern California; and Dr. A. Klinger, University of California, Los Angeles. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................ ii LIST OF TABLES........................................ v LIST OF FIGURES ........... yii Chapter I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM................ 1 Background Importance of Study The Research Paradigm The Research Problem Hypotheses Limitations Definition of Terms II. DESIGN OF THE TRANSITION PROGRAM....... 15 Rationale of the Design Effort The Development Effort Management of the Instructional System General Design Procedures Evaluation of the IBEAR Instructional System III. METHODOLOGY.......... .................... 39 Research Design & Statistical Analysis Research Samples Instrumentation The GMAT and TOEFL Examinations The Transition Preparatory Package Criterion Reference Tests Evaluation Forms The Management Model for Field Testing Methodological Assumptions of the Study iii Chapter Page IV. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS......... 64 Analysis of Results Discussion of Results V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS... 87 Summary of Findings Conclusions Recommendations BIBLIOGRAPHY.............. 96 APPENDIXES A. - A Management Model for Field Testing an Instructional System........................103 B. Components of the Transition Preparatory Package.........................................115 C. Criterion-Reference Tests......................126 D. Evaluation Data..................................152 E. The Gantt Chart................... *.............157 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Profile Data for Group I Profile Data for Group II...................... 43 44 : 2 Aptitude Measures................................ 3 Comparison of Aptitude Measures between Groups............................... 65 4 Descriptive Values on Criterion- Reference Measures. ...... 67 5 Results of Correlation Analysis of Aptitude by Criterion-Reference Measures - Group I.............................. 68 6 Results of Correlation Analysis of Aptitude by Criterion-Reference Measures - Group II................ 69 7 Comparison of Criterion-Reference Means............................................. 71 8A Results of Analysis of Covariance for Criterion-Reference Tests in Accounting with GMAT Verbal and TOEFL Aptitude Scores Omitted...................72 8B Results of Analysis of Covariance for Criterion-Reference Tests in Economics with GMAT Verbal and TOEFL Aptitude Scores Omitted .............73 9 Analysis of Variance Undergraduate Major by Criterion-Reference Performance - Group I 75 10 Analysis of Variance Undergraduate Major by Criterion-Reference Performance - Group II....76 v Table Page 11 Score Ranking in Accounting for Group II.... 77 12 Score Ranking in Economics for Group II 78 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page II-1 Structure of Design & Evaluation Effort.......35 II1-1 The Management Model for Field Testing an Instructional System.........................51 vii CHAPTER I STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Over the past decade, American universities have witnessed an unprecedented demand in the number of people seeking graduate degrees in business administration (Time, May 4, 1981). In part, this explosion is due to the inter national ambiance of the business community and the influx of people from abroad seeking to advance their knowledge in the field of technology and management. As Harris and Moran (1979) pointed out: "There is a fundamental change in busi ness perspectives toward a view of the world without bor ders, toward the creation of world corporations". The introduction of new populations to our educa tional systems presents new challenges. Professional schools in particular have to identify the idiosyncratic needs of specific groups and adapt their educational programs accord ingly. The present study addresses itself to such a program. An intensive Master of Business Administration Program offered exclusively to international students began at the University of Southern California about five years ago. The location of the university is in a large metro polis on the Pacific coast which made it geographically 1 ideal to offer educational opportunities to business execu tives in the Pacific basin and to influence business in that part of the world. This intensive MBA program was established for students possessing two to five years of experience in business. The academic program was opened to executives of multinational corporations from various countries with the number of students from any one country being fixed. The emphasis on admitting entrepreneurial students gained pre cedence over traditional standards of acceptance to the university and offered the first educational challenge, the creation of a transition program to familiarize students with technical vocabulary and basic conceptual skills necessary for a successful entrance back into academia. This study will detail the development effort of that Transition Program which evolved over a two year period to meet this challenge. The essential goal was to provide a systematic educational approach toward familiar izing students with technical vocabulary and concepts in such disciplines as accounting, economics, math, computer, and business communication. During 1981, the Transition Program was administered in three stages: Stage I, familiarity with material in the Transition Preparatory package; Stage II, testing and 2 diagnostic evaluation; Stage III, small group tutorial sessions. The application of a variety of learning and de- » sign principles underscored each stage of the development effort in this project. Importance of Study In recent years we have witnessed an upsurge in the number of international students entering our universities. The reasons for this are varied: declining enrollment of domestic students as a result of population factors, the instability of political institutions in many countries and the lure of American technology. Many students entering our universities are first tested on, and encouraged to learn, language that we asso ciate with basic survival skills. Few are encourage to study and become acquainted with the language of a particu lar discipline. The justification for this emphasis may be found at the undergraduate level where the student has no defined major, this is not the case at the graduate level. The graduate student is expected to concentrate their energies in a specific field. Often they come to our country for a limited period of time and are expected to complete their studies during that time frame. Hence, it is vital that the terminology and basic concepts of that field be digested before higher mental conceptualizations can be made. The basic element in this research study was 3 exposure to fundamental terminology and concepts in five areas of business administration. Methods of instruction included: audio tapes, programmed instruction material, workbooks, etc.. The research included here may serve as a model to other institutions of higher learning faced with similar international programs. The Research Paradigm The question of how research can influence educa tional practice has, of yet, produced no consensus of opinion. On the contrary, there exists a major division of thought surrounding this issue. At the extreme end of the continuum are proponents who espouse the virtues of basic research, the purpose of which is theory building without regard for immediate application. On the other end, are those who advocate applied research, a pragmatic view which encourages the application of scientific principles to prac tical situations. Proponents of the former view, such as Kerlinger (1977) and Jackson & Kieslar (1977) believe that basic re search has greater ultimate impact and that research on practical work will have a devastating effect on research in education. A strong pragmatic attitude virtually forces focus upon outcomes and getting things done. What is good is what works! There is relatively less emphasis on why things work, most important is that they work! (Kerlinger, 1977, p. 6) This extreme position has been attacked vociferously by such researchers as Krathwohl (1977), Shaver (1979), and Slavin (1978). The essence of their position is that the true value of research rests with the application of theo retical findings into practice. Research, they claim, changes practice slowly and unobtrusively. One very impor tant way it changes practice is by helping us understand the effect of these theoretical findings in different situa tional contexts. This interplay of theory and practice spawn new theoretical frameworks, thus enabling us to see things in a new light. For example, the theoretical princi ple of behavior modification had a vast impact when applied to the field of special education. Krathwohl sees the validating role of practical research: Recognizing that knowledge comes from practice as well as research, and that the ultimate validation of educational research is in educational practice, reviewers of research could be encouraged to search out confirming or disconfirming evidence from practice to set alongside research findings. (Kerlinger, 1977, p . 3) One emergent problem that stems from the decision to follow a particular philosophy is that of research paradigm. In basic research, we have the traditional or "agricultural- botany paradigm**, whereas in applied research the "social- 5 anthropological paradigm" is more evident. In contrasting these two paradigms, Hamilton, MacDonald, King, Jenkins, and Parlett (1977) discuss the advantages of the latter approach. The practical orientation they contend, lends it self toward such well known work on evaluation as that done by Atkin, Scriven and Stake. These works combine both the qualitiative and quantitative aspects of research. Evalua tions should be investigative and story-like renditions of educational settings. Portrayals should be offered to clarify or make more vivid known practical educational sit uations. The evaluator’s role becomes that of critic of educational activity. Willis (1978) characterizes criti cism as performing four key functions: observation, descrip tion, interpretation and appraisal. The method of inquiry which contributes much to this evaluation method is that of the case study. Hamilton (1977) states that these perspectives on evaluation seem to offer much that contributes productively to the method and subject matter of practical research, i.e., they offer strategies for transacting with problematic situations and ways to capture the essence of situationally specific knowledge, unique qualities, and those that are generalizable. The study presented here addressed itself to practi cal research. Specifically, it was the application of 6 various principles of learning incorporated in a unique transition program administered to international students in higher education. The method of inquiry adopted was that oi the case study with emphasis on evaluative techniques. The Research Problem The major problem was to create an. educational pro gram that was aimed at developing competency in technical vocabulary and conceptual skills in various business disci plines. The investigatory aspects of developing this pro gram began in Fall, 1980 with Group I of this population anc had been implemented in Fall, 1981 to Group II. The study sought to (1) identify the major limita tions that existed in entry level technical vocabulary and concepts that were necessary for successful performance in various business disciplines, (2) propose and administer a Transition Program aimed at remediating any deficiencies in technical conceptual ability, and (3) evaluate the affect of this program. Specifically, the research problems were: 1. Identify the limitations that existed in entry level ability in various business disciplines for this unique population. Develop a program that would be useful in remedi ating any limitations in technical vocabulary and conceptual ability in business administration. Develop an educational product that would be useful in remediating for these deficiencies. Develop criterion-reference tests and evaluation instruments that correctly identified students achievements and evaluation of the Transition Preparatory Package. Establish and evaluate the usefulness of the tutorial program that was administered to students after their performance on criterion-referenced tests had been diagnosed. Hypotheses The following hypotheses were extrapolations of the research problems: 1. There will be no difference between scores obtain ed on either the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam for Groups I and II. 2. There will be no relationship between verbal ability and scores obtained on various criterion- reference measures. 8 3. The mean performance of Group II (1981) will not be higher than the mean performances of Group I the previous year. 4. Any.differences which exist between the mean per formances of the two groups will not be due to verbal ability. 5. There will be no relationship between an undergradu ate business major and non-business major in terms of their performances on criterion-reference mea sures . 6. There will be a negative relationship between the internal conditions of learning (cognitive pro cesses) and external conditions of demonstrating learning (recognition/recall) as defined by GagneTs (1977) hierarchical arrangement of intellectual skills. 7. The majority of students in Group II (1981) will evaluate the Transition Preparatory Package and tutorial sessions as extremely useful compared to traditional forms of orientation programs. Limitations 1. The study cannot control for the length of time that any particular student had the Transition Preparatory package. This was a function of their acceptance into the MBA program. 9 2. Comparison of data must be made against a previous group1s performance (Group I, Fall, 1980). However, the composition of these two groups (Group I and Group II) was similar. This was based on data collected from student profiles. 3. Comparison of test data for both groups was based or. alternative forms of the same information. 4. As the material contained in the Transition Prepara tory package represented a form of individualized instruction, the amount of time a student devoted to studying the various components of the package coulc not be controlled. 5. It was assumed that the composition of Group II' was representative of international students who would participate in future MBA programs..T Definition of Terms Criterion-reference tests Measures of achievement that prescribe a standard acceptable performance the individual must obtain. This is in contrast to norm-reference tests whereby each individual is judged according to the performance of the group. Field testing Field testing refers to a large group tryout of a complete instructional system in a reality context, i.e., 10 a typical, normal instructional setting. In addition to collecting data on learning outcomes, the focus is on: (a) the execution of the program, e.g., logistics of implement ing the program, (b) process, e.g., learner behavior and other influences, and (c) attitudinal data. Formative evaluation Evaluation that occurs during some stage of develop ment with the intent of obtaining data for instructional product revision or curricular improvement. Hierarchical intellectual skills Learning hierarchies imply that learning has a cumula tive character, in which the acquisitions of specific rules established at one level of learning, is transferred to another level of learning that involve more complex "Higher-order" rules. This study was concerned with three of the five intellectual skills defined by Gagne (1977). They were: defined concepts, rule learning, and problem solving. Instructional development Instructional development, as defined by the AECT Task Force on Definition and Terminology, is "a systematic approach to the design, production, evaluation and 11 utilization of complete systems of instruction, including all components and a management pattern for using them." Instructional system An instructional system may be defined generically as: (a) a combination of instructional system components (products, strategies, resources, etc.) designed to bring about purposive and controlled learning of specified terminal behaviors, with (b) a complete set of instructional management pro cedures for implementing the system, (c) further it must be replicable and reproducible and, (d) empirically validated. Maintenance evaluation Maintenance of curriculum, after implementation, was another phase of evaluation. This phase can serve as a form of quality control. The curriculum should remain at the level of effectiveness as when first implemented. Transition Preparatory package This was a package of material that consisted of workbooks and audio tapes which provided material in the 12 following disciplines: accounting, business communication, college algebra, introduction to computers, macroeconomics, and microeconomics. This package was mailed to each individual in their home country. The mailing took place in the early Spring prior to the students arrival in the United States for the Fall semester of that year. Transition period This was the first three weeks of the program in which the students were give diagnostic evaluations of their proficiency on the Transition Preparatory package material. In addition, they received tutorial support where needed. Other activities, not related to the package included tours of the computer facilities, introductions to staff and faculty, and exposure to the library system. Tutorial program Based on test performance .'on material in the Tran sition Preparatory package, students were assigned to small group tutorial sessions for a period of one week per sub ject, three hours per day. The tutors used the test re sults and material from the Transition Preparatory package as a basis for further instruction. The tutorial sessions lasted two weeks thus giving a student the option of parti cipating in at least two tutorial sessions. 13 Organization of the Remainder _____ of the Dissertation______ Chapter II presents a review of selected literature and previous research on (a) traditional forms of orienta tion programs, (b) design principles and their application to instructional systems, and (c) evaluation techniques. Chapter III describes the methodology of the study including the research design and statistical analysis, the research sample, the instrumentation, the data collection and recording procedures, the methodological assumptions, and limitations. Chapter IV reveals the findings of the investigation and contains a discussion of the results. Chapter V consists of a summary of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations. 