DOCUMENT RESUME ED 059 531 EA 003 968 AUTHOR Renz, Leland S. TITLE Independent Study Program Evaluation Practices. INSTITUTION Educational Research and Development Council of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, Inc.,Minneapolis, Minn. PUB DATE Jan 71 NOTE 30p. EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29 DESCRIPTORS *Evaluation Methods; *Flexible Scheduling; Grade Organization; *Independent Study; *Questionnaires; *Secondary Schools; Student Enrollment; Student Participation; Teacher Participation ABSTRACT This study was designed to determine wliat types of evaluation practices are being carried out in schoolsinvolved in flexible scheduling and independent study. Aquestionnaire, designed to determine if a flexibly scheduledschool had included the independent study phase of instruction and if anevaluation program for this phase exists, was sent to 149 flexiblyscheduled secondary schools in 23 States. Only one school indicated thatit was equipped to assess participants in both individual andindependent study. The majority of the 26 schools that indicated they had anevaluation program used tests to measureachievement and attitude surveys to determine whether or not students and staff wanted tocontinue with independent study programs. (Author/MLF) C=1 La.1 eg I. 1151111 SUUUSSSSSUUSSISSbow w111II11 11_1,1 OAP IIIIII 11111111118 I 11111110_ 11111111111111IIIIII 11II'--- 1/- II bIIle O 11111111111. S. 1111011111111111110 IIIIII U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. .- - - ....... .........a.- -erne EDUCATION & WELFARE I- -111111 111 DIDION/ DFFICE OF EDUCATION li-DM IOU211112 I 1, THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO- 01 IlliVell 11 Voliellisee° 11 DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM 11111 AVEliel THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG- 1 OLIO II II.INATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN- f lie V IONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY ,J11111 4:11 241111 REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDU- Alla= CATION POSITION OR POLICY. asIssomas ilia as saaa . %INI INDEPENDENT STUDY PROGRAM OL 1e% aillei 11 I EVALUATION PRACTICES lIl semis messasse11111aesssesesess111.11,4 slow, aississsessessoses January 1971 :vs es..emessees e Ie- ,e see/lemem11.1 0 OS ... 555. I. .V I.COLLEGE OF EDUCATION I UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55455 los . .....4'II or 'l:0 to S. It I .411, INDEPENDENT STUDY PROGRAM EVALUATION PRACTICES By Leland S. Renz Educational Research and Development Council of the Twin Cities Metropol.itan Area,Inc. College of Education 221 Student Health Services Building University of Minnesota St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 Flexible Scheduling 2 Evaluation 5 PROJECT 7 Selection of Schools 7 Questionnaire 8 FINDINGS 8 Organizational Patterns 9 Students and Teachers 9 Evaluation Program 11 Attitude Assessment 14 Skill Assessment 14 Knowledge Assessment 15 SUMMARY 16 The Future 17 BIBLIOGRAPHY 18 APPENDIX A 19 APPENDIX B 24 APPENDIX C. 26 3 INTRODUCTION The desire to obtain and maintaineducational programs of an acceptable quality has resulted in the introduction of avariety of new instructional programs and practices in somepublic and non-public secondary schools. These programs are not all alike because they arevaried in their aims, objectives, content, approach and grade level. One of the forms that some of the newinstructional programs have taken has been termed "flexible scheduling."A major component of the flexibly scheduled school is the independent study phase ofinstruction. This particular phase is usually included in the program toaid in the individ- ualization ofinstruction.1 Of all of the aspects of a flexiblyscheduled school the concept of independent study provides the greatest departure fromthe instructional programs of traditional secondaryschools. The principle of individualizing instruction combined with the notion that the studentsneed to assume a greater share of the responsibility fortheir own learning has not been accepted by many educators or laymen. Consequently, independent study has become a critical issue for all persons concernedabout secondary education. In order o obtain a betterunderstanding of independent study in a flexibly scheduled school it is necessary tobriefly discuss flexible scheduling and the phases of instruction thatprovide the basis for such an educational program. 1Edward G.Buffie, "The Administrator's Role",Independent Stuq, eds. David W. Beggs,III, and Edward G. Buffie(Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1965), p.211. 