CarolAnne M. Kardash

The Effects of Goal Instructions and Text on the Generation of Counterarguments During Writing.

The authors investigated ways of encouraging students to consider more counterarguments when writing argumentative texts. One hundred eighty-four undergraduates wrote essays on TV violence. In Experiment 1, students given specific goals generated more counterarguments and rebuttals than controls. In Experiment 2, some participants were provided with a text outlining arguments/counterarguments; some were also asked to write a persuasive letter. Prior attitudes toward the topic were also measured. Persuasion instructions negatively affected and text (without persuasion instructions) positively affected counterargumentation and the overall quality of arguments. Text was only effective, however, for students with less extreme prior attitudes. The danger of using persuasion goals and the advantages of using more specific goals (with text) are discussed.

Self-Reported Learning Strategies and Learning from Expository Text.

Abstract Two related studies are presented describing development of the Learning Strategies Survey (LSS) and use of the survey to predict learning from expository text. Factor analysis of items selected to reflect the types of information-processing activities undergraduates might use while studying textbook material yielded two stable factors. The two factors demonstrated high internal consistency reliability estimates across seven samples of undergraduates, and acceptable test-retest reliability. The Covert Cognitive Processes scale, representing internal elaboration and organization, discriminated high from low GPA students in two samples of undergraduates, significantly predicted recall of two expository passages, and was related positively and significantly to college GPA. The Overt Processes scale was unrelated to student GPA or recall performance. Results are discussed in terms of the interrelationships among cognitive processes, overt behaviors, and text learning.

Why people don't learn from diabetes literature: influence of text and reader characteristics

The study was designed to identify text and reader characteristics that impede learning. Twenty-six adults with diabetes mellitus took a 15-item test for prior knowledge of diabetes, a 20-item vocabulary test, and a Need for Cognition questionnaire. Immediately after reading an excerpt from a commonly used diabetes pamphlet, they could recall an average of only eight of the 108 ideas in it. Readers seldom monitored their comprehension. Also, the topics that they thought were important differed from the topics that a physician thought were important. Many readers lacked reading skills, but those with high need for cognition and higher vocabulary scores recalled more topics. Even with an appropriate reading level, text characteristics that could hinder comprehension included lack of organization and clarity.

Gender Differences in the Academic Career.

This study examines sources of satisfaction, indicators of stress, academic performance, and reward structure in the academic careers of male and female faculty at a major midwestern state university. Faculty pairs were selected from five academic divisions. A total of 58 matched pairs were identified. Of these, 63 faculty responded, yielding data for 23 matched pairs. Subjects were mailed the Academic Career Development Survey, consisting of 144 items. Results indicated that self-reported physical and mental health, and professional and personal life satisfaction were high for both males and females. Both males and females placed high importance on their career and on marriage/other intimate relationships; however, both reported high levels of dissatisfaction with these factors. Gender differences were found in both satisfaction and type of stress reported; no gender differences were found in composite teaching and research performance indices. Salary data, obtained for 42 matched pairs, indicated similar salary levels for men and women. Results were discussed with respect to prior research on gender differences and the academic career.

Collaborative Learning Activities in Graduate Courses.

Structured collaborative learning activities undertaken in two graduate level classes are described. Student and instructor perspectives on these activities are explored based on data collected through interviews, open-ended evaluation instruments, and journals. Four perspectives on collaborative learning emerged from the data: (1) student expectations; (2) instructor tolerance for ambiguity and flexibility; (3) student reliance on authority; and, (4) evaluation of student learning. Suggestions for implementing collaborative groups in graduate courses are presented.

Age differences in college values and perceived quality of college life

Research on age differences in college student satisfaction has not yielded consistent findings and has not been guided by theoretical frameworks. The present study investigated the influence of age, college values, and their interaction on perceived quality of college life. A convenience sample was drawn of 121 students enrolled in four sections of an introductory psychology course at a community college located in a metropolitan area in the Southwest. Partial responses resulted in an effective sample size of 113. Perceived quality of college life increased linearly with age. Older students valued quality of education more, and social life less, than young students. Valuing working conditions was inversely related to perceived quality of college life. When college values were statistically partialed out, the effect of age on perceived quality of college life was not significant. No evidence was found that the relationship between college values and perceived quality of college life varied with age.

Effects of Cognitive Style and Immediate Testing on Learning From a Lecture

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to test Kiewra and Frank’s (1988) contention that performance differences between field-dependent and field-independent students at the time of immediate encoding can be attenuated by providing field-dependent students with an opportunity to review notes prior to delayed testing. Our contention was that provision of knowledge of a criterion in the form of an immediate test was an equally plausible explanation for Kiewra and Frank’s results. To test this hypothesis, field-dependent and field-independent undergraduates either received or did not receive an immediate test prior to delayed testing 1 week later. All subjects reviewed their notes prior to the delayed test. As predicted, there was no difference in performance on the delayed test between field-independent and field-dependent students who had received an immediate test. However, field-independent students performed better than field-dependent students in the “no-immediate test” condition.

Structural Analysis of Paivio's Individual Differences Questionnaire.

AbstractConfirmatory factor analyses were used to evaluate the fit of four factor models to high school students’ responses to Paivio’s (1971) Individual Differences Questionnaire (IDQ). Our two- and five-factor oblique solutions were comparable to those reported by Paivio and Harshman (1983) and supported their notion that the IDQ’s structure is best represented by a multifactor, oblique model. Our results demonstrated further that five of the factors identified by Paivio can be replicated using a 34-item version of the IDQ.