14 CHAPTER II DESIGN OF THE TRANSITION PROGRAM Rationale of the Design Effort Due to the condensed nature of the International Business Education and Research MBA program (one year vs. the usual two) and the unique composition of the current population, the design of the Transition program deviated from standard orientation programs. Traditionally, international students attending universities are required to demonstrate proficiency on any number of language exams (TOEFL, The Michigan Test of Eng lish Proficiency (MTELP), and the American Language Insti tute, Georgetown University, ALIGU). Depending on the re sults obtained, the student may or may not find themself a candidate for additional instruction in English. Thomas and Richardson (1978) described several instructional op tions opened to the student: (a) They may be allowed to attend some combination of English classes for foreign students while en rolled in regular academic courses, and (b) they may be referred either to an intensive ESL (English as a Second Language) course within their ___________________ 15 university or be required to attend a similar pro gram at another location. Hok (1977) described some of the components that usually make up these programs; teaching grammar, vocabu lary composition, reading, and oral skills. All too often these techniques of instruction have not been reviewed and updated. Vocabulary teaching may not have progressed much further than memorizing old lists or using "look-it-up" procedures. Likewise, most programs for teaching English to foreign students concentrate on spoken English rather than reading and writing the language (Eskey, 1970). For many students of English as a foreign language who are entering universitieis in the states, these will be the primary skills needed to master their course material. In an experiment conducted by Upshur (1968) in which foreign language students participated in four different language experiments, the validity of intensive language programs in general was questioned. He used foreign students in a seven week orientation program in which treatment groups took (a) no ESL training, (b) one hour per day of ESL training, and (c) two hours of training per day. Placement in treatment groups was determined by a pretest of English proficiency. Results supported the hypothesis that English language learning is not related to the amount of English language instruction for students in an English language teaching environment. With some reservations the study suggests 16 that the ESL approach was not the best for language learn ing when the opportunities to use the second language in other activities were available. The findings were interpreted in support of the view that the most efficient foreign language learning is informal and occurs when the learner must make communicative use of the language variety to be learned. (Upshur, 1968, p. Ill) The notion of relevance was not new and had been introduced by many researchers of English as a second lan guage. Garwood (1970) advocated language courses which were ’’psychologically based on the context of the situation”, i.e., to offer skills in language that were relevant to the context in which the student would most need language pro ficiency. From this kind of learning, he contended, springs motivation and interest, and the development of proper bonds between language and skills in its use. The essential question asked when devising programs based on a narrow range of the language, i.e., technical vocabulary, was soes it constitute a legitimate program of teaching English (Mackey, 1954 and Pitman, 1957)? In the case of the International Business Education and Research (IBEAR) Transition Program, the answer to that question was "yes”. The entire degreed program was taught in a language saturated with technical and scientific vocabulary (statis tics, accounting, economics, computer). The students in the IBEAR program were expected to stay in the states for a short period of time. Why would members of this population 17 want to know statements like ”my tailor is rich” or ’’George Washington crossed the Delaware in a rowboat’’ when they must become competent in more technical disciplines? This concept of ’’relevancy’’ in teaching language, although not widespread at the university level, is prac ticed in training programs in industry. Nishiyama (1975) and Organovitch (1980) describe two such programs. Each year the United States exports enormous quanti ties of technological equipment to international corpora tions. One of the problems created by this situation is the discrepancy between the level of technology sold and the level of training needed by the people who have to em ploy the technology. Organovitch (1980) proposed a five- stage training program to bridge the gap created. The stages of his program consisted of vocabulary selection, curriculum design and material adaptation, pre- technical English, on-the-job training, and quality assur ance. The first two stages were a joint development effort of the technical a,nd English staff. The technical trainers identified the vocabulary and basic technical concepts that were necessary to start the job training portion of the pro gram. Once these prerequisities were clearly defined, the English training staff and curriculum specialists designated the materials to be used and the methods of instruction. Other considerations such as cultural characteristics of the students, learning habits, student-teacher attitudes 18 and relationships, and testing, affected the program's design. The emphasis of teaching English using specifically selected technical vocabulary and concepts rather than non program related terminology was implemented in the Pre- technical English phase of the program. After the trainees were exposed to this process they were ready for the on-the -job training component. Finally, during the quality assurance phase, the materials and student performances were evaluated. Several of these design features were also incorporated into the IBEAR project, i.e., collaboration with a subject matter expert, the selection of relevant technical vocabulary, evaluation of materials and perfor mances , etc.. Nishiyama ( 1975) discussed a training approach which emphasized practical business communication skills to be qcquired by students attending the Japanese American Institute of Management in Hawaii. Businessmen from Japan, who were sponsored by their companies, attended the Insti tute to become better versed in areas such as the English language, intercultural speech communication, comparative management systems in the U.S. and Japan, business law, and the application of computers to management. These gentle men were considered elite members of their respective firms and were expected to eventually represent their companies in the international business community. 19 The major objectives of the Intercuttural Speech Communication course was to assist these students in under standing the American business subculture and to acquire practical interpersonal communication skills in various business-related situations. In order to achieve this ob jective, Nishiyama identified those factors which might im pede the process of acquiring useful communication skills. They were: (a) poor habits of learning English which might have been the result of the type of instruction they re ceived in Japan, (English language instruction there was usually relegated to private institutions as it was con sidered inappropriate for it to be conducted at the univer sity level), (b) cross cultural differences between the Japanese and American peoples, like the need to "save face" or deference to a vertical societal structure, and (c) basic language differences that existed which interfered with transference of language. After identifying these factors, a program of instruction was created that empha sized skills in communication relevant to business situa tions . The two examples cited also illustrate the appli cation of design principles in the formation of programs that stressed proficiency in technical vocabulary. The IBEAR Project was a similar effort which was implemented at the university level in Fall, 1981. In the section that follows, the techniques of program design and evaluation are discussed. 20 The Development Effort The initial challenge of the development effort was to define the overall structure of the Transition Program administered to the IBEAR group. Certain factors influenced how the program would eventually be implemented: 1. The population of students entering the IBEAR MBA program were sponsored by their companies for a limited period of time (one year) in which they were expected to complete their degree. 2. The time lag ; between their entrance back into academia and the completion of their baccalaureate precipitated "reintroducing" them to the demands of a scholastic environment. 3. The group as a whole possessed marginal proficiency in English and were unfamiliar with technical jargor of various subject areas of business administration. 4. Many entered the United States immediately before commencement of the Master’s program. The first hurdle was to devised a program that took into account the amount of time these people would have to familiarize themselves with the prerequisite material. Once the degreed program began, it would have been impossi ble to provide instruction of that nature. The solution was to mail self-instructional material to the prospective students in their home countries at least two to four months 21 prior to their arrival in the states (Stage I of the pro gram). Upon their arrival at the university, students began their three week orientation program. During the first week, time was allocated for diagnosing each student’s com petency level on the material in the Transition Preparatory package (Stage II). In the second and third week of this program, small group tutorial sessions were provided to students who did not meet acceptable levels of performance on the various criterion-reference tests (Stage III). A recap of these components of the Transition Program follow: A Transition Preparatory Package was mailed to the prospective student two to four months prior to their arrival in the states. The testing and diagnostic evaluation period was implemented during the first weeks of the program so that each stu dent’s ability in various business dis ciplines could be assessed. Small group tutorial sessions were pro vided for students who did not meet acceptable levels of performance on various tests. The actual tutorial ■ schedule extended over a two week period, two and a half hours per day, in one of three subject areas. Within the framework of the instructional system described above, it was necessary to determine the*methods of instruction to be employed in the Transition Preparatory material. Garwood (1970) and Ewer (1971) suggested the following techniques when instructing non-English speaking students: 22 Stage I: Stage II: Stage III: 1. Reduce the burden of foreign language learning by providing active practice when teach terminology. Units of instruction should be designed to promote free oral (overt or covert) or written recall of the material. 2. Select vocabulary items which have a high frequency rating within a discipline. This will aid the speec and degree of retention. 3. Use simple directions on how to proceed. 4. Give examples of theoretical considerations. 5. Provide exercises concerned with questions, calcu lations, and problems which reinforce the concept behind the definition of a word. 6. Use concrete situations based on charts, diagrams, etc. 7. Offer a controlled learning experience. 8. Offer listening exercises. These instructional features are described in a general sense, however, when translated into principles of design, they can be recognized as components of the Transi tion Preparatory package, e.g., active practice translates into the use of programmed instruction, use of directions on how to proceed, translates into the use of behavioral objec tives, etc. 23 Management of the Instructional System The management of a project possessing such diverse components as that of the IBEAR instructional system was guided by the ’’Model for Field Testing” established by Norman (1980), see Appendix A. Although there were an abundance of models to choose from (Baker & Elam, 1978; Briggs, 1970; Brown, 1978; Danna, 1980; Locatis 8z Smith, 1972; and Schutz, 1970), the task was really to select the model that complemented this research project. Most models simply describe task elements and relationships at a general level and offer little help in providing specific advice needed to develop and field test an instructional system. The model developed by Norman, however, was suitable for adoption to this study. In it she had described the pro cesses, procedures, tasks, responsibilities, resources, etc., necessary to manage the design of a product and also the steps in administering the field test of the product. This model has been a derivation of the ’’Instructional Develop ment System" model developed by the University Consortium for Instructional Development and Technology between 1969 and 1971. The structure of the IBEAR Transition Program re flected the first of four characteristics defined by Norman that an instructional system must possess. It was a combination of instructional products, strategies, and 24 resources, that were established to bring about purposive Learning. The second feature of this sytem was that it possessed a complete set of management procedures available for implementing the program. This study addressed itself to Norman’s third point, i.e., the validation of the system through the collection of evaluation data (both criterion reference measures and attitudinal data). The final charac teristic of whether or not this project can be reproduced with similar results is beyond the scope of this study and remains the task of future research efforts. The specific adaptation of this model to the devel opment process will be discussed in Chapter III. General Design Procedures Researchers of instructional design (Norman, 1980 and Twelker, et.a al., 1972) defined three major phases of design: (1) the identification of needs, (2) developing the product or program to meet those needs, and (3) evaluation of its effectiveness. In this discussion that follows, these phases provide the framework around which the IBEAR Transition Program was created. Identification Watson (1974) defined the process of identification as that of specifying the needs of your population and 25 transferring the accommodation of these needs as being the goal of a program. This strategy has also been endorsed by Briggs in his book Handbook of Procedures for the Design of Instruction, (1970). The procedures used to assess the needs of our group were those advocated by Briggs, 1970; Danna, 1980; and Schutz, 1970. Records of the learners were scrutinized in order to gain access to information on characteristics typically labelled as prerequisite competencies. Informa tion on past academic performance and an analysis of pro fessional expertise were also gathered. Previous students were interviewed as to the specific needs of the group, how these needs could best be accommodated, and to suggest any recommendations they could offer as a result of their ex perience in an earlier Transition Program of a similar na ture. Finally, members of the IBEAR Administrative staff, who were American-Asians, were questioned about any idio- syncracies or characteristics of the group that might be of value to the designer. Subject-matter-experts (SMEs) were interviewed as to their experiences with an earlier group of international students,their perceptions of the popula tion, and primarily, how they felt the instructional effort could help them deal with the current group of students and the demands that academia would place on them. Using these procedures, a broad definition of the needs of this group 26 were identified, the next stage was to develop a program of instructipn to meet these needs. The Design Effort The participants of IBEAR Group II were adult learners who had already acquired many of the cognitive strategies and capabilities (attention, retention, res ponding) conducive to self-instruction. The development effort capitalized on this attribute by incorporating prin ciples of design that promoted individualized instruction. Some of these principles were: the use of programmed instruct tion, behavioral objectives, presenting material in a hierarchical order, providing feedback as to the correctness! or incorrectness of a response, etc.. These points will be elaborated upon in the subsequent section. Illustrations of how these principles apply to the material contained in the Transition Preparatory package is described in Appen dix B, ’’Components of the Transition Preparatory Package”. 1• A Hierarchical Approach to Learning The first principle of design was to recognize that a student must progress from easy to .difficult concepts during an instructional sequence. The principle of hier archical learning was extremely adaptable to this effort as no teacher would be present to provide answers to questions or to fill in any gaps in learning. 27 The supposition was that the student would be un familiar with English and would require the selection of material that first introduced vocabulary and basic termi nology, then the reader would be exposed to elementary con cepts with examples, next to related concepts, and finally, to the application of these concepts to problem solving. This structure of learning mirrors that of Gagne's hierar chical approach as defined in The Conditions of Learning. 2. Programmed Instruction Although the concept of programmed instruction be gan with Pressey in the 1920's, it was not until 1950 that this form of instruction gained significant notoriety. Principles of learning popularized by the Harvard psycho logist, B. F. Skinner found expression in this form of in struction. The major emphases were: active participation, immediate confirmation and individual progression adapted to the capabilities of each learner. The following list summarizes the attributes of this instructional form, it a. proports to control learner's behavior, b. allows individuals to proceed at their own rate and/or sequence, c. was developed from a theoretical rather than empirical base, d. confirms learner's responses, 28 e. provides a method of learner actively participating, f. administers instruction in a logical sequence of small steps, g. permits more "individualized” instruction. Campeau (1974) in her survey on the effectiveness of programmed instruction addressed the following questions 1. How does programmed instruction compare with con ventional methods? 2. What is the effect of knowledge of correct response 3. What is the effect of overt responding? 4. Does programmed instruction have any measurable effect on memory? 5. Does step size influence learning? 6. What are the pitfalls of programmed instruction if any? With regard to the first question, Jamison, Suppes and Welles (1974) reviewed studies comparing programmed instruction with conventional methods. Although several showed a significant difference in favor of programmed in struction, the majority found no significant difference. They concluded that programmed instruction was generally as effective as teacher instruction. Campeau also found in her review of research, no significant difference between the two methods. In fact, she states that programmed instruc tion coupled with conventional teaching is significantly 29 bettern than either method alone. Knowledge of the correct response seems to have no genuine effect on learning. Many researchers (Anderson, 1967; Campeau, 1974, and Woodruff &. Shimabukuro, 1967) find this technique to be negligible in promoting learning. McKeachie (1974) best summarized the ambiguity of its effectiveness when he stated " . . . in units where the prob ability of errors is low, knowledge of results conveys little information. We might expect more positive effects of feedback in situations in which the task is more diffi cult and the information provided is greater" (p. 183). For the purposes of this study, feedback was essential. The distance of the learners from a Subject Matter Expert created a situation where the learner also became the in structor, correcting and monitoring his or her own progress with each instructional unit. The effect of making overt responses has probably the most beneficial affect on learning. It engages the learner in an exercise which focuses his/her attention (Rothkoph, 1974). Holland & Kemp (1965) in their review of the literature concluded that overt responding aided learning provided that the responses made were relevant to the content of the lesson. Anderson (1967) noted that in the study of foreign or novel languages the use of pro grammed instruction and the requirement to make overt res ponses was particularly useful: _______________________________ ; ____________________________ 30 Clearly, an overt, constructed response should be required from a student if he is expected to be able to emit an unfamiliar, technical term. If he will merely have to recognize the term, or if he is already capable of emitting the response, as in the case with high-frequency words in the language, then a multiple choice response or "thinking” the response, or just reading may do as well. Just why overt responding works best with difficult, unfamiliar material has never been investigated. One possibility is that the student does make easy responses to himself, but that covert responding drops out when the response is more difficult to make. (p. 141) The evidence to date is inconclusive on whether orjnot programmed instruction has any dramatic effect on memory. Anderson felt it might have the same effect as making a co vert response, however, not as powerful a tool as vocal izing the word. 3• Inserted Questions In the custom produced units of the package, i.e., the business communication units and the computer units, prac tice exercises on the material were offered. The question of where to position exercises in the manuscript reflected the suggestions of Glaser & Resnick (1972) and Rothkoph (1974). According to these researchers, adjunct questions administered shortly after a segment to which they are rele vant affected mathemagenic activities. Postquestions, they contend have an effect on both general and specific know ledge. Unlike pre-questions, the learner must read the 31 entire prose content since he does not know which might turn out to be relevant, hence, reading and processing skills are strengthened. Dayton ( 1970) in his review of research on the use of postquestions stated T’that it appears that the insertion of factual postquestions into written material can result in increased learning of both incidental and intentional infor mation. The intentional 'learning effect is attributed to the reinforcement resulting from review or practice”. In addition, he noted that postquestions are generally more facilitative for the mature reader and result in increased study time. Questions of higher order that require compre hension, application or analysis, generally have a moti vating influence in increasing the amount of study time. McKeachie (1974) also noted that learning was facilitated by causing the learner to review (inspect) material pre ceding the question and through increasing attention on material following the question. 