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Abstract
Research on teaching methods in higher education is less evident than in elementary and secondary education. This study examined two course structures which are suitable for college teaching—lecture/discussion and independent study. The Ss were upperclassmen enrolled in philosophy of art and social philosophy classes which were designated a priori as either the independent study or the lecture/discussion format. Measures were obtained on acquisition of factual content, attitudes, student motivation, satisfaction, and classroom climate. Factual content increased during the semester, but this increase was a function of course structure and class. Students liked the independent study format better than the lecture/discussion format. Highly motivated students did better in the independent format, while poorly motivated students performed better in the conventional format. These results suggest that students and course structures should be matched in their motivational properties.
Notes
1. The authors wish to thank the committee on the Improvement of Instruction of the University of Nebraska at Omaha for its financial support of this study and to express our appreciation to J. V. Blackwell, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, for his cooperation and encouragement. Requests for reprints should be addressed to William L. Blizek, Department of Philosophy, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NB 68101. The authors also wish to thank the University Senate Research Committee for additional financial support.