The effects of background information on standardized test scores

Abstract

This study assessed how background knowledge affected college students’ performance on the Nelson‐Denny Reading Test. One freshmen section served as the experimental group, another served as the control. Both groups received supplementary readings with the experimental group using articles based on topics found in the Nelson‐Denny, Form F. An analysis of variance repeated measures design (Sex x Treatment x Trials) found a statistically significant interaction between treatment and trials, indicating better performance for the experimental group.