4. Behavioral Objectives The goal of behavioral objectives is to provide struc ture on how the learner should proceed through the material. Most important, it provides a selective element to the process of instruction. It is this element of selectivity that control’s the learner’s attention by informing her of 32 expected outcomes before instruction begins and helps them organize the material presented. This view was reinforced by Wittroek & Lumsdaine (1977) in their review of the liter ature on the effectiveness of behavioral objectives. They stated that attention is influenced by behavioral objec tives and their findings agree with the selective attention model in which objectives orient the student to learn speci fied material and thereby direct them away from learning other material. 5. Cassette Tapes The following design factors delineated by Baneyee (1977) were incorporated into the tapes used in this study: a. When using visuals with sound, allow the visuals to speak for themselves. The commentary should only underscore hidden meanings, significances, or less obvious conclusions. b. Avoid long commentaries over a single static picture. Try to change the picture every 6 to 10 seconds. c. Repeat an idea or theme from several perspectives. d. Change voices. e. Prepare narration in short, simple sentences. 33 f. Keep narration and voice actualities in short clips, if possible not exceeding three minutes each, g. Avoid complicated names, list of dates or persons, unless done for dramatic emphasis. h. Listen to the entire program before final produc tion, watch for dull spots, boring talk, dragging sequences. Either remove or improve. i. Try to have some kind of assignment given as a follow-up to the learning proposed. Evaluation of the IBEAR Instructional System The final stage in any. development effort is the evalu ation of its impact. The purpose of this procedure is to gather data to be used in future decision making events surrounding the revision of a newly created program or pro duct. Two traditional forms of evaluation, formative or summative, are frequently used when gathering information. However, for newer, more dynamic programs, the concept of maintenance evaluation as described by Tennyson & Tennyson (1978) is more suitable. It recognizes the organic nature of a program still being "fitted" into an instructional en vironment by asking such questions as: 1. Are the instructional materials still worth using in the learning environment? 34 2. Does the content need to be updated? 3. What are the learners attitudes toward the subject matter? 4. Have there been any changes in the characteristics of the learners? 5. Is one group’s learning rate comparable to that of a similar group? 6. Is the method of instruction (tecnology of instruc tion) still current and valid? Due to the nature of the project undertaken in this study, this form of evaluation was the most appropriate to use. The IBEAR Transition Program was an appendage to a relatively new academic program. The population of stu dents varied each year from different geographical areas around the world. It would have been premature in light of these facts to adopt any other form of evaluation. Figure II-1 represents the structure of this design and evaluation effort. 1979 First Inst al 1 a- t i on of Tr ansi- t i on Progr am Figure II ;:-i: Fall ' 8C (N ■= 30) Evalua tion S p r i n g r1 Fall 19 81 Sin a 11 Field Test Group In struct i on al Revi s i on Evalua System. tion (N = 36) of De s ign S c Evaluation Effort 35 Evaluation efforts in general are concerned with two major questions: 1, What are the major types of data to obtain and the major sources of data?, and 2. What is the impact of evaluation data upon the modification of programs? Throughout the literature (Abedor, 1972; Baker 8s Allen, 1973; Briggs, 1970; Locatis 8c Smith, 1972; Schutz, 1970; and Tennyson 8c Tennyson, 1978) the important sources of data cited have been cognitive achievement and learner attitude toward the product. However, these authors also offered many other timely suggestions about data collection activi ties and several have been incorporated into this study. Abedor * (1972) developed the technique of using small groups in a debriefing session to gather evaluation data. The pupose of his study was to develop and field test a new flowchart model prescribing specific operations for the try out and revision of prototype multi-media self-instructional, treatments. Three models of formative evaluation were used: 1. Tutorial: one-to-one (instructor and student) which proved to be too time consuming and was subject to the idiosyncratic nature of the student, 2. Large group: no face-to-face contact was made and the researcher could not pinpoint the exact nature 36 of the educational problem, and 3. A combination of both: The prototype material was tried with individual students and revised until problems were alleviated. Next, the revised treat ments were tried out with a large group and revised again if major discrepancies were revealed. All of these methods were unsatisfactory. Abedor concluded After considerable deliberation, it was determined that a more appropriate model for formative evaluation of multi-media lessons was one in which the necessary data were collected by means of face-to-face inter action or debriefing between the lesson developer and a small group of students. The task of problem identi fication and design or revisions could thus become a lesson developer/student group responsibility, (p. 18) This model was adopted to the current study and was used during the Spring, 1980-1981 effort. Sources of data that were collected included the degree to which students had achieved the goals and objectives of the curriculum. This was established by the use of cri^ terion testing. According to Glaser (1963) this type of testing looks at student performance with respect to speci fied standards. The emphasis is on present performance and the meaningfulness of its content. Scores obtained from achievement tests provided two kinds of information; (a) the degree to which the student has attained criterion per formance, and (b) the relative ordering of individuals with respect to their performance. 37 Data was collected on such things as, the amount of time spent learning different parts of the instructional material. Was the organization of the material suitable? Were there sections that were particularly difficult? How did the students feel about the self-instructional method of study? Was it practical to use? What were some unanti cipated or undesirable effects of the product? Was the organization of the material correct? During the field test stage, questions were direct ed toward the practicality of the instrument and desired student performance. Revision questions revolved around the extent to which a user was satisfied with the material, with the tutorial sessions and if the program was being implemented smoothly. Revisions to any part of the field test was concerned with clarifying and simplifying direc tions to students so that the program could work within the limits of the setting. The developer in this situation must bring to bear knowledge about management in order to assist in the solution of problems unique to this situation. In addition, the developer needs to be sensitive to all lines of communication; administration, students, faculty, etc. i 38 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY The purpose of this chapter is to discuss (a) the research design and statistical analysis, (b) the research sample, (c) the instrumentation, (d) the Management Model for Field Testing an 'Instructional System, and (e) the methodological assumptions of the study. The study tested the following hypotheses: 1. There will be no difference between scores obtained on either the GMAT or the TOEFL exams for Groups I and II. 2. There will be no relationship between verbal abil ity and scores obtained on various criterion- reference measures. 3. The mean performance of Group II (1981) will not be higher than the mean performances of Group I the previous year. 4. Any differences which exist between the mean per formances of the two groups will not be due to verbal ability. 39 5. There will be no relationship between an under graduate business major and non-business major in terms of their performances on criterion-reference measures. 6. There will be a negative relationship between the internal conditions of learning (cognitive pro cesses) and external conditions of demonstrating learning (recognition/recall) as defined by Gagne's1 (1977) hierarchical arrangement of intellectual skills. 7. The majority of students in Group II will evaluate the Transition Preparatory package and tutorial sessions as extremely useful compared to tradi tional forms of orientation programs. Research Design & Statistical Analysis This investigation involved the evaluation of an instructional system. The main goal of this project was to improve basic technical vocabulary and conceptual skills of international students embarking on a graduate program in business administration. The initial investigatory procedure for creating this program began in 1979 with the preparation of materia], for Group I (30 international students). Based on 40 achievement scores on three scholastic exams (math, account ing, and economics), an analysis of the tutorial program and evaluation data collected in Fall, 1980, revisions were made to the Transition Preparatory Program which was to be administered to Group II (36 international students) in Fall, 1981. The present study is concerned with the evaluation of that revision effort. Data was collected from two main sources: criterion-reference tests given in accounting, economics and college math, plus evaluation data on the effectiveness of the entire IBEAR Transition Program. Al though participants were given material in five areas of business (accounting, business communication, computers, economics, and math) they were not tested on the computer or business communication portion of the Transition Prepara tory package. Material for both of these subjects were used in two other projects. One involved teaching a com puter language, BASIC, while the other involved the appli cation of library skills to written communication. The analysis of data contrasted Group II with Group I on a variety of measures: criterion-reference tests, attitudinal data, evaluation data, etc.. Essentially, it was Group II’s progress that reflected the status of the current development effort. 41 The independent variables were Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores, both Verbal and Quantitative measures; Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores; and undergraduate major. The dependent variables were achievement scores on accounting, economics, and col lege math examinations. The statistical methods used were (a) frequency distributions (including statistics on the mean, standard deviation, range, etc.); (b) T-test scores to compare Group I and Group IIrs performance on criterion-reference examina tions; (c) analysis of covariance to compare Group I.and II on their mean performance scores on the dependent measures omitting variance due to verbal ability; (d) the Pearson Product-Moment correlation (r) to compare the relationship between GMAT and TOEFL to performance on the criterion-ref- erence tests; and (e) oneway Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to examine the relationship between undergraduate major and achievement on tests. The programs used were part of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) developed by McGraw-Hill Book Company and prepared by Nie, et. al., 1975. In addition to the aforementioned statistical analysis, evaluative instruments were administered to Group II to determine how the Transition Preparatory package was used, its perceived effectiveness, and to determine the im pact of the tutorial programs. 42 Research Samples The research sample consisted of two groups of in ternational business executives who were about to embark on an intensive one year Master of Business Administration Pro gram. The profile for each group has been summarized in Table 1. TABLE 1 Profile Data for Group I (N = 30) Countries Represented Professions Represented Undergradu ate Major Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jamaica, Korea, ■ Philippines, South Africa Director, Manager, Consultant, Re searcher, Vice President, Chair man of the Board Business, Geology, Law, Engi neering, English, Medical Profile Data for Group II (N = 36) Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philip pines, Malayasia, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, U.S. Vice President, Assistant Direc tor, Microbiolo gist, Architect, Librarian, Manager Business, Biology, Textiles, Architec ture , Eng lish Note: Statistics for both groups; (a) mean age = 30, range = 21 - 41; (b) average years out of school =-4, range =1-16 years. 43 Aptitude data for both groups has been summarized i n Tab1e 2. TABLE 2 Aptitude Measures GROUP I GROUP II Mean Standard Deviation % Below Mean Standard Deviation % Below GMAT Verbal 13 4.9 12 .43 18.7 5.8 24.85 Quant 29 6.9 57.71 29 8.9 61 Total 382 .7 63.6 25 .28 418.2 69 . 4 38.22 TOEFL 523.7 48.3 550 42 Note: Interpretation of Scores- GMAT: the verbal and quantitative scores range from 0-60 with a mean of 30, Total GMAT scores usually range from 200-800 with a mean of 500. TOEFL: In general a total score of 600 or above is considered excellent. A score below 400 is weak. 44 Instrumentation The instruments used in this study were: (1) the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) and the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exams, (2) the Transi tion Preparatory Package, (3) the Management Model for Field Testing, (4) criterion-reference examinations and (5) two evaluation forms. The GMAT and TOEFL Examinations The GMAT exam is an aptitude test that measures general verbal and mathematical abilities that are developed over a long period of time and that are associated with suc cess at graduate schools of management. The verbal sections of the test measure ability to understand and evaluate what is read and to recognize basic conventions of standard written english. The quantitative sections test basic mathe matical ability and understanding of elementary mathematical concepts as well as the ability to reason quantitatively, to solve quantitative problems, and to interpret data given in graphs, charts, or tables. The total GMAT scors in Table 2 are reported on a scale ranging from 200 to 800, but extreme scores (below 250 or above 700) are uncommon. The score scales were establish ed and are based on the performance of applicants who took the test in 1955.- They were defined so that a score of 30 45 on the verbal or quantitative scale and a score of 500 on the total scale represented the average performance of the group. Further, percentile ranks are included to indicate the percentage of examinees who scored below an individual. The percentiles are based on the scores of the entire test ing population of the last three years. It is up to the discretion of the institution to establish the scores they deem acceptable. Foreign students are advised that the GMAT is given entirely in English and that all instructions read aloud by test supervisors are in English. There are no foreign lan guage editions of the GMAT. The major purpose of the TOEFL exam is to evaluate the proficiency of the English language of those people whose native language is not English. TheTOEFL test uses a multiple choice format and consists of three sections: (a) Listening comprehension which measures the ability to understand the spoken language. (b) Structure and written expression which measures the ability to recognize language that is appro priate for standard written English. (c) Reading comprehension and vocabulary which mea sures the ability to understand non-technical reading matter. 46 Each institution that requires the TOEFL sets its own guidelines of acceptance. Thomas & Richardson (1978) stated that of 21 universities surveyed, the accepted mean on the TOEFL was 513. In general, institutions consider a total score of 600 or above to be excellent, and a score below 400 as weak. The Transition Preparatory Package The following details the contents of the Transi tion Preparatory package. Accounting Pyle, W. W. and Larson, K. D., Elementary Account ing , Volume 1, Homewood, Illinois; Richard D. Irwin, Inc., 1979 . This was a commercially produced programmed in structional aid.’ Topics covered in this book included: the accounting equation, the recording of transactions, ad justing entries and statement preparation, the work sheet and closing, merchandising transactions, internal control and the control of cash, transactions involving notes and accounts receivable, accounting for inventories and cost of goods sold, plant and equipment depreciation, plant and equipment (intangible assets), payroll transactions, etc.. 47 Computers Custom produced material: workbook + tapes (6). The design format of this workbook and tapes relied entire ly on the student listening to the tape while looking at visuals in the workbook. During the first section, the learner was taken through a visual tour of the computer facility he would use while at the university. Computers and comptuer related machinery were described. After each unit, questions were inserted. Topics discussed were: introduction, to the compu ter , the basic processing cycle, components of the computer examples of how data is processed on the computer, and aux iliary storage. Other topics included, the university com puter center, operations which support typical computer centers and the application of computers in modern society. Economics Attiyeh, R., Lumsden, K., and Bach, G. L., Macro economics , Third edition, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1974. Lumsden, K., Attiyeh, R., and Bach, G.L., Micro economics , Third edition, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1974. Both books are commercially produced programmed instruction books. They are classics in the field and have been thoroughly researched: 48 In a study involving 48 colleges and universities, students who read these books as supplementary material scored significantly higher than other students on the Test of Understanding College Economics. Furthermore, and of greater importance, students who spent 12 hours studying either of these books learned as much micro or macroeconomics as students who completed seven weeks on the same topics in a conventional course. (Attiyeh, Lumsden, & Bach, 1974, p. v) Topics covered in macroeconomics were: the national output, expenditure and income, real vs. money GNP, actual vs. potential GNP, aggregate demand and supply, equilibrium GNP, the multiplier, fiscal policy, investment expenditure and interest rates. Topics covered in microeconomics were: the nature of economic problems, marginal analysis, theory of consumer choice, market demand, productivity and costs, firm supply, market supply, price determination and market equilibrium. College Math Spiegel, M. R., Theory and problems of college algebra, Schaum's outline series in mathematics, .New York McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1956. Topics covered in this book were: factoring, ex ponents, radicals, functions and graphs, linear equations with one unknown, simultaneous linear equations, quadratic equations with one or two unknowns, binomial theorem, in equalities, logarithms, permutations and combinations, pro bability . 