Student personality characteristics and optimal college learning conditions: An extensive search for trait-by-treatment interaction effects

Abstract

The goal of this research project was to discover those personality characteristics of college students which predispose them towards learning more effectively from one, rather than some other, particular instructional format. Over 800 students in each of two college courses were taught by one of four different methods, and three broad classes of criterion information were assessed: (a) knowledge of course content, (b) amount of extra-curricular reading, and (c) degree of student satisfaction. Each student completed an extensive battery of personality measures, which yielded over 350 test scores. The ratio of significant interaction effects to the number expected by chance was only 4 to 3. Consequently, new interaction scales were developed empirically in each course, and these were then cross-validated in the other course. In general, these new scales did not produce statistically significant interaction effects upon cross-validation, and scales constructed from items which produced significant interactions in both courses showed low internal consistency and low convergent validity. Factors which could have attenuated the strength of trait-by-treatment interaction effects are discussed.Over the years, in a continued effort to improve the practice of higher education, a number of investigators have attempted to assess the differential effects of various teaching procedures upon student achievement in college courses. The instructional methods which have been compared in studies of this gort can be divided into at least two major types: (a) variations in * The report is a summary of the findings presented in Goldberg (1969), a monograph which is available to readers wishing additional details of the investigation. Help with the design and implementation of the project was generously provided by William A. Bricker, Leslie A. Davison, and Vello Sermat. The author also wishes to acknowledge, with great thanks, the research contributions of

6: Effective College Teaching

“…These students' ratings of teacher effectiveness and value of the course were also higher. A somewhat similar result was obtained by L. F. Goldberg (1972), using a criterion of amount of extra nonrequired reading completed. Thus hope for the fruitfulness of attribute-treatment interactions persists.…”

Dimensions of Compliance-Gaining Situations

“…For example, given that the legitimate influence of person A over person B stems from the "internalized values of B which dictate that A , by virtue of his role or position, has the right to prescribe behavior in B in a given domain" (Raven & Kruglanski, 1970, p. 44 Schneider, 1982). Studies, reviewed above, generally document the influence of intimacy, personal benefits, resistance, and statuddominance (see also Rollins & Thomas, 1976;Goodstadt & Hjelle, 1973). However, perhaps the most important consequence of the results of this study deal with implications concerning how the situational model should be tested.…”

“…Recently, a number of researchers have argued that explanatory factors describing how individuals perceive communication environments need to be developed in order to assess the role specific aspects of the environment play in influencing behavior, to study person-situation interactions and to (generally) predict behavior across situations (e.g., Golding, 1975;Miller, Boster, Roloff, & Seibold, 1977;Cody, 1978;Bochner, 1978;Hewes & Haight, 1979;Lustig & King, 1980;Parks, 1980;Powell, 1980). To date, a number of researchers have proposed a variety of situation perception factors (or dimensions) (Magnusson, 1971 ;Wish, 1975;Forgas, 1976;Cody, 1978;Cody & Jordan, 1979;Cody & McLauglin, 1980), and several researchers have assessed the impact of situation perception on preferences of message strategies (Miller et al, 1977;Lustig & King, 1980;McLaughlin, Cody & Robey, 1980;Cody, McLaughlin, & Schneider, 1981).…”

Conceptual Matching Models and Interactional Research in Education

“…ALAN MILLER that few ATΓs have been reliably demonstrated and point to inadequacies in both the theory and methods being used (Berliner & Cahen, 1973;Bracht, 1970;Cronbach & Snow, 1977;Goldberg, 1972;Mitchell, 1969;Salomon, 1972;Shulman, 1970;Tobias, 1976). The general impression conveyed is that considerable improvements in both the conceptualization and operationalization of the components of interac tions are needed and that this may take some time to achieve.…”