2 Flexible Scheduling A flexibly scheduled school is usually based upon the notion that each properly taught subject will include four basic types of instruction. The four types are: (1) presentation of information in large groups of students; (2) discussion of experiences or ideas in small groups of students; (3) laboratory experiences, maniplative activities for students to perform, done in varying group sizes or individually depending upon the nature of the activity and the available facilities; and (4) independent study which is usually an activity similar to the laboratory experiences but characteristically the student is not as dependent upon the teacher as much as in the other phases ofinstruction.2 The presentation and discussion phases of instruction always involve a teacher or teachers and groups ofstudents and therefore need to be scheduled by some central source.The laboratory phase of instruction is sometimes a group activity and at times an individual activity. The amount of experience that the teacher and student have had with the activity are important factors in determining whether or not this phase of instruction will be scheduled. The independent study phase is an activity that depends upon the student's varying needs and interestsand therefore cannot be effectively or efficiently scheduled by a central source. 2R. N. Bush and Dwight Allen, A New Design for Hi9h School Education (New York: McGraw Hill Book Co., 1964T, pp. 35-33. 3 The independent study phaseof instruction is similar to the laboratory 1 phase of instruction and is often referredto as an aspect of the laboratory instruction phase. The major distinction between the twophases of instruc- tion is that the student is lessdependent upon the teacher in independent study than in the laboratory phase. The planning, directing, performing and evaluation tasks are basically theresponsibility of the student in the independent study phase of instruction. The role of the teacher more resembles that of a consultant or resource personthan an instructional 1 manager. A student needs teachers when seekingprocedural authority, definition of a problem, developing ideas etc. The skillful teacher is expected to plan, counsel, advise and provideassistance at times to pre- 3 vent students from engaging inunproductive activity. In a flexibly scheduled school a majorportion of time that is designated for individual study, independentstudy, and social interaction activities is often referred to as unscheduledtime, student scheduled time, free time, independent directed studytime, or independent study time. Before discussing the issue in any greaterdepth it is important that the concept of independent study and otherrelated terms and phrases be defined. Individualized Instruction. Individualized instruction is considered 1 to be a method of relating theindividual student's level of mental skill, intellectual development, and socialdevelopment to the instructionaltopic.4 1. 1. 3Wil1iam W. Griffin, "Schedules, Bells,Groups, and Independent Study", David W. Beggs, III, and Edward G.Buffie(Bloomington: Inde endent Stud , Indiana University Press, 1968), p. 5. 4Robert J. Havighurst, Human Developmentand Education (New York: David McKay Co., Inc., 1953), p. 16. 4 Acceptance of this definition clearly allowsthe concept of independent study to be an integral part of a program dedicated to theindividualization of instruction. Independent Study. Although the independent study phase of instruction is more often characterized by purposes and utivities than it is defined, it is necessary to examine several definitions. Allen and Bush say that independent study is, Instruction in which the student engages in activities independent of other students and in a large part independent of immediate teacher direction....5 This definition is important in that it indicates that the student is to be independent from immediate teacher direction. Griffin states that, Independent study means a learning situation within the school day which allows a student to develop personal competencies through experiences as an individual, but in interaction with others when needed.6 This definition indicates that the situation could possibly be managed toward achieving the goal of developing the skills necessary for independent study and that it need not be carried out completely alone. Alexander and Hines feel that although, Independent study, briefly stated, is self-directed learning activity,7 a more appropriate definition for a schoolsetting is that; 5 Bush and Allen, op.Cit., p. 35. 6WilliamM. Griffin, "Schedules, Bells, Groups, and INdependent Study", Independent Study, David W. Beggs, III, and Edward G. Buffie (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1968), p. 2. 7WilliamM. Alexander, Vynce A. Hines and Associates, IndependentStudy in Secondary Schools (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1967), p. 1. 5 independent study is considered by usto be a learning activity largely motivated by the learner's ownaims to learn and largely rewarded in terms of its intrinsic values. Such activity as carried on under the auspices ofsecondary schools is somewhat independent