49 Business Communication Custom produced material: workbook .+ tapes (4). The student used the workbook and tapes simultaneously. Topics covered were: the problems and process of communica tion, writing with force and clarity, short reports for in formation and progress, and reports for decision making. Criterion Reference Tests During Stage II, Testing and Diagnostic Evaluation, three criterion reference tests were administered. The areas covered were: accounting, economics (macro and micro) and college math. These criterion reference tests are re produced in Appendix C. The results on these exams are discussed in Chapter IV of this study. * Evaluation Forms Each participant was asked to evaluate the contents of the Transition Preparatory package and the effectiveness of the tutorial program. Examples of Evaluation Forms A and B are reproduced in Appendix D along with tallies of responses to both forms. The Management Model for Field Testing The Management Model for Field Testing an Instructional System (see Figure II1-1) served as a guide 50 A Management Model for Field Testing an Instructional System 4- I. ANALYZE SITUA TION & TASK I | II. IDENTIFY I I OVERALL PLAN I | III . ORGANIZE | MANAGEMENT bD £ •H a a • r l bD 0 ) PQ a) s i p c u u o m c u PQ 1. Instructional system to be t es t ed . . Purp o s e s & goals of field test ing. . Resources: hu man and other wise. . The organiza tional context . The field test sites. | 1 . Priorities. | 1. Tasks to be j 2 . General strategy. ' . D ec i s i on mak ing proce dures . . C oor d in a t i on of act ivi t i e s accomplished 2. Staff respon s ibilities . 3. Timelines. 4. Other resources 5. Information manag ement. c u o i — I 0 ) > 0 ) n £ bD • H C O <D Q IV. IDENTIFY OB JECTIVES V. SPECIFY METHODS VI. PREPARE FIELD TEST, STAFF & MATERIALS Ques t ions answ er ed . to be 2. Information to be obtained. 3. Other objectives for the field test. . . C ond i t ions : . Evaluation d e s ign . 3. Or ient at ion of field test staff . . Data analysis t echn iqu e s . Construction of field test ma terials . Orientation of field test staff Orientation of test site per- s onn e1 . VII CONDUCT THE FIELD TEST VIII ANALYZE RE SULTS IX IMPLEMENT/ RECYCLE c c 3 0 ) P P £ o i <D 3 £ t —I CL) 03 I — 1 r* Oh H e 1. Logistics. 2. Implementation of field test. 3. Data collection 1. The execution and reliabil ity of the f ield test. 2. Evaluation of instructional system. 1 . Review of re sults . 2 . Dec i s ions 3 . Act ion Figure I-II-l: The Management Model for Field Testing an Instructional System 51 to structure the design, development and installation of this project. The value of this model, as opposed to other design models, was that it provided specific guidelines at each of the nine stages of instructional design. The im plementation of this development process is detailed in the following section and follows the steps outlined in the model. I. Analysis of the Situation and Task 1. The characterisitics of the instructional sys tem which must be taken into consideration in the design of the field test were the profile data for both the 1980 (Group I) and the 1981 (Group II) students. These included GMAT and TOEFL scores, GPA, the number of years out of school and uncergraduate major, nationality, profession, etc. . In addition, Group Ifs performance on criterion reference exams and evaluation data from that period were analyzed and used as sources of information in the revision effort which produced the current instructional system. 2. The goal of the field test was to determine the effectiveness of the IBEAR Transition Program in improving technical vocabulary and conceptual skills in the area of business administration and also to gather data on evalu ating the worth of such a program to international students 52 Based on previous criterion reference test scores and evaluation data from Group I, revisions were made and incorporated into the current program. It was the purpose of this study to analyze and contrast the results of both undertakings. 3. In Stage I, each participant was in receipt of the Transition Preparatory package two to four months prior to their arrival in the states. Stage II and Stage III of the instructional program were dependent on the information gathered from this package. Stage II, Testing and Diagnostic Evaluation, took place during the first week of the three week Transition Program which occurred prior to the onset of the regular academic session. Each student was tested for one hour in the following areas: accounting, economics, and math. Stu dents were not tested on material in the areas of business communication or computers. Based on the results of these tests, a student may or may not have been recommended to attend any of the three tutorial sessions in Stage III. Stage III, Samll Group Tutorial Sessions, extended over a two week period. A student had the option of attend ing tutorial sessions in each of the following disciplines: accounting, economics, or math. Each session met for 2\ hours per day. 53 Sessions were informal and it was left up to the discretion of the learner to monitor his or her own pro gress. Students who needed only minimal assistance would not attend all sessions for a particular discipline while those who needed more help could use the entire time offer ed . Staffing involved in the tutorial effort were, the Program Developer, Tutorial Coordinator, doctoral can didates in business administration served as tutors, and the program’s administrative staff assisted in the imple mentation of the tests, coordinating the scheduling of rooms, grading and item analyses activities, and overseeing the smooth transition of the project by offering sugges tions on handling situations unique to that student popula tion. II. The IBEAR Instructional Program - Overall Plan Fall, 1979 - Group I The initial design of the Transition Program began during this period. Essentially, the product of instruc tion (Transition package) did not stress an interactive mode of teaching. Emphasis was placed on awareness of con tent in introductory books on accounting, college math, economics and marketing. Cassette tapes on report writing (business communications) were also included in the package 54 The time of mailing depended on the date a student was accepted into the program which could range over several months. Thus, some students had the material for 2-3 months, some for a few weeks or a month, some not at all. Fall, 1980 During the first Transition Program, Group I was tested in the areas of accounting, economics, and math. Depending on the scopes achieved, students were recommended to attend tutorial sessions conducted by teaching assis tants. These assistants were "borrowed" from another pro gram in the school. No formal orientation program was used to acquaint the tutors with the needs of the students as it was presumed that they could adapt their instruction as a need would arise. Based on Group I's perceptions, the following re commendations were offered: 1. Establish earlier mailing deadlines to insure that all participants receive the Transition Preparatory package at least two months prior to their arrival in the states. Specifically, this meant to establish a list of potential candidates as soon as possible for admittance to the MBA Program. 2. Include more direct and specific instructions on how to use the material in the Transition Preparatory pack age and emphasize the relation of the material in the 55 package to the activities that would take place during the Transition Program. 3. Establish as the fundamental basis for instruction in the Transition Preparatory package the role of an inter active form of delivery when considering the selection and design of material. The major design elements to be incor porated in the instructional material were: learning objec tives, programmed instruction, and feedback. Essentially, the Transition Preparatory package served as an advance or ganizer for the subject matter they would encounter during formal instruction in the Master’s program. 4. The reconsideration of areas in business were assis tance was most needed, i.e., the inclusion of material On computers for the BASIC course and the exclusion of material on marketing. 5. To increase the number of audio cassettes included in the Transition Preparatory package. This provided not only information on a given subject but also gave practice in listening to the American language. 6. The establishment of an "exclusive” tutorial effort for this group which included doctoral candidates in the various business disciplines. In addition, the establish ment of a special orientation program for the tutors to re view the test scores of Group II participants and to define the material that was to be covered in the various tutorial sessions. 56 Spring, 1981 - Stage I (Mailing the Transition Pre paratory Package) The revised version of the package was mailed to Group II participants. This revision effort included: new cassettes; (a) one entitled "Instructions for Using the Preparatory Material" which outlined the students’ respon sibilities in covering the contents of the package and also how this knowledge would be tested during Stage II of the Transition Program, (b) an introductory speech given by the Director of the Program welcoming the students, (c) revised tapes in business communications, and (d) new tapes on com puters. Programmed instruction books were provided in the areas of accounting, economics, and math which replaced the "Introductory" type books included in the previous package. Prior to committing any portion of the revised package to the production stage, prototype material were put together and a small group evaluation was performed. The administrative staff was asked to select 7 students of varying academic ability to participate in this venture. The students (members of Group I) were mid-way through their academic program and had the necessary hindsight to recognize the worth of the new material to incoming stu dents. The evaluation was conducted in a non-threatening interview fashion as advocated by Abedor (1972). 57 Fall, 1981 - Stage II (Testing and Diagnostic Evalu ation) During this stage, three criterion-reference tests were administered. The areas covered were: accounting, economics, and college math. These tests are reproduced in Appendix C. Item analyses of the results of these exams were conducted and the results will be discussed in Chapter IV of this study. Each participant was also requested to evaluate the contents and perceived effectiveness of the package on Evaluation Form A reproduced in Appendix D. Fall, 1981 - Stage III (Small Group Tutorial Ses sions) These sessions were conducted as outline previously. Each participant was requested to evaluate this component ol the program (see Form B, Appendix D). III. Management of the Field Test Tasks Accomplished 1. The Instructional Designer worked with the pro ject’s administrative staff to insure that mailing of the Transition Preparatory package was accomplished within the specified time period to ensure that participants had ample time to study the material once it arrived in their respec tive countries. 58 2. Classroom scheduling was arranged for the actual testing procedure along with room scheduling for the tutorial sessions. 3. Meetings between the Instructional Designer, Tutorial Coordinator, and tutors, were scheduled to analyze the test scores for a particular student and to make recom mendations as to whether the candidate was or was not eligi ble for a tutorial session. Based on scores achieved and item analyses, the material to be covered in a particular tutorial session was defined. 4. Testing instruments and evaluation forms were produced by the Instructional Designer in conjunction with professors from various disciplines and the program’s admin istrative staff. Timelines With the aid of Gantt charts (see Appendix E), time frames were established, recorded and met. This system pro vided an excellent method of coordinating and creating an overview of various activities that took place during the design portion andfield testing of this project. Some of the activities were: arrangements with external support systems like word processing, audio production, graphic ser vices, processing purchase orders, room scheduling, repro duction and ordering materials from publishers, printers, audio cassette duplications, etc.. 59 IV. Objectives of the Transition Program The field test sought to answer the following questions: 1. How effective was the Transition Preparatory packag in enhancing technical vocabulary and basic conceptual abil ity and applied reasoning in the areas of accounting, math and economics. 2. Was there a significant difference between Group I and Group II in terms of entry level ability in verbal and quantitiative skills? If a distinction did exist, what was the nature of this difference? 3. Was there any relationship between entry level ability and performance on the criterion reference tests? 4. Was there any significant difference between each Group's performance on the criterion reference tests? 5. Was there any significant difference on the cri terion reference tests that resulted from different instruc tional methods of presenting material? 6. How did the students evaluate the effectiveness of the Transition Preparatory package in terms of usefulness? 7. How did the students rate the effectiveness of the tutorial program? 60 V. Methods of Data Collection (See previous explanation of these processes as out lined in this chapter.) ♦ VI. Preparation for Field Test Participants and Materials 1. Field Test Materials (criterion reference tests and evaluation forms) were prepared in advance of the actual testing situation. Methods of data analyses were also es tablished at that time. 2. Orientation procedures provided to the administra tive and tutorial staff has been outlined previously in this chapter. 3. Records and receipts had confirmed the fact that all students received the package in ample time for preparation for the examinations administered in Stage II. During the field test, observations and evaluation data were amassed to enhance any future effort to administer a similar program to a new population. This included input on the actual implementation of the tests, revision of the tests themselves, scheduling of tutorial sessions, etc.. VII. Conducting the Field Test 1. Logistics - The learner population (Group II) was available and) had prepared for the criterion reference tests;. 61 Interviews and evaluation data were organized with in structors, learners, administrative staff, etc.. Arrangements were made for the pickup and delivery of material. 2. Implementation of the field test and tutorial pro gram was accomplished. 3. Data was collected during the field test and tu torial program that would contribute to the evaluation of the various components of this instructional system. VIII. Analysis of the Results See Chapter IV IX. Recommendations and Conclusions See Chapter V The Methodological Assumptions of the Study 1. The study cannot control for the length of time tha ; any student would have the Transition Preparatory package. This time varies from student-to-student and is dependent on their acceptance into the MBA Program. 2. Comparison of data must be made against a previous group’s performance (Group I, Fall 1980). However, the composition of these two groups (Group I and Group II) is similar. This is based on data collected from student pro files . 62 3. Comparison of test data for both groups is based on alternate forms of the tests. 4. As the material contained in the Transition Prepara tory package represents a form of individualized instruc tion, the amount of time a student devotes to studying the various components of the package cannot be controlled. 63 CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS The results obtained in this study will be discussec in this chapter. Specifically, we were interested in; (1) the contrast of scholastic abilities between the groups, (2) the relationship between verbal ability and criterion reference tests, (3) the comparison of criterion measures between the two groups, (4) the relationship between under graduate major and performance on examinations, (5) a hier archical skill analysis of cognitive peroformance, and (6) an evaluation of the Transition Program in general. The format of the chapter consists of stating each hypothesis, followed by the statistical results or data used to test the hypothesis, and finally, an interpretation of the results. The findings will be summarized in the section, Discussion of the Results. Analysis of Results Hypothesis 1: There will be no difference between scores obtained on either the GMAT or TOEFL exam for Groups I and 11 . 64 Statistical results: The means, standard deviations and percentile ranks for Groups I and II are presented in Table 2. Aptitude Measures, of Chapter III. The statisti- cal analyses of the differences between the means of both groups are presented in Table 3. Table 3 Comparison of Aptitude Between Groups Measures Variable Group Standard Mean Deviation £ Value Level of DF Significanc Total GMAT I 379.86 60.36 2.28 59 0.02* II 418.24 69.44 Verbal I 13.89 4.9 3.45 59 0.001* II 18.70 5.8 Quantitative I 29.68 7.07 0.05 59 0.9 II 29.78 8.86 TOEFL I 522.95 48.11 2.02 43 0.05* II 550.26 .42.54 *Significant difference between groups is indicated. 65 Interpretation: A comparison of GMAT total shows Group II scored higher than Group I, t_ (59) = 2.28, p .02. Comparison of the components of the GMAT shows no signifi cant difference between the groups on quantitative scores, jt (59) = .05, p 0.9, but does show that Group II was better in verbal ability than Group I, t _ (59) = 3.95, p .001. We cannot conclude, however, that Group II was proficient in English. As noted by the verbal mean score obtained by this group on the GMAT exam (M = 18), this was still far below f the score of 30 considered to be the national average. This point was further corroborated by the fact that only 12 to 24 percent of the nation’s population scored below both groups on the verbal portion of this exam. Group II also scored higher on the TOEFL (t^ (43) = 2.02, p .05), however, the individual means indicate that both groups scored within the range of average ability (M = 500). Hypothesis 2: There will be no relationship bet ween verbal ability and scores obtained on various criterion reference measures. Statistical results: The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r) from the Statistical Package (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. The mean performance scores in the areas of accounting, economics, and math for each group is displayed in Table 4. The results of the analysis of these measures in terms of the 66 relationship between these scores and verbal ability as measured by the GMAT exam and TOEFL exam are given in Tables 5 and 6 for Groups I and II, respectively. Table 4 Descriptive Values on Criterion-Reference Measures Group I (N=30) Group II (N=36) Standard Standard Subject Mean Deviation Mean Deviation Accounting 61 .69 10.62 75 .89 17 .73 Economics 51 .27 16 .78 74.61 21 .20 Math 77 .30 17.53 76 . 11 9 .92 67 Table 5 Results of Correlation Analysis of Aptitude by Criterion-Reference Measures Group I (N = 30) Variables Level of Significance GMAT - verbal ability x accounting verbal ability x economics quantitative x math GMAT Total x math GMAT Total x accounting GMAT Total x economics TOEFL x accounting TOEFL x economics 55 09 34 36 71 14 60 11 30 009 12 09 50 02 36 01 002* 62 07 11 0001* 47 003* 60 *Indicates a significant relationship 68 Table 6 Results of Correlation Analysis of Aptitude by Criterion-Reference Measures Group II (N = 36) Variables r 2 r Level of Significance GMAT - verbal ability x accounting .35 . 12 . 04* verbal ability x economics .32 10 . 06* quantitative x math .35 . 12 .04* GMAT Total x math . 15 CM o 00 CO GMAT Total x accounting .52 .27 .001* GMAT Total x economics cn o .25 .002* TOEFL x accounting .40 . 