Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1984 The effect of teaching method or student characteristics on student achievement or attitude in a BASIC computer programming undergraduate course in agricultural mechanization at Iowa State University Timothy A. Wiggins Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Agricultural Education Commons, and the Other Education Commons Recommended Citation Wiggins, Timothy A., "The effect of teaching method or student characteristics on student achievement or attitude in a BASIC computer programming undergraduate course in agricultural mechanization at Iowa State University " (1984). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 7806. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/7806 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. 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These prints are available upon request from the Dissertations Customer Services Department. 5. Some pages in any document may have indistinct print. In all cases the best available copy has been filmed. Universi^ MicTOTlms International 300 N. Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 8423752 Wiggins, Timothy A. THE EFFECT OF TEACHING METHOD OR STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT OR ATTITUDE IN A BASIC COMPUTER PROGRAMMING UNDERGRADUATE COURSE IN AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY Iowa State University PH.D. 1984 University Microfilms I nt6rn&ti0n&l 300 N.Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 The effect of teaching method or student characteristics on student achievement or attitude in a BASIC computer programming undergraduate course in agricultural mechanization at Iowa State University by Timothy A. Wiggins A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Agricultural Education Approved: Signature was redacted for privacy. In Charge of Major Work Signature was redacted for privacy. For the Major Department Signature was redacted for privacy. For the Gradu te College Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 1984 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION I Statement of the Problem 4 Purpose of the Study 5 CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW 8 Justification for the Study 8 Computers in Production Agriculture and Agribusiness 10 Computers in Agricultural Education 13 Computers and Student Achievement and Attitude 15 Agriculture 15 Mathematics 17 Data processing 19 Political science 20 Computer programming 21 CHAPTER III. METHOD AND PROCEDURES 23 Population 23 Research Design 24 Description of Treatment 26 Experimental group 27 Control group 27 Instrumentation 28 Demographic survey 28 Attitude inventory 29 Knowledge test 30 Data Collection 30 Data Analysis 31 iii Page Summary 32 CHAPTER IV. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 34 Demographic Characteristics of Students Participating in the Study 36 Pretest and Posttest Knowledge Scores 47 Pretest and Posttest Attitude Inventory 49 Instrument Reliability 52 The Effect of Teaching Method or Demographic Characteristics on Knowledge Posttest Scores 57 The Effect of Teaching Method or Demographic Characteristics on Attitude Posttest Scores 66 The Effect of Pretest Attitude Scores on Posttest Knowledge Scores 70 Summary 71 CHAPTER V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 73 Summary and Conclusions 74 Implications 83 Recommendations for Further Study 84 REFERENCES 87 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 90 APPENDIX A 92 CAI Example 93 Agricultural Mechanization IBOX Course Outline 97 APPENDIX B: DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEY 98 iv Page APPENDIX C: ATTITUDE INVENTORY 103 APPENDIX D: KNOWLEDGE TEST 108 APPENDIX E; HUMAN SUBJECTS APPROVAL FORM 115 V LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Student enrollment in agricultural mechanization 180X and class assignments to either treatment or control group for the study 35 Table 2. Demographic characteristics of the students enrolled in agricultural mechanization 180X during the study period 40 Table 3. Pretest knowledge scores for students in this study 48 Table 4. Posttest knowledge scores for students in this study 49 Table 5. Pretest and posttest attitude inventory 53 Table 6. Reliability coefficients, means, and standard deviations for the knowledge test and attitude inventory 57 Table 7. F-values and F probability for posttest knowl­ edge scores (achievement) with pretest knowl­ edge score and teaching method 57 Table 8. F-values and F probability for posttest knowl­ edge scores (achievement) with pretest knowl­ edge score and student characteristics 59 Table 9. Frequencies and cell means of demographic characteristics for posttest knowledge scores significant at P<.10 63 Table 10. F-values and F probability for posttest attitude scores with pretest attitude scores and teaching method 66 Table 11. F-values and F probability for posttest attitude scores with pretest attitude scores and student characteristics 68 Table 12. Frequencies and cell means of demographic characteristics for posttest attitude scores 69 vi Page Table 13. F-values and F probability for posttest knowl­ edge scores (achievement) with pretest knowl­ edge scores and attitude 70 Table 14. Frequencies and cell means of the posttest knowl­ edge scores for the pretest attitude scores 71 vii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Pretest knowledge score 50 Figure 2. Posttest knowledge score 51 Figure 3. Pretest attitude score 54 Figure 4. Posttest attitude score 55 Figure 5. Data plots of posttest knowledge scores with pretest attitude scores 72 1 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION^ During the last two centuries, a few inventions have affected tremendously the American social and educational system. The electric light, the telephone, and the television were among these inventions. Now another, the computer, can be added to this list with the possibil­ ity of having as much or more impact on education and society as any of the preceding ones. Elbert (1984) reported: "Nationally, 45 percent of adults say that they can operate computers. Twenty-two percent say they use computers at work, while only nine percent have them in their homes." Iowa's computer literacy is "actually 36 percent of adults" (Elbert, 1984, p. 1 and 4). Though a recent invention, computers are fast becoming a part of everyday life. They are beginning to have an impact, directly or indirectly, on everyone's daily activities. Anyone that pays federal income taxes, uses natural gas to heat their home, uses electricity for lighting, or uses the telephone to reach out and touch, are numbers on a computer. In addition, the time spent standing in the check-out line at the grocery store has been greatly reduced because of computer and laser-beam technology. Watkins (1982) stated: As part of Project 2617 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, this research study was reviewed and approved by the Iowa State University Human Subjects Review Committee(see Appendix E). 2 "Computer-assisted shopping may become a part of the home of the future....With the recent availability of low price computers and interactive terminals for the home, the possibility of computer-assisted shopping may have moved closer. In theory one could order any time of the day or night" (Watkins, 1982, p. 242). With the aid of computers, educational institutions, businesses, and government now handle a vast amount of information faster and more accurately. Most farmers have always had a reputation for quick adapta­ tion of new technology and the computer is no exception. A Des