ASSESSING STUDENT PERCEPTION OF PRACTICE EVALUATION KNOWLEDGE IN INTRODUCTORY RESEARCH METHODS

Abstract

The authors explored the use of the Practice Evaluation Knowledge Scale(PEKS) to assess student perception of acquisition and retention of practiceevaluation knowledge from an undergraduate research methods class. Theauthors sampled 2 semesters of undergraduate social work students enrolled inan introductory research methods course. Thirty-four students completed PEKSprior to the course (T1) and at the conclusion of the course (T2). Finally, 25 studentscompleted PEKS 2 semesters after course completion (T3). Significant differenceswith small to medium effect sizes were found between T1 and T2scores and T1 and T3 scores. Findings indicate that the scale may be a usefultool in assessing perception of knowledge acquisition and retention within thispopulation.