16 .05* TOEFL x economics .40 . 16 .05* * Indicates a significant relationship Interpretation: The null hypothesis is rejected. There existed a significant positive relationship between verbal ability and accounting as measured by the GMAT exam (p .002) and Total GMAT score and accounting (p .000), also between the TOEFL score and accounting score (p .003) for Group I. No significant relationship existed for this group between verbal ability and economics. 69 This finding was quite interesting in light of the fact that the only subject taught via the method of pro grammed instruction was accounting. Both economics and mathematics were taught via conventional methods with no opportunity for interaction. This fact was further corroborated after examining the data for Group II (Table 6). In every instance the relationship between aptitude score and criterion-reference measure was significant at or below p .05. In one instance (verbal ability and economics), it was significant at p .06 Group II used the method of programmed instruction exclu sively. It seemed safe to conclude that a relationship existed between the method of instruction and verbal abil ity as defined by these aptitude measures. This was also reminescent of Anderson’s (1967) claim of the value of overt responding in situations where unfamiliar terms are to be learned. Clearly, an overt, constructed response should be required from a student if he is expected to be able to emit an unfamiliar, technical term. If he will merely have to recognize the term or if he is already capable of emitting the response, as is the case with high-frequency words in the language, then a multiple-choice response or ’’thinking” the response, or just reading may do as well. Just why overt responding works best with difficult, unfamiliar material has never been investigated. One possibility is that the student does make easy responses to himself, but that covert responding drops out when the response is more difficult to make. (Anderson, 1967, p. 141) 70 Hypothesis 3: The mean performance of Group II will not be higher than the mean performance of Group I the pre vious year. Statistical results: The null hypothesis was re jected. As indicated by the t-values in Table 7, the group means were significantly different in the areas of account ing (_t (63) = 3.79, p .0001) and economics (t^ (63) = 4.83, p .0001). Both groups were comparable in scores obtained on the mathematics exam. The results of this analysis prompted an another statistical procedure, the analysis of covariance to be applied to the data, omitting each of the verbal aptitude measures to determine if the differences between the two groups were the result of higher verbal ability or exposure to new material. These results are .discussed under Hypo thesis 4. Table 7 Comparison of Criterion-Reference Means Standard t_ Level of Variable Group Mean Deviation DF Value Significance Economics I 51 .27 16 .78 63 4 .83 . .0001* II 74 .61 21 .20 Accounting I 61 .69 10.62 63 3.79 .0001* II 75.89 17 . 73 Mathematics I 77.30 17.53 64 .35 .73 II 76 . 11 9 .92 71 Hypothesis 4: Any differences which exist between the mean performances of the two groups will not be due to verbal ability. Statistical results: As indicated by the F values obtained in Tables 8A and 8B, significant differences still existed between the groups on performance measures when ver bal differences were omitted. (Accounting, F = 15.490, p .0001 and economics, F - 14.553, p .0001) Table 8A Results of Analysis of Covariance for Criterion-Reference Test in Accounting with GMAT Verbal and TOEFL Aptitude Scores Omitted Source of Level of Variation DF F Significance Main Effects Group I x Group II 1 1425.288 15.490 .0001* Covariates 2 430.020 4.673 .015* Verbal (GMAT) 1 70.710 0.768 .386 TOEFL 1 231.488 2.516 .121 Explained 3 761.776 8.279 .0001 Residual 58 92.013 Total 61 141.020 *Indicates a significant relationship. 72 Table 8B Results of Analysis of Covariance for Criterion-Reference Tests in Economics with GMAT Verbal and TOEFL Aptitude Scores Omitted Source of Variation DF- MS F Level of Significance Main Effects Group I x Group II 1 4574.684 14.553 .0001* Covariates 2 2393.891 7 .615 .002* Verbal (GMAT) 1 2735. Ill 8.701 .005* TOEFL 1 2.039 0.006 .936 Explained 3 3120.822 9 .928 .0001 Residual 58 314.345 Total 61 519 .697 *Indicates a significant relationship Interpretation: The predictive value of both the GMAT and TOEFL exams for a group of this nature is still ambiguous. Their relationship to performance as defined in this study appeared significant but the exact nature of this relationship and how it affects performance was puz zling. It appeared that a well defined system of instruc tion as presented in the Transition Preparatory package controlled for initial differences in language ability. Researchers (Sharon, 1978; Thomas and Richardson, 1978; and Woodford, 1978) are still unclear as to the role of the GMAT, which measures technical vocabulary, and the TOEFL 73 which measures general vocabulary, and their predictive value. Hypothesis 5: There will be no relationship between an undergraduate business major and non-business major in terms of their performance on criterion-reference measures. Statistical results: As revealed in Tables 9 and 10, there were no significant relationship between under graduate major and performance in either group. The cer tainty of this outcome was predicated on the knowledge that concepts taught in business administration courses in the United States are usually not comparable conceptually to those taught in countries outside the nation. For example, concepts such as the Stock Exchange and emphasis on psycho logical principles governing organizational behavior are usually new to the international student. Sharon (1972) noted that undergraduate record, which generally had been the best predictor of graduate school success, is difficult to evaluate for the foreign student. The lack of comparability in grading systems of universities; in different countries makes it impossible to employ the prediction approach used with American students. 74 Table 9 Analysis of Variance Undergraduate Major by Criterion-Reference Performance Group I F Prob- Source DF MS F abili Accounting Between Groups 1 38. 13 .31 .57 Within Groups 27 120.78 Total 28 Economics Between Groups 1 128.10 .43 .51 Within Groups 27 297.87 Total 28 Mathematics Between Groups 1 609.33 2.46 . 12 Within Groups 28 247.09 Total 29 Table 10 Analysis of Variance Undergraduate Major by Criterion-Reference Performance Group II Source DF MS F F Prob ability Accounting Between Groups 1 550.91 1 .46 . 23 Within Groups 34 375.31 Total 35 Economics Between Groups 1 382.89 .84 .36 Within Groups 34 451.57 Total 35 Mathematics Between Groups 1 35.69 .36 .55 Within Groups 34 100.40 Total 35 76 Hypothesis 6: There will be a negative relation ship between the internal conditions of learning (cognitive processes) and external conditions of demonstrating learning; (recognition/recall) as defined by Gagne's (1977) hier archical arrangement of intellectual skills. Analysis.of data: The data in Tables 11 and 12 gives a breakdown of the three categories of questions pre sented to Group II in the areas of accounting and economics. Along side each type of question is a breakdown of the per centage of students in that group who received scores in either the Top Third, Middle Third, or Lower Third, score range. Table 11 Score Ranking in Accounting for Group II Percent of Student Obtaining Type of Question Top Middle Lower (Cognitive Skill) Third Scores Third Scores Third Scores Matching- (Defined Concept) 80% * Multiple Choice (Rules) 60% * Applied (Problem Solving) 50% 16%* 34% * *Matching: Scored between 10 to 15 points out of 15 maximum *Multiple choice: Scored between 30 to 40 points out of 40. *Applied: Scored between 5 to 9 points out of possible 15. _____________________________________: ________________: ________ T L Table 12 Score Ranking in Economics for Group II Percent of Students Obtaining Type of Question (Cognitive Skill) Top Third Scores Middle Third Scores Lower Third Scores Matching (Defined Concept) 70% * 15% 15% Multiple Choice (Rules) 30% 55% * 15% Applied (Problem Solving) 50%* 50%* *Matching: Scored between 11 and 13 points out of 13. ^Multiple choice: Scored between 6 and 10 out of 16. *Applied: Scored between 1 and 6 out of 10 Interpretation: Vocabulary questions asked on each exam represents an intellectual skill labelled by Gagne as Defined Concepts. These are concepts usually learned by means of definitions. In contrast to concrete concepts, defined concepts cannot be readily acquired by simply pre senting instances or noninstances of the concept whose characterisitics can be directly perceived by the learner. Thus, a verbal statement that represents the defined con cept must be communicated to the learner. According to Gagne and Briggs (1974) the following conditions must exist 78 Internal conditions: In order to acquire a definition, the learner must recall (or recognize) all the component concepts included in the definition, including the concepts which represent relations among them. External conditions: A defined concept may be learned by having the learner watch a demonstration. More frequent ly, however, the concept is ’’demonstrated’' by means of a verbally stated definition. In the case of the IBEAR stu dents, they were exposed to definitions in the literature they read and were required to make overt responses to exer cises which reinforced their understanding of a defined con cept. A matching portion of both the accounting and econo mics examinations were used to test their capabilities in the area of defined concepts. Item analysis of both exams for Group II revealed that 80% of all students achieved scores in the Top Third category, i.e., they scored between 10 and 15 points out of a maximum of fifteen points in accounting (Table 11) and 70% of all students achieved high scores in economics (Table 12). The next higher level of intellectual ability as defined by Gagne (1977), is the use of Rules. Rules deal with many categories of behaviors. In its simplest form, a rule is a defined concept whose purpose is to classify objects and events. Rules, however, include many other categories besides classifying. They deal with relation ships between concepts such as equal to, similar to, greater : : ______________________________________ than, less than, before, after, etc.. An individual who understands a rule can identify component concepts that re late in a particular manner to that rule. For example, in economics the student learns the definition of market equi librium, and must relate concepts of supply and demand to this definition. Gagne and Briggs (1974) suggest that the following conditions must exist for this skill to be acquired: Internal: In learning a rule, the learner must recall each of the component concepts of the rule, including con cepts that represent relations. External: Usually, the external conditions for learn ing rules involve the use of verbal or written communica tions. The purpose of these communications is to (1) re mind the learner of component concepts to be recalled and (2) to get the learner to arrange component concepts in the proper order. Both of these conditions were met by the use of programmed instruction materials. On the multiple choice section of the accounting and economics exam, Group II students were asked to demon strate the ability to choose a correct answer that entailed the use of rules. As noted in Table 11, 60% of all stu dents received high scores on the multiple choice items in accounting, with 55% achieving scores in the middle third (scoring between 6 and 10 points out of a possible 16) in economics. 80 Finally, the highest level of intellectual ability is problem solivng. This skill deals with the application of rules to problem-solving in the absence of learning gui dance. Gagne and Briggs (1974) suggest that the following conditions be met: Internal: In solving a problem, the learner must recall relevant subordinate rules and relevant information that have been previously learned. External: The learner is presented with a problem situ ation not previously encountered. Cues in the form of verbal or written communication are at a minimum, or may be absent entirely. As noted in both Table 11 and Table 12, scores obtained fell in the middle to lower portion of the score range. In essence, it appears that as we moved up the intellectual skill ladder and concepts became more complex, students scores dropped. This negative relationship (highei intellectual capability and lower scores obtained) could have been due to many factors; increased sophistication in the use of the language, lack of practice with concepts in a given discipline, and the need for expository instruc tion . 81 Hypothesis 7: The majority of students in Group II will evaluate the Transition Preparatory package and tu torial sessions as extremely useful compared to traditional orientation programs. Analysis of data: Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Transition Preparatory package and the tutorial pro gram was established via three methods: criterion-reference test scores (see Appendix C, copy of all tests), evaluation Forms A and B (see Appendix D), and small group interviews conducted by the developer with the IBEAR administrative staff, the students, and their tutors. Interpretation: The results of these methods of analysis were as follows: 1. Performance on criterion-reference measures in the areas of accounting, economics, and math, indicated that the group achieved 75% competency in each of these three areas (accounting M = 75.89, economics M = 74.61, and mathe matics M = 76.11). 2. On the "Tally of Responses to Evaluation Form A", (Appendix D), it appeared from question 6, "Did you feel the Preparatory Package was useful?", the students unani mously perceived that it was. 82 On Evaluation Form B, administered to the students by the IBEAR staff, question 1 requied that they rate the materials. These responses are tailed in Appendix D, "Tally of Responses to Evaluation Form Bn. In general, the students rated the material as ranging from satisfactory to good. To understand what contributed to this range of opinion we analyzed the results of both evaluation forms (open ended comments) and incorporated interview material. It appeared that some of the students disliked programmed instruction as a method of studying. The criticisms were based on the fact that it was completely new to them, they were bothered by the interruption of having to respond, and it was not a useful reference document. These remarks were by no means surprising, as Woodruff and Shimabukuro (1967) identified similar criticisms of programmed instruction in their study. The only other major area of criticism was the students desire to have other business subjects included in the package. The two most often requested were statistics and material to teach a specific comptuer language. Both of these requests had been considered in a previous develop-- ment effort. In fact, the book BASIC, A Computer Language, by Marateck had been included in the 1980 package. The finding, however, was that the student could not benefit from this material without access to a computer and that the 83 assistance of an instructor was necessary. As for statis tics, most statistical analysis is being done by computer or hand calculator and also required an instructor to instruct the student on the computer package to use and the application of statistics to business problems. The following comments abstracted from Form A substantiate these points: 1. Very useful material for brushing up. 2. Wanted texts on statistics and specific computer language. 3. Did not like programmed instruction. 4. Would like Transition Program extended two weeks. 5. Math book very good. 6. Wanted more actual exercises in accounting. As for the effectiveness of the tutorial program, an analysis of Form B coupled with a debriefing session with the three tutors involved produced the following insights: All the tutorial sessions were received well. Surprisingly, the popularity of these sessions were largely attributed to the small group nature and the informality that existed bet ween students and tutors. This particular group of students; was more comfortable operating in a small group learning environment than in a large group learning environment. It enabled them to open up and admit confusion in a subject area without fear of "losing face" by exposing any lack of understanding they might have had on the material. Another 84 surprise was the popularity of the math tutorial session, particularly in light of the fact that many students were not required to attend as they exhibited proficiency in this area. It turned out, however, that the tutor demonstrated the use of a Texas Instrument calculator, Model MBA, de signed to compute business problems in areas such as econo mics, etc., a skill all the students wanted to learn. In essence, when asked if the Transition Program should be continued, it was unanimously decided that the students valued the experience. Discussion of Results In general, the Transition Program was evaluated as effective and its continuation advised. Evaluation of one component of the program, the Transition Preparatory package did suggest that content be reviewed in terms of admitting new information which the students felt they needed. Two suggestions were the inclusion of material on Using the Library and Research Report Writing. In addition, the ana lysis of covariance substantiated the fact that language ability was not responsible for Group IITs superior perfor mance. The use of programmed instructional material sup plied the design elements conducive to long distance learn ing . 85 Finally, the study questioned the predictive nature of the GMAT and TOEFL Aptitude measures. As stated, both of these exams are functionally different. One deals with technical vocabulary while the other more general verbal ability. How these skills related to a graduate business management program needs to be analyzed. Many academicians believe that heavy reliance on measures such as these are causing business schools to lose the "cream-of-the-crop" students who dod not perform up to traditional standards, but who nonetheless, become giants in industry. As observed by USC’s Dean Steele: If you look at the grade point averages and scores on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test, they have gone up geometrically. And that’s good if you look at yourself as a traditional university. But what haunts me is that by having all of these academics, are we exacerbating a trend toward staff specialists? Are we screening out that ”C” student who might find another Xerox or General Motors and create 200,000 new jobs? We have some evidence that the top student in an academic sense is not the sort who starts a company. There is almost an inverse ratio between entre preneurship and education. (The Executive, 1981, p. 55) 86 CHAPTER V SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS The research conducted dealt with the creation of a unique orientation program for international students at the graduate level in the School of Business Administration at the University of Southern Calfornia. The essence of that program was to provide training in the use of technical vocabulary and related conceptual skills within the disciplines of accounting, economics, and math. The investigatory aspects of developing this program began in Fall, 1980 with Group I of this population and had been implemented in Fall, 1981 with Group II. The research presented sought to identify the feasibility and effective ness of that program. Specifically, the research problems encountered were: 1. Develop a transition program for international stu dents, possessing moderate proficiency in English, that would give them exposure to relevant vocabulary and techni cal concepts useful for success in a business administration program. 87 2. Within the framework of the transition program, create an instructional package that would possess design factors conducive to successful long distance learning. 3. Develop criterion-reference tests and evaluation instruments that.correctly identified students achievements and evaluation of the transition preparatory package. 