The use of student response systems is becoming more prevalent in higher level education. Evidence on the effectiveness of this technology can be an important resource for tutors seeking to engage with learners and raise the quality of learning experiences. Student response systems have been found to increase student engagement and participation in the classroom, yet few studies examine why this is so. This research seeks to explore the effects of student response systems on student participation in large classes. The methods used included both quantitative and qualitative data. A pre-test/mid-test/post-test design (quantitative approach) was deployed to examine the effects of a classroom response system on interactivity. Students involved in a final year undergraduate business course took part in investigating the use of student response systems from the student perspective. Qualitative data were collected to identify the strengths and weaknesses of using a classroom response system to enhance classroom interaction through semi-structured interviews. This research builds on previous studies by investigating why students become more participatory, interactive and engaged during learning sessions which utilise student response systems. Implications for teaching practice are discussed, and avenues for future research on student response systems and student engagement in large class scenarios are outlined.

When asked to name the ink color of an incompatible color word (e.g., the word red printed in green ink), people show strong interference from the word. This phenomenon-the Stroop effect-has become a benchmark measure of attention, and is notoriously difficult to modulate. This study examined Stroop interference in subjects who were either high or low in susceptibility to hypnosis. Compared with performance in the waking state, the Stroop effect actually increased under hypnosis, a result particularly evident in the high-susceptible subjects. This contradicts the notion that highsusceptible subjects freely select appropriate strategies when hypnotized, a conclusion strengthened by an analysis of reported strategies in the two states. However, when provided with an attentional focusing instruction under hypnosis, high-susceptible subjects sharply reduced the Stroop effect, whereas low-susceptible subjects decreased it only slightly. One role of hypnosis may be to assist the subject in tuning attention, but only when an appropriate strategy is provided.

Cells derived from mixed Syrian hamster embryo cultures were treated with pyrene (control) or with benzo[a]pyrene. Transformed clones were obtained only with the carcinogen. Some of the transformed clones were responsible for cell lines that produced tumors when injected into hamsters. These observations provide evidence that chemical-induced oncogenesis can be studied by an in vitro model.

Journal of European Industrial Training 25/2/3/4 [2001] 221±228

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