I Like the Way this Feels: Using Classroom Response System Technology to Enhance Tactile Learners’ Introductory American Government Experience

ABSTRACT

Do individual-level student learning styles affect appreciation for and benefit from the use of classroom response system technology? This research investigates the benefit of in-class electronic classroom response systems (“classroom clickers”). With these systems, students answer questions posed to them in a PowerPoint presentation through the use of handheld remote control devices. Aggregate results can be immediately displayed and discussed. Although this technology is rapidly gaining use in university classrooms across the nation, most of the published academic research on the use of classroom response systems focuses on the “nuts and bolts” of using the system or on ways that such systems might be useful in particular types of classes. Little research assesses the ways in which individual-level student characteristics might influence the utility of this technology. I utilize original survey data collected from four introductory American Government courses (Fall 2009 and Fall 2010) to investigate whether students exhibiting a preference for tactile learning value the use of the classroom response system more than less tactile learners. Findings confirm the expectation that tactile learners will appreciate using the system more and consequently have improved evaluations of the class and instructor.

KEYWORDS:

• Electronic response system
• course evaluations
• tactile learning style

Notes

For a detailed description of the types of systems available and how they work see Cain and Robinson (2008).

While the use of clicker apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers might further minimize the tactile nature of the response technology, such apps were not employed in the present study.

All required Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols were followed for this study, including the use of written consent forms and appropriate procedures to maintain participant confidentiality. The study was reviewed and approved by the university IRB committee prior to the beginning of each semester.

The university had a Fall 2009 enrollment of 16,795 undergraduate students, with African American and Hispanic students comprising about 29% of the undergraduate community.

There is no appreciable difference in the composition of the classes from different years. Students in the different semesters are statistically indistinguishable in terms of their age, gender, race, and grade point average.

The class sizes ranged between 90 and 120 students each. The experimental group contained a total of 180 students, while the control group contained a total of 120 students.

Though student participation in this study was entirely voluntary, and students could opt to end their participation at any time, the overall response rate for the pretest was 71.6% and 76% for the posttest.

The end of semester survey was administered several weeks after official course evaluations were completed.

The index exhibits a Cronbach’s alpha score of .599.

While the students “high tactile” students report agreement with an average of 4.6 out of the five tactile learning items on the LSI, students in the “low tactile” group report agreement with only 2.1 of these five items. The highly tactile students were about twice as likely to report liking to make things, that making things with their hands helps them learn, and that writing spelling words out helps them remember better. And these students were nearly three times as likely to report a preference for making a chart/poster and that doing so helps them understand better.

Students in the control group were asked about their appreciation of the paper quizzes.

Students in the control group were asked to rate the cost-benefit ratio of the paper quizzes in terms of the cost of class time, instead of money, associated with the quizzes.

Mean group differences in Tables 2 and 3 were tested using an independent sample t test with unequal variances.

Despite this perception, there was not a significant difference in mean exams scores between the low- and high-tactile groups in the treatment class.

Mean group differences on Tables 4 and 5 are tested using independent samples t tests assuming unequal variances. Since these variables show a skewed distribution, permutation tests were also conducted. The results from those tests confirm those reported here.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stacy G. Ulbig

Stacy G. Ulbig is Professor of Political Science at Sam Houston State University. She received her doctorate from Rice University. Her teaching and research interests are in the areas of American government, political behavior, public opinion, and media and politics.