4. Establish and evaluate the usefulness of the tu torial program that was administered to students after their performance on criterion-reference tests had been diagnosed. Summary of the Findings The following comments and summary of the statisti cal findings of the research assumptions and hypotheses of this study are presented: Hypothesis 1: There will be no difference between Groups I and II on verbal ability as measured by the GMAT and TOEFL examinations. Findings: A significant difference between these two groups existed on GMAT-Verbal (p .001) and TOEFL (p .05'. No significant difference, however, existed between these groups on quantitative ability as measured by the GMAT (j^ . 9 ) . This finding of differences in language ability prompted several questions about the nature of that differ ence and its relation to each group’s performance on criterion-reference measures. 88 Hypothesis 2: There will be no relationship betweer verbal ability and scores obtained on various criterion- reference measures. Findings: Significance correlations did exist for Group I between performance on accounting and both verbal aptitude measures; GMAT-Verbal (r = 71, p .0001) and the TOEFL exam (r = .60, j? .003). For Group II, significant correlations existed between all independent measures (GMAT and TOEFL) and dependent measures. The only exception to this was the GMAT Total score and its relation to perfor mance on the math exam (r = .15, p .38). The interesting finding here was that the relation- » ■ ships of significance existed only for performance measures that entailed programmed instruction as the method of de livery . Hypothesis 3: The mean performance of Group II will not be higher than the mean performances of Group I the previous year. Findings: The t^ values obtained indicated signifi cant differences existed between the means of Groups I and II on accounting (_t (63) = 3.79, p .0001) and economics (t^ (63) = 4.83, p .0001). Group II scored significantly higher in both areas. No significant difference existed between the groups in math (t (64) = .35, p .73). 89 Hypothesis 4: Any differences which exist between the mean performance of the two groups will not be due to verbal ability. Findings: The null hypothesis was accepted. The results of the analysis of covariance with both GMAT-Verbal and TOEFL variance omitted from the dependent measures, shovs a significant main effect in accounting (F = 15.490, p .0001) and economics (F = 14.553, p .0001). This finding was not surprising for two reasonsL (1) the predicitive value of both aptitude measures have been seriously ques- . tioned in both this study and the literature, and (2) although a significant difference existed between the two groups in terms of verbal ability, this could not be inter preted as one group being far superior to the other in English proficiency. In fact, both groups ranked below the national average and could only be described as possessing moderate language skills in English. Hypothesis 5: There will be no relationship bet ween an undergraduate business major and non-business major in terms of their performance on criterion-reference mea sures . Findings: There were no significant relationships between undergraduate business majors and non-business ma jors in terms of their performance on criterion-reference measures. 90 Hypothesis 6: There will be a negative relation ship between the internal conditions of learning (cognitive process) and external conditions of demonstrating learning (recognition/recall) as defined by Gagne’s (1977) hier archical arrangement of intellectual skills. Findings: A breakdown of the categories of ques tions asked on the accounting and economic examinations re vealed a negative relationship between level of intellectual skill as defined by Gagne and performance. Essentially, as the student progress to more complex material (applied reasoning), scores dropped. As discussed previously, this negative relationship could have been due to increased sophistication in the language, lack of practice with the concepts, or the need for*expository instruction. Hypothesis 7: The majority of students in Group II will evaluate the Transition Preparatory package and tu torial sessions as extremely useful compared to traditional orientation programs. Findings: All students stated that they valued the experience provided by the materials contained in the Transi tion Program and that they recommend that it continue in subsequent semesters. 91 Conclusions The influx of international students to American universities has made it necessary to examine the structure and nature of orientation programs provided to these popu lations. As noted by Eskey (1970) and Hok (1977), techni ques used in traditional English as a Second Language pro grams and such similar orientation programs have been out dated and not relevant to the scholastic needs of these students. Speech communication skills are emphasized and vocabulary that is stressed is generally unrelated to the demands of a particular discipline. This is quite frustra ting when one examines the emphasis a degreed program places on reading and writing skills and understanding terminology that exists only within the boundaries of a specific disci pline . The composition of the IBEAR group, coupled with the time limitation of their stay in the United States, precipi tated the design of a program that would be (a) economical in terms of time allowed for prerequisite instruction and (b) had the characteristic of being relevant to their immediate academic needs. In collaboration with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in the School of Business Administra tion, the current instructional effort was undertaken which emphasized technical vocabulary and introductory concepts. 92 As stated previously, programs of this nature traditionally exist in the business community, rarely do they appear at the university level. The knowledge gained from this ven ture then will benefit similar instructional efforts at this level: 1. Students, having declared a major, can successfully learn vocabulary and introductory material of a specific discipline via a self-instructional method. Information gained from this experience has immediate applicability and will accelerate learning in that discipline. 2. Communication skills which should be emphasized are reading and writing. 3. Any design effort must, for obvious reasons, be a collaborative effort between the instructional designer and a Subject Matter Expert involved in the discipline. 4. The study illustrated the unpredictable nature of the GMAT and TOEFL scores in terms of establishing concrete evidence of verbal proficiency. Researchers (Sharon, 1972 and Woodford, 1978) have vociferously challenged the value of the TOEFL in measuring verbal ability in English. 5. Developers and instructors must be aware of the idiosyncratic nature of the group of students they are in volved with to insure a smooth running program. 93 6. The use of programmed instruction material, con sidered the least-preferred-method of instruction by the IBEAR group, proved highly successful as an interactive mode of instruction. The learner may consider this approach tedious but it is a technique that continuously involves the student thus eliminating any opportunity for the student to bypass information which involves unfamiliar language (Anderson, 1967). 7. Students in the IBEAR Transition Program demonstra ted that they had relatively little difficulty with material in the defined concept and rule using domains of Gagne’s taxonomy of intellectual skills. However, this was not the case when presented with problems that required problem solving ability. Recommendations The orientation prgram described in this study provided guidelines for future efforts of this type. From the results obtained, the following recommendations are advanced: It will be the responsibility of future research efforts to determine if the results are reproducible and to develop a better understanding of the role of programmed instruction in vocabulary building for international students. 94 Specialized (or technical) language should be introduced into orientation programs created for foreign students. Attention should be paid to the relationship between technical vocabulary and the educational goals of the students. Finally, there is a need to determine both the validity of the GMAT and TOEFL in terms of measuring language proficiency, and the predictive value of the GMAT in defining success in a graduate management program for international students. 95 BIBLIOGRAPHY Abedor, A.J. Second draft technology - development and field test of a model for formative evaluation of self- instructional multimedia learning systems. Viewpoints, Bulletin of the School of Education, Indiana Univer sity, 1972, 48, 9-44. Anderson, R. C. How to construct achievement tests to assess comprehension. Review of Educational Research, 42, 145-170. Anderson, R. C. Educational psychology. Annual Review of Psychology, 1967, J8, 129-164. Baker, E. L. & Alkin, M. C. Formative evaluation of in structional development. AV Communication Review, 21, Winter, 1973, 389-418. Baker, E. L. Formative evaluation of instruction. In W. J. 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The influence of research on education practice. Educational Researcher, 1977, 6_, 5-12. Krathwohl, D. Improving educational research and develop ment. Educational Researcher, 1977, 6, 8-14. Lumsdaine, A. A. Educational technology, programed learn ing, and instructional science. In Ernest R. Hilgard (Ed.) Theories of Learning & Instruction. The Sixty- third Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part I. Chicago: NSSE, 1964. Lumsden, K., Attiyeh, R. & Bach, G. L. The efficiency of programmed learning in teaching economics: the results of a national experiment. American Economic Review, 1969, LIX, 217-223. Lewis, J. M. Analysis of the tutoring variable in indiv- dualized instruction. Educational Technology, March 1979, j[9, 41-44. Locatis, C. & Smith, F. Guidelines for developing instruc tional products. Educational Technology, 1972, J_2, 54-57. Mackey, W. F. Yfhat to look for in a method. English Language Teaching, Oct.-Dec. 1954, _1, 41-57. Mager, R. F. Preparing instructional objectives. Calif: Fearon Publishers, Inc., 1961. Markle, S. M. Empirical testing of programs. In P. C. Lange (Ed.) Programmed instruction. The Sixty-sixth Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part II. Chicago: NSSE, 1967. 98 Mason, C. The relevance of intensive training in English as a foreign language for university students. Language Learning, 2J_, 197-204. McKeachie, W. J. Instructional psychology. Annual Review of Psychology, 1974, 25, 161-193. Meskauskas, J. A. Evaluation models for criterion-refer enced testing: views regarding mastery and standard setting. Review of Educational Research, 1976, 46, 133-158. Nie, N. H., Hull, C., Jenkins, J. G., Steinbrenner, K., & Bent, D. H. (Eds.) Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (Second Edition) New York: McGraw- Hill Book Company, 1975. Nishiyama, K. Speech training for Japanese businessmen. The Speech Teacher, September 1975, 24, 251-255. Ogranovitch, S. 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English proficiency, verbal aptitude and foreign student success in American graduate schools. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 1972, 32, 425-431. Shaver, J. P. The productivity of educational research and the applied-basic research distinction. Educational Researcher, 1979, 8, 3-9. Slavin, R. E. Basic vs. applied research. Educational Researcher, 1978, 7, 15-17. Taylor, C. L. A report on the USG School of Business Ad ministration and other Los Angeles Business Schools, Los Angeles Business Journal, September 1979. Tennyson, C. L. & Tennyson, R. D. Evaluation in curriculum development. Educational Technology, September 1978, 18, 52-55. Thomas, R. E. & Richardson, J. W. Study of English pro ficiency standards for foreign graduate students. College and University, Winter 1978, 53, 201-208. Twelker, P. A., Urbach, F. D., & Buck, J. E. The syste matic development of instruction: an overview of basic guide to the literature. 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Cooperative Research Project supported by the Cooperative Research Program of the Office of Edu cation, U.S. Department of Health, Education and VJel- fare, 1967 . 101 APPENDIXES 102 APPENDIX A A MANAGEMENT MODEL FOR FIELD TESTING AN INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEM 103 I. ANALYZE SITUATION & TASK 1.0 Characteristics of the Instructional System to be tested. 1.1 Note the characteristics of the system which must be taken into consideration in the design of the field test, e.g.: . intended audience and instructional setting. . design of the system. . instructional management strategies. 1.2 Note the outcomes of any previous developmental (prototype) testing that must be taken into consideration in the design of the field test. 2.0 Tentative Purposes or Goals for the Field Test * 2.1 Identify, in general, what each of the follow ing consumers of field test results needs to know, or to be able to demonstrate, as a result of the field test, including: instructional developer . evaluator . media producer . subject matter specialist • . instructors . learners . producer or project director . others, as appropriate 3.0 Resources Available for Field Testing 3.1 Describe and/or identify resources potentially ava i1ab1e, e.g.: . staff abilities and availability . available time, limitations and constraints . financial resources . data handling capability . relationships with potential field test sites 4.0 The Organizational Context 4.1 Describe the organizational politics surround ing this instructional development project, e.g.: . within the department and institution as a who 1 e 104 . between the institution and potential field test sites 4.2 Identify the impact of policies of your depart ment and institution on this field test, e.g.: . local travel reimbursement stipulations . financial compensation for consultants/field test instructors . copyright concerns 4.3 Identify concurrent activities within your de partment or institution and how they will impact on field test priori ties or the avail ability of necessary staff or other resources. 5.0 The Field Test Site(s) 5.1 Describe the resources potentially available for field testing and the degree of match with: . characteristics of the instructional system (1.0 ab ove) . tentative field test goals (2.0 above) 5.2 Identify each potential site's goals and intents in participating in the field test and the com patibility of their goals with your project goal and res ourc es. 5.3 Describe the political conditions of the organi zation internally and externally as they might affect your field test. 5.4 Identify the organization policies that will im pact on your field testing. 5.5 Identify those activities that the organization is, or will be, involved concurrently with the planned field test and the potential impact of those activities on the field test. 5.6 Lay the groundwork to enhance adoption of the instructional system by the field test sites (as representatives of your target audience) by involving those who will eventually influence decision-making re: purchase and/or use of the completed instructional system in planning the field test. 105 II. SPECIFY OVERALL PLAN 1.0 Prior it ies 1.1 Assign relative importance to the goals tenta tively identified in I: 2.0. 1.2 Weigh the instructional strategy specifica tions and field test goals with the available resources and existing conditions to arrive at 2.0 General Strategy 2.1 Outline the general strategy or approach to type field test based on these priorities. 2.2 Specify any overall design and/or management parameters the design of the field test must comply with . 3 . 0 Decision-Making Procedures 3.1 Identify critical decisions to be made during the design, development, implementation and analysis of the field test. • 3.2 Specify the lines of authority and responsibi lity for decision-making. 3.3 Where needed, specify a procedure (protocol) for decision-making, e.g., for gaining con sensus or obtaining approvals. 4.0 Coord inat ion with Other Project Activit ies 4.1 Determine at what points field test need to interface with other project e.g., final production, dissemination of mate rials, adoption strategies, etc. . 4.2 Determine whether to initiate field test design activities at this time (section III following) or to delay all or part of preparations. (This may depend on how far along the development of the instructional system is at this point in time, or other activities ongoing which make competing demands on resources. 106 111 . ORGANIZE MANAGEMENT OF THE FIELD TEST 1.0 TheTasks to be Accomplished 1.1 Specify the tasks which must be accomplished to carry out the field test, e.g.: . setting up the field test sites . evaluation design and instrument develop ment . clerical preparation of materials . logistics of conducting the field test . orientation of your field test staff and , the participating staff at the field test sites . data collection and analysis 2 . 0 Staff Responsibilities 2.1 Consider staff abilities and availability and assign the tasks to be done. 2.2 Delegate critical responsibilities and author-, ity to specific staff members. 3.0 T imeline s 3.1 Set timelines (start-up dates and deadlines) for specific activities and products. 3.2 Make arrangements as needed for external sup port services, e.g., typing, production, or data processing services. 4.0 Other Resources 4.1 Take necessary action to make needed materials, equipment and services available for use, e.g.: . processing purchase orders in a timely f a s h i on designating policies and procedures for use of special equipment 5.0 Information Management Procedures 5.1 Determine information needs and policies, e.g.: . documentation needed . items requiring approval . items which require only review and comment . items to be circulated for informative purposes only _____________________________________________________________ 107 5.2 Define information policies and procedures as needed, e.g., who approves/reviews/is informed of wh at. 1V * SPECIFICY OBJECTIVES 1.0 Questions the Field Test is to Answer 1.1 Delineate specific questions to be answered through the field test- regarding: . learners - performance outcomes, attitudes, etc. instructors - response to the instructional program, execution of the strategies, etc. . instructional site - administrative/communi- ty satisfaction with the course, etc. . instructional system - cost-benefits, modi fications indicated, etc. 2 .0 Information to be Obtained for each of the F i_e 1 cl Test Audiences 2.1 Within the parameters set during preliminary planning of the field test, specify the objec tives and information needs of each of the following consumers of field test results: instructional developer - goal attainment, means of achieving goals, product sequencing, etc. . evaluator - goal attainment, evaluation tech niques and instruments, etc. . media producer - technical qualities, imple mentation concerns, utilization projections, etc . . project director - compliance with scope of work, etc. . consumer representatives - costs, learner outcomes, flexibility, utility, etc. subject matter advisors - content accuracy, appropriateness, etc. 3 . 0 Other Objectives 3.1 Specify any other intents, or desired outcomes of the field test. 108 i V. SPECIFY METHODS 1.0 Cond i. t: i o n_s and Criteria 1.1 Specify the conditions and criteria that must be met with regard to: . the learners, e.g., skill level . the equipment or facilities necessary to im plement the system appropriately . the instructional context, e.g., the student- instructor relationships, relationship of field test site administrators to the in structional staff 2.0 Specification of Evaluation Design 2.1 Consider the tradeoffs of instructional design and evaluation criteria, the resources avail able, and administrative concerns and "prag matics" 2.2 Specify in detail a design for implementing the field test that best meets your needs and re- s our c e s . 3.0 D e s ign of Field Test Components 3.1 Design the field test instruments and proce dures for their use. 4.0 Or i en t at i on 4.1 Plan any needed briefings of field test staff, participating instructors and any other staff involved at each field test site. 5.0 Data Analysis 5.1 Specify the data analysis techniques to be used 109 VI. PREPARE FIELD TEST PARTICIPANTS AND MATERIALS 1.0 Field Test Materials 1.1 Construct field test materials, e.g.: . evaluation material . data analysis forms . instruetor/particpant guidelines . field test policy and procedure guides as needed 2.0 Orientation of Project Field Test Staff (as n eed ed) 2.1 Explain procedures and assign responsibilities. 2.2 Specify timelines for conducting the field test and collecting forms and prototype materials, etc.. 3.0 Orientation of Field TestSite Personnel 3.1 Explain procedures and clarify responsibilities 3.2 Seek assurances that the target learner popula tion will have met all necessary prerequisites and be at appropriate entry level when the field test starts. 3.3 Specify timelines for conducting the test and return of materials. 3.4 Continue planned activities to enhance adoption of the instructional system by the field test sites, (see I: 5.6) 110 VII. CONDUCT THE FIELD TEST 1.0 Logistics, e.g. : 1.1 Arrange for learner population to be avaiable, with the appropriate required entry skills, at the point when all preparations are com pleted and the field test is ready to be onduc ted. 1.2 Arrange any interviews with instructors, learners, etc., included in your field test d e s ign . 1.3 Make travel arrangements for field test staff. 1.4 Assure the understanding and readiness of instructors and other involved staff at the field test sites. 1.5 Arrange for delivery and pick up of materials to and from the sites. 2.0 Implementati on 2.1 Initiate the tryout of the instructional sy s t em. 2.2 Implement the field test measures as designed, e.g., interviews, observation, questionnaires, etc . 3 . 0 Data Collection 3.1 Assemble the data collected during the field test per the evaluation design. » 111 VIII. ANALYZE THE RESULTS 1.0 Execution & Reliability of the Field Test Itself 1.1 Assess the management of the field test,e.g. . effectiveness . appropriateness to intents . cause of any bias to results 1.2 Reassess the appropriateness of the design and instrumentation of the field test, given the benefit of hindsight. (Did you ask the right questions???) 1.3 Evaluate the field test instructor, e.g.: . the instructor's understanding and accept ance of the intents and form of the in structional system . understanding and acceptance of the in- - tents and form of the field test . adherence to prescribed role 1.4 Assess the degree to which prescribed field test conditions were met, e.g., with regard t o : . human resources . material resources . equipment and facilties used . instructional context 1.5 Identify any behavior biasing (either favor ably or unfavorably) the field test outcomes, e.g.: . learner behavior . instructor behavior . actions of other personnel at the field test site . actions of project field test staff 2 . 0 Evaluation of the Instructional Sy s tern 2.1 Re-examine the criteria you originally set forth in the evaluation design for analysis of the results in the light of your assess ment of the management of the field test (1.0 above) and the project's remaining time and resources. 112, 2.2 Analyze the data and summarize results acc ord ingly . 2.3 Prepare data summaries as needed for review by decision-makers. 2.4 Specify review procedures. IX• IMPLEMENT a n d/or recycle 1.0 Review of Results 1.1 Review the data summary and interpret the results . 1.2 Recommend actions to take, specific modifi cations to be made to the instructional materials, etc. 1.3 Weigh the proposed actions/modifications with needs and resources to arrive at priorities. 2.0 Dec is ions 2.1 Decide if the field test was adequate and acc ep t ab 1 e . 2.2 Assess the resources available to perform the actions recommended in 1.3 above. 2.3 Analyze the trade-offs to arrive at an action d e c i s i on, e.g.: . design and evaluation concerns . administrative concerns . consumer concerns . values, priorities, commitments . resources available . pragmatics 2.4 Determine what should be done next based on your analysis of field test outcomes. ; 1 13 3.0 Ac t i on 3.1 Did you decide that no further field testing is indicated at this time? IF YES . . . RECYCLE through the field test man ag ement system as needed 1 14 IF NO... EXIT field test management system to an appropriate sy s tern, e.g.: . instructional d es ign . production APPENDIX B COMPONENTS OF THE TRANSITION PREPARATORY PACKAGE 115 Components of the Transition Preparatory Package Ec on omics The primary method of instruction was programmed in struction. Concepts were presented in a hierarchical fashion. Questions were asked at the end of each unit to test comprehension of material just read. Questions were either True/false or multiple choice. To help make the * questions a useful learning experience, a suggested ex planation of the correct response was provided for each question. The student was cautioned to, (1) first respond before reading this explanation, and (2) not to proceed through the material till they understood why they made a particular error. Example of Topic Presentation- Economics The Allocation of Resources Defined Concept Opportunity Cost - that which you give up when you make an alternative cho ice. Defined Concept Scarce Resources - things that help produce the goods and services we w an t . Ru1e Us ing The relationship of opportunity cost to scarce resources was described. Resources are limited, consequently we are faced with the economic pro blem of producing more of one good which makes it necessary to give up some amount of another good. 116 Problem Solving Marginal analysis is an approach that concentrates on changes in allocations, how is opportunity cost reflected in marginal cost? Example of Review Qu e s t ion ____ Economic resources are termed "scarce resources" because they: a. are not available in sufficient quantities to meet all orders for them. b. are not available in sufficient quantities to meet all wants for them. c. cannot be increased in quantity to any signficant extent. d. are of primary importance in satisfying the needs of s o c i e ty . Answer provided in the text: A resource is scarce whenever having more of it would make someone better off. It is possible for a resource to be scarce even though enough is available to fill all orders (people might like to have more cars built but can not afford to buy more). A resource that cannot be in creased in quantity may be scarce, but so may resources that can be. Whenever there are unsatisfied wants, re sources are scarce. The correct response is b. Accoun t ing The primary method of instruction was programmed in struction. Concepts were presented in a hierarchical fashion. Ultimately, the material forced the students to translate accounting principles into journal entries. The materaal i-n the text was presented by frames. Af ter each frame, a student was required to respond to true/ false questions. Feedback was provided as to the correct ness or incorrectness of each of the choice answers. A 117 set of examinations, classified by subject matter, was pre sented. In addition, a glossary of technical terms was in eluded in the book. Example of Topic Presentation ~ Accounting Recording Transactions The account: a bookkeeping device used to record and summarize the increases and decreases in a single asset, li ability or owner equity item. Tlye ledger: a group of accounts used by a business in recording transac- t i on s . Types of Accounts: Asset Accounts, Liability Accounts, Owner Equity Account s Example of Review Quest ions Indicate whether each of the following is true or false by writing "T" or "F" in the space provided. 1. The balance of a T-account is the total of all items on both sides of the account. 2. A ledger may consist of a number of individual ac coun t s . 3. Examples of asset accounts are cash, prepaid ex penses, equipment, and capital. 4. When cash or other assets are withdrawn from a business by its owner, the owner equity is reduced. Now, turn to the Answer frame and check your answer. Answer s 1. False. The balance in an account is the difference between the totals of its two sides. 2. True. A ledger consists of a number of individual accounts. It may also take the form of a tray of account cards or a book. Defined Concept Defined Concept Defined Concept 118 3. False. While cash, prepaid expenses, and equipment are asset accounts, capital is an owner equity account. 4. True. The withdrawal of cash or other assets from a business results in a reduction of both assets and owner equity. When you are satisfied with your comprehension of these answers, proceed to the next frame and continue reading. Defined Concept The concept of debit and credit. Rule Using The mechanics of double-entry book keeping . Examination Questions The following statements are either true or false. Place an (X) in the parentheses before each true statement and an (0) before each false one, 1. ( ) The normal balance of the purchase returns and allowances account is credit. 2. ( ) The normal balance of the purchases account is a d eb i t . 3. ( ) A post-closing trial balance contains certain re venue accounts. College Math Chapters provided in this workbook gave information on duly recognized areas of theory. Each chapter began with a clear summary of pertinent definitions, principles and theorems. This information was illustrated and then follow ed by graded sets of solved and supplementary problems. The solved problems had been chosen and their solutions arranged, so that the principles offered were clearly established. 119 | Example of Topic Presentation - College Math Functions of a Graph Defined Concepts A variable Function of a variable Independent and dependent variables The functional notation A rectangular coordinate system The graph of a function Function of two variables 2 Rule Using Given y = 3x -4x + 1, find the values of y corresponding to x = -2, -1, 0, 1 , 2 . For x = -2, y = 3(-2) -4(-2) + 1 = 21; x = -1, y = 3(-l)2-4(-l)+l = 8; x = 0, y = 3(0)2-4(0)+l = 1; x = 1, y = 3(1)2-4(1) +1 = 0; x = 2, y = 3(2)2-4(2) + 1=5 These values of x are conveniently listed in the following table: X -2 -1 0 1 2 y 21 8 1 0 5 These points are then plotted on a rectangular coordinate system. See figure below: 21J -1 •120 . Computers The primary method of instruction was cassette tapes with a studyguide. All information was presented on cassette tapes. The studyguide was composed solely of visuals as they applied to the topic on the tapes. Topics presented dealt with: the application of computers in moderr society, a tour of the University Computer Center, an intro duction to the basic processes of a computer, and how in formation is stored. Objectives of a topic were presented at the beginning of a unit and exercises related to these objectives were presented at the end of the unit. This method of relying mainly on audio cassette tapes with accompanying visuals served two purposes: (1) it gave practice in listening to. English and (2) the visuals assisted in maintaining the listner’s attention. Examp1e of Topic Presentation - Computers A Tour of the University Computer Center Ob jectives: 1. The student will be able to name the functions of at least four pieces of equipment housed in the computer center. 2. The student will become familiar with two methods of inputting data. 121 AUDIO A computer center is normally used to house the processor unit and most or all of the input and output devices that are used in the computer system. The major input device that is used in this center is the ter minal. Here the operator enters information into the computer system. The user must respond to messages from the computer system as well in order to keep the system running. Another input device is a card reader. Here information on punched cards are fed into the computer via this device. We have a picture here of the Hewlett/Packard 2000 Computer System. This is the main com puter operating in the Keck Center and is the one all Business students are expected to become familiar with while at USC . After the information is pro cessed in the computer it is printed out. The most commonly used output device in the com puter center is the terminal. However, there are times when people will want to have a paper copy of their work. In this instance, the output de vice most commonly used is the system printer. Printers vary tremendously in their speed of printing. Most printers are fairly high speed and print from 3000 to 1000 lines per minute. A new generation of high speed printers, laser printers, will print over 24,000 lines per minute. VISUAL Photo 1 - Overview of Keck Management Science Computer Center Photo 2 - Video display t ermin al Photo 3 - Card Reader wit! an IBM c ard. Photo 4 - Main Computer Photo 5 - Printer 122 Review Questions 1. What is the function of the video display terminal? 2. What is the function of the card reader? 3. Give the functions of four pieces of equipment that is housed in the Keck Center. Business Communica t i on s The primary method of instruction was cassette tapes with a workbook. This workbook outlined the instruction given on the tape. Each unit was preceded by instructional objectives, questions and assignments were inserted at the end of a topic and/or at the end of a module. Examples of both The Long Report and the Corporate Annual Report were included. The concepts covered were: a general overview of communication with emphasis on report writing techniques anc skills. Example of Topic Pr esentation - B usiness Communication Writing with Force & Clarity Objectives: 1. The student will develop techniques to improve his/her ability in writing clearly, concisely, and completely. 2. The student will develop techniques to edit his/her own material. 3. The student will understand and develop skills in mak ing an outline. H23 The Value of a Plan (Outline) The advantages of having an outline or plan prior to writing or giving an orientation are: 1. It permits us to review our outline and test the logic of the organizational plan. As you evaluate the outline you may notice that it is necessary to rearrange the points you are trying to make. 2. It permits us to test for proportion. Did we emphasize one point too much? Are the points we are trying to make receiving the correct amount of attention. 3. You may check the outline to determine if you covered the topic completely or incompletely. A. It permits you to check the order of development. This may be related to the logic of presenting your argument. It may relate to changing topics in the middle of a discussion, etc. 5. An outline saves time. Making a revision or correction in an outline only takes a minute. Attempting to correct a report can be time con suming and frustrating. (Now that you have an overview, listen to the tape on the above section. Then stop the tape and read the overview for the next section.) The Mechanics of Making an Outline Engineering Mode: 1 . World War I 1.1 Economic Causes 1.2 People in the Government 1.2.1 L e ad er s 1.2.2 Ministers Liberal Arts Mode: I. World War I A. Economic Causes B. People in Government 1 . L e ad er s 2. Ministers a. Dates in Office b. Assistants to Ministers /124- Exercise Place the following information __ in either the engineering outline mode, or the liberal arts outline mode. 125 APPENDIX C CRITERION-REFERENCE TESTS 126 MATH EXAM IBEAR TRANSITION PROGRAM FALL, 1981 The purpose of this examination is to help you deter mine your working knowledge of the basic quantitative skills which you will need to successfully complete your business c our s e s . This exam is based on the material assigned to you in Schaum’s Outline Series: Theory and Problems of College Algebra which was included in your Preparatory Package. Mark your answer on the score sheet provided. EXAMPLE: in the equation: 2x +1=5, x is equal to: a) x = 3 b) x = 2 c) x = 1 The correct answer is b and should be marked ac c ord ingly . a b c d e 127 l)(x + 3) is equal to: ( 2x 12 4x + 2x 6 can be factored as: 5 x 6 ) ( x + 1) 2) (x + 3) i s equal to: "Cx + 2jrx-3) 2x + 21 f ind F(- x) If F(t) x-1 .12B Solve the following simultaneous equation: •2 y 17 59 16 32 13 34 The roots for the quadratic equation x + x 0 ar e a) +2 -4 Find the error: th en a<i b b) multiply by a then c) subtract b th en d) Fact or: th en e) Divide by a-b th en f) sub s t i tu t e th en find F(- 3,0) 3xy + 33 42 -27 129 2 3 9) (3y) (2y) is equal to: a) 24y2 12y3 b) 72y 5 c) 2 6y 5 2 3 10) (-3xy ) is equal to: 07 3 6 a) - 2 7 x y b) 2 7 xy 6 c) 27 x y 3 -6 11) Consider the following sets: G = 1, 2 , 2 , 3 , 5 H = 4,5,6 On the basis of this information, which of the follow ing statements is true? 12) Consider two independent events A and B for which P(A)= .80 and P(B) = .10. Which of the following statements is true? a) PCAtB) = .10 b) P(A/\B) = .30 c) P(AlB) = .80 d) P(AU B) = .40 130 13. Consider two events A and B for which P ( A f\ B ) ^ 0 . On the basis of this information, we can definitely conclude that: a) A and B are independent b) A and B are not independent c) A and B are mutually exclusive d) A and B are not mutually exclusive n ! 14. C = — - r - y -c"T where n = 12, r = 2, equals: n r r ! (n-r) ! » m. a) 120 b) 155 c) 6 6 n ! 15. P = 7 rrr, where n = 5, r = 3 equals: n r C n-4 ) ! ^ a) 110 b) 155 c) 60 131 IBEAR TRANSITION PROGRAM FALL, 1981 ACCOUNTING The purpose of this examination is to help you and your instructor determine your working knowledge of basic accounting . This exam is based on the material assigned to you in your Preparatory Package. TheSelf Review inElementary Accounting, Vol. 1, by Pyle and Larson. The matching portion of this exam is to be marked on this paper . Please mark all other responses on the score sheet provided 1,32 MATCHING: Match the appropriate meaning to the term by putting the letter associated with a definition next to the pr op er t er m . 10 11 12 13 14 15 Balance Sheet Accounts Receivable Notes P ay ab1e debit credit notes receivable j ournal trial balance acc oun t ing equ a t ion assets equ i t i e s c on s er vat ism 1edg er accrued revenue A. Revenue earned during an accounting period but unre corded and uncollected at the period end because pay ment is not due. B. A book of original entry where transactions are' initially recorded. C. A report which shows the financial position of a business by listing the assets owned and the claims against these assets. D. Rights of owners in the assets of a business. E. A principle of accounting the objective of which is to place each item on the balance sheet at a conser vative amount. F. The right to collect money from someone to whom goods or services have been sold on credit. G. The left side of an account or an amount entered on the left side of an account. H. A promissory note which is a formal written promise to pay a definite sum of money at a fixed future date. I. Assets - Own er Equ i ty . + J. Something of value owned by a business. 133 K. The right side of an account or an amount entered on the right side of an ac count. L. A listing of all the accounts and their balances used to test the equality of the debits and credits. M. Amounts owed because of promissory notes given to creditors. N. Creditor claims on the assets of a business. 0. A group of accoun/ts where transactions are recorded from the journal. 134 TRUE/FALSE: Please mark your score sheet accordingly: A = True/B = False 1. Certified Public Accountants are licensed by the state. T/F 2. TT.he accountants work is wider in scope than that of a bookkeeper. T/F 3. The payment of a liability reduces assets and the owner equity. T/F 4. The business entity concept assumes that a business and its owner are a combined unit and are accounted for as such. T/F 5. Examples of asset accounts are cash, prepaid expenses, equipment, and capital. T/F 6. Entries are made in the balanc e c olumn o f an account only at the end of the accounting period. T/F 7. All revenue and expense accounts must begin each new accounting period with zero balances. T/F 8. A work sheet is normally prepared after the adjust ments are entered in the accounts. T/F 9. The last day of the credit period for an invoice dated November 2 and carrying terms of 2/10, n/60 is November 12. T/F 10. The accounting department usually pays an invoice only after receiving and checking copies of the requisition, purchase order, invoice, and receiving report. T/F 11. It is unnecessary for the voucher system to be in effect once a requisition has been issued. T/F 12. A check received by a company marked NSF is viewed as payment toward an outstanding debit and should be credited as such to that company's account. T/F 13. The interest on a 90-day, 6 percent, $5,000 interest- bearing note is $75, T/F 14. A negotiable instrument is a document to which title is easily transferred, usually by endorsement and delivery . T/F 135 15. The advantage of using the allownace method for handling losses due to bad debts is that it is directly written off as a debit to the Bad Debit Expense once it is decided that a customer's account is uncollectable. T/F 16. The Fifo method of inventory valuation assigns the cost of the oldest units to the ending inventory. 17. An error in determining the ending inventory will affect only the period in which the error was made. 18. If a perpetual inventory system is used, an entry for cost of goods sold is usually prepared at the time a sale is recorded. T/F 19. There are two current methods of allocating depre ciation of a plant's total assets, straight-line method and the units of production method. The de clining balance method and sum-of-the-years' digits method have become obsolete. T/F 20. Intangible assets have a physical existence. T/F CLASSIFYING TERMS The following are three major account headings: A. OWNER EQUITY B. ASSET ACCOUNTS C. LIABILITY ACCOUNTS. Calssify each of the following terms under one of these three major headings. Black out the proper letter, either A, B, or C, on your score sheet. For example: the term "notes payable" belongs to the LIABILITY ACCOUNT Category and therefore, the letter C would be marked on your score sheet. T/F T/F T erms: 21. prepaid expenses 22. notes receivable 23. accounts payable 24. revenue & expense 2 5. cash 27. capital 28. mortgage payable 29. bu ild ing s 30. withdrawals 31. accounts receivable 26. equipment i m MULTIPLY CHOICE QUESTIONS: Mark your correct response on your score sheet: 32 . Increases in assets are always recorded as: a . b . c . d ; deb its notes p ay ab1e credits notes receivable 33 . The process of copying the debit and credit mation about a transaction from journal to is called: inf or- the ledger a . b . c . d . ledger entry double entry bookkeeping posting journal entry 34 . Unpaid and unrecorded expenses for which payment is not due is called: a . b . c . d . notes payable accrued expenses accounts payable accounts receivable 35 . A vendee is one who: a . b . c . d . buys something leases a business consigns for something sells something 36 . A memorandum is used by the buyer of notify the seller of an invoice error that the invoice total. goods to increas es a . b . c . d . invo i c e voucher credit debit 37 . Balance sheet accounts are also known as acc ount s a . b . c . d . ledger real journal trial balance 137/ 38. Some methods for accounting for bad debts is: a. the allowance method b. the direct write-off method c. this bad debt loss method d . (a) and (b) 39. A method for allocating depreciation of a plant assets is: a. the straight line method b. the Fifo method c. the Lifo method d. the direct write off method 40. A negotiable instrument means: a. the bank hold title b. title is readily changed c. the note is easily exchanged for money d. a note is used in pi.ace of cash "138 APPLIED QUESTIONS Below are lists of general ledger and accounts receiv able ledger accounts, with each account preceded by an identifying number. Below the lists are several trans actions. Indicate the accounts debited and credited in recording the transactions by placing,the proper account identifying numbers in the columns after each transaction. 1 . 2 . 3 . A . General Ledger Accounts accounts receivable 5 cash 6 interest expense 7 interest earned notes payable notes receivable notes receivable d i s c oun ted Accounts Rece ivab1e i . Frank Fisher 1 . Jack J acks Debit Credit Ex: Received cash from Frank Fisher on account 2 1- 1. Borrowed money from the bank by giving a 60-day, 6 percent note 2. Borrowed money from the bank by discounting at 6 percent a 60-day, noninterest bearing note 3. Paid the interest-bearing note given the bank in Transaction 1 above 4. Paid the noninterest bearing note dis counted in Transaction 2 above 5. Received an interest bearing note from Jack Jacks in granting an extension on his past-due account 6. Jack Jacks dishonored the note of the foregoing transaction when we presented it for payment 7. The bank notified us that the interest- bearing note of Frank Fisher, a customer which we had previously discounted, had been dishonored. Paid the bank the maturity value of the note plus a pro test fee. (See next transaction also) 8. Canceled the discount liability on the Frank Fisher note of the previous trans action 9. Frank Fisher paid the dishonored note of , 7 with interest on the maturity value and protest fee from the date of maturity________ 139 B el ow is a list of account n ame s with eachn ame preceded by a number, and below the list are several transactions completed, by Carl Cross, a dentist. Indicate the accounts debited and .credited in recording each transaction by plac ing the correct account numbers in the boxes to the right of each transaction. 1. Accumulated Depreciation Dental Equipment 2 . B arry Brown 3. Carl Cross, Capital 4. Carl Cross, Withdrawals 5 . C ash 6. Dental Equipment 13 . R ent Exp 14. Revenue 15 . Salar i e s 16 . Salar i es 17 . S outhern 18 . Telephon 19 . Wes tern 7. Dental Supplies 8. Dental Supplies Used 9. Depreciation Expense, Dental Equipment 10. Insurance Expense 11. J ame s Lake 12. Prepaid Insurance ens e from Practice Exp en s e P ay ab1e Telephon e Co. e Expense Supply Company Debit Credit Ex : Carl Cross began the practice by dentistry by investing cash and dental equ ipment 5 , 6 3 1 . Paid one month's rent on the office 2 . Purchased dental equipment and supplies on credit from Western Supply Co. 3 . Paid the premium on a 3-year liabi lity insurance policy 4 . Completed dental work for B. Brown and immediately collected cash in full for the work done 5 . Returned for credit a portion of the equipment purchased in Transaction 2 above 6 . Paid the dental assistant's salary 7 . Paid Western Supply Co., the amount owed to it 140 Debit Cr ed i t 8 . Completed dental work on credit for James Lake, recognized the revenue in the accounts, and billed him for the work d one. --------. — — — 9 . Paid Southern Telephone Co. the monthly telephone bill which had not previously been recorded . 10 . Carl Cross withdrew cash for his p er s on al use. 11 . James Lake paid the amount billed in Transaction 8 above. 12 • Made an adjusting entry to record the expired insurance. 13 . Made an adjusting entry to record the dental supplies used. 14 . Made an adjusting entry to record depreciation on the dental equipment. 15 . Made an adjusting entry to record the accrued salary of the dental assitant. 141 | 1EB EAR TRANSITION PROGRAM FALL, 1981 ECONOMICS The purpose of this examination is to help you and you:: instructor determine your working knowledge of basic micro/ macroeconomics. This exam is based on the material assigned to you in the two books on economics (Microeconomics and Macroecono mics) by Lumsden, Attiyeh, & Bach included in your Prepara tory Package. The matching portion of this exam should be marked on this paper. Please mark all your responses on the score sheet provided for all other questions. 142 MATCHING: Match the appropriate meaning to the term by putting the letter associated with a definition next to the proper t erm. 1. Price elasticity of demand 2. opportunity cost 3. p ar ame ter 4. marginal analysis 5. market equilibrium 6. br e ak-even _ 1 . price elasticity of supply 8. scarce resources __9 . marginal benefit/ marginal cost 10 . supply curve 11. utility 12. budget constraints 13. diminishing marginal u t ility A. When you are forced to choose from alternatives, you must give up one thing to get another. B. All the goods and services an economy uses as a whole to produce the goods and services we want. C. The approach used by economists to concentrate oh ch anges in allocations by looking at the margin rather than the total. D. The decrease or increase in benefit resulting from the choice of one activity over ano th er. E. The amount of satisfaction one can derive from a good or service. F. Limited incomes or budgets available for expenditure on consumer goods and ser vices . G. A curve which shows the list of quantities of a commodity which will be offered on the market by firms at various prices. H. A number used to summarize a population distribution. We assume this number to be fixed. I. Consumption of additional units of a commodity ulti mately leads to a point where an additional unit will yield less satisfac tion or utility than did the previous unit consumed _______________________________ 143 J. The price and quantity es tablished of a good such that consumers desire to buy exact ly as much as suppliers wish to sell. K. A pure number which measures the responsiveness of the quantity of a commodity supplied to changes in price. L. A pure number which measures how a quantity sold of a good responds to a change in its price. M. A point at which a manufac turer makes neither a profit nor loss on an item. 14'4 < Mark the following answers on your score sheet: 1. This question is based on the following statement: "The question facing our government is whether to build a new highway system or establish public libraries throughout the country during the next three years. Resources for both projects are not available. It must be one or the other." The opportunity cost of the new highway system men tioned in the paragraph above is: a. greater than the economy can afford. b. national libraries c. the money required to pay for it. d. the resources required to build it. 2. Economic resources are termed scarce resources because th ey: a. are not available in sufficient quantities to meet all orders for them. b. are not available in sufficient quantities to meet all wants for them. c. cannot be increased in quantity to any significant extent. d. are of primary importance in satisfying the needs of society. 3. The government is considering an increase in expendi ture for medical services. It should undertake this exp end i tur e: a. if the total benefit derived from all medical ser vices still exceeds the total cost. b. if the total benefit derived from all medical ser vices still exceeds that of any other good. c. if the benefit from the extra medical services out weighs the cost of doing with less of other goods. d. only if all of the above are true. 4. When the prices of goods change, a consumer alters the quantities of goods he buys. As a result, an indivi dual discovers that in the new situation marginal utilities are all lower than they were in the old situation. Which of the following is correct? 145 a. The individual is better off, prices must have fallen on the average. b. The individual is worse off, but prices could have fallen or risen on the average. c. The individual is worse off, prices must have risen on the average. d. Insufficient information is given to determine whether the individual is better off or worse off. A consumer buys only wine and cheese, and the more of any one he buys, the lower the marginal utility of that good. In spending all his income, his marginal utility of a bottle of wine is three and his marginal utility of a pound of cheese is one. The price of wine is $4 and the price of cheese is $2. If the consumer wants to maximize his utility, which of the following shouId he buy? a .■ More wine and less cheese. b. Less wine and more cheese. c. More wine and more cheese. d. Less wine and less cheese. 6. A consumer’s demand curve typically is downward sloping to the quantity axis for which of the following rea- s on s ? 1. At lower prices, the good in question is sub stituted for other goods that are now relatively more expensive. 2. At lower prices, the consumer can buy all he bought at the higher prices and with the money left over buy still more. a . 1 only b . 2 only c . both 1 and 2 d. neither 1 nor 2 7. This question is based on the following hypothetical s tatement: "An electrical power utility requests that the Federal Power Commission (FPC) approve an increase in rates for electricity in order to increase its revenues to overcome falling profits. The FPC disapproves the increase and suggests that the utility would do better if it reduced its rates.” 146 9 . :.o. i.i. On the basis of the above statement, which of the following is true? a. The utility will not be able to increase its revenue; because it cannot raise its rates. b. The utility believes the demand for power is in elastic; the FPC believes demand is elastic. c. The utility believes the demand for power is elas tic; the FPC believes demand is inelastic. d. On the basis of this statement none of the above c an b e tru e . In travelling about a city, most people use either sub way or bus. Suppose all subway fares were doubled, but bus fares remained unchanged. How would the subway fare increase affect the total fare revenue? a. It would increase for buses but might increase or decrease for subways. b. It would increase for subways but might increase or decrease for buses. c. It would increase for both subways and buses. d. It would increase for subways and remain unchanged for buses. If a firm is producing output at a point where diminish ing returns have set in, which of the following is correct? 1. Each additional unit of output will be more expen sive to produce. 2. Each additional unit of output will require increas ing amounts of the factor of production being increas ed. 3. The marginal product of the variable factor of production decreases as the quantity used increases, a. 1 only b . 1 and 2 only c . 2 and 3 only d . 1 , 2 and 3 If the firm wishes to maximize profit, which of the following should it do? a. increase output b. decrease output c. raise price d . 1ower price Which of the following statements about gross national product would be correct? ' 14-T__ 1. GNP uses prices as weights in adding together the outputs of different goods and services. 2. GNP includes depreciation as part of output. 3. GNP is the market value of all final goods and services produced. a . 1 and 2 only b . 1 and 3 only c . 2 and 3 only d . 1 , 2 and 3 12. Whether there will be unemployment or inflation is determined by: a. the level of aggregate demand. b. the level of potential GNP. c. the size of the output gap relative to the in flationary gap. d. the level of aggregate demand relative to potential GNP . 13. Which of the following features must a good economics model have in order to help us understand the economy? 1. It must be completely realistic. 2. It must be simple enough to understand. 3. It must capture some essential feature of the e c on omy . a . 1 and 2 only b . 1 and 3 only c . 2 and 3 only d . 1, 2, and 3 14. If real GNP is less than potential GNP, and aggregate demand and real GNP are not equal, then a. aggregate demand will change, but actual GNP will s t ay th e s ame. b. actual GNP will change, but aggregate demand will stay th e s ame. c. both aggregate demand and actual GNP will change. d. the economy is in equilibrium. 15. If you were to add up all the sales in the economy for a given year, which of the following would be true with respect to the grand total for that year? a. It would equal GNP. b. It would exceed GNP. c. It would be less than GNP. d. It would ignore consumers' valuation of the goods and services produced. 1/1Q= APPLIED QUESTIONS 1. Question 1 is based on the following diagram: marginal income from s awing logs arginal income from b aby-s i 11 ing \ 3 4 5 0 2 1 H our s You have five hours to spend working. Which of the following statements are true? a. The more time you spend sawing up logs, the less income you earn per hour of sawing. b. The hourly wage rate you can earn babysitting is 0 e . c. To maximize daily income, you would have to both saw logs and babysit. d. All of the above. 149 | 2. This question is based on the following chart: Number of Pickers Tomato Output 1 $30 2 48 3 62 4 72 5 80 6 87 7 93 8 96 9 9 8 10 98 A farmer can hire tomato pickers at $12 per day. The profit maximizing farmer should hire only a. One tomato picker because his contribution to output is greatest. b. Three tomato pickers because the fourth costs more than he earns. c. Eight tomato pickers because costs will equal revenue . d. None tomato pickers because the value of the marginal product of the tenth picker is zero. APPENDIX EVALUATION D DATA FORM A EVALUATION OF THE PREPARATORY PACKAGE Math Accounting Ec on omi cs 1 . Which tests did you find most difficult? 2 . Estimate the amount of time you spent studying f or e ach: 3 . Which area do you feel you need tutorial sup port in? 4 . Using the scale of 1-2-3, how knowledgeable were you in each area prior to exposure of material in the pre paratory package? Very knowledgeable 1 Knowledgeable 2 Not knowledgeable 3 5 . Which areas in business would you have liked to see covered in the Preparatory Package but were not? 6 . Did you fee the Preparatory Package was Useful Not Us eful 7 . Did you receive the Preparatory Package in to review the material? Yes No ample time 8 . Give any situations that may have interfered with your reviewing the material once it was received. 9 . Comments: We would like to ask for your suggestions in terms of any future improvement you feel should be made on the Package. Please list your suggestions below. 152 TALLY OF RESPONSES TO EVALUATION FORM A Which tests did you find most difficult: accounting, economics, math? Accounting - 23 responses, economics - 4 responses, math - 9. Estimate the amount of time you spent studying for each: Accounting - 2 to 3 weeks, economics - 1 to 4 weeks, math - 2 weeks. Which area do you feel you need tutorial support in? Accounting - 50% responded, economics - 50% responded, math - 0. Using the scale 1 to 3, how knowledgeable were you in each area prior to exposure of material in the prepara tory package? Account ing Economic s Ma_th Very knowledgeable 5 2 9 Kn owledgeable 10 16 16 Not Knowledgeable 16 14 5 Which areas in business would you have liked to see covered in the Preparatory Package but were not? Statistics, finance, marketing, computer languages, etc. Did you feel the Preparatory Package was useful notuseful Thirty-six students (100%) responded to useful. Did you receive the Preparatory material in ample time to review it? Yes 29 No 7 Give any situations that may have interfered with your reviewing the material once it was received. Responses: working, traveling, housework, and children. Comments: (a) extend transition period 2 weeks, (b) math book very good, (c) more exercises in accounting, (d) did not like economics book, (e) include material on statistics, etc. ______________________________________________________________J 53_. FORM B EVALUATION OF THE IBEAR TRANSITION PROGRAM Very Poop Poor Satis Very Good Good 1. How would you rate the overall effectiveness of the Preparatory Package? 2. How would you rate the overall effectiveness of the small group tutorial sess'ions ? a . A c c oun t in g b . Ec on omic s c . Math emat ic s Should the small group tutorials be included in next year’s' program? Yes_____ No________ 3. Please offer any comments that you feel would improve the Transition Program: 1.54 i TALLY OF RESPONSES TO EVALUATION FORM B Very Very Poor Poor Satis. Good Good How would you rate the overall effectiveness of the Preparatory Package? 10 2 2 4 How would you rate the overall effectiveness of the small group tutorial sessions? a. Accounting 2 7 15 1 b. Economics 5 17 5 c. Mathematics 6 10 10 Should the small tutorials be included in next year's program? Yes 2 7 N o __ C ommen t s: a. Liked the informality of small group tutorials. b. Enjoyed learning to use the Texas Instrument's business calculator. (Math session) c. It is an excellent synopsis of the basic principles of accounting. d. The tutor is very good, like a C.P.A. e. I feel better about economics now. 155 APPENDIX THE GANTT E HART 156 PROJECT PLANNING SCHEDULE Sheet of Program Name Date 0 Start # Completed ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE REMARKS ! , —1 —1 —1 —1 ----------- ■ —1 Ol

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Creator Collier, Rosalyn Burns (author)

Core Title Effects of a self instructional program in business administration implemented at the graduate level to international students

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Degree Doctor of Philosophy

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Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

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