Methods

1. Increasing Test Scores; Does Review of a Study Guide Help? Charles McCreary Harlem High School / Northern Illinois University ITEAMS cohort Introduction Methods Conclusions Results One has yet to run across a professional Educator that has more than enough time available to present all of the information they think is important in the classroom. Most of us already present what we term “selective abandonment’, or dropping parts of lessons we know we should cover for complete understanding of the primary lesson. After several years of teaching, I have gotten into the routine of presenting a few introductory facts, then assigning a reading passage with a Study Guide to complete to set a base for the coming lesson. I have always felt that completing the study guide helps students focus in the reading material, as well as providing with a reference for the final test they take at the end of the unit. Faced with more material to cover than time to cover it in class, I wondered, “Does review of this study guide the day before a quiz really help them improve the scores, or could this time be better spent?” Specifically, what I investigated with my class would answer the question, “Increasing Test Scores; Does Study Guide Review Help? Context Description The School district serves 3 communities, Machesney Park, Loves Park and Roscoe, in the north central Illinois area. The High School alone numbers around 2,400 Students, with about 87% white, with 28% of our Students on free or reduced lunch plans. The average class size is about 28 students per teacher, with shop classes having a lower limit for safety reasons. There are 14 students in this class, 13 male and 1 female. While they are all white, 6 have been identified as having an Individual Education Plan or 504 Plan, which indicates some extra assistance may possibly be needed for success in class. Class wise, there are 3 juniors and 11 seniors in the class. With this in mind, I decided not only to look at overall class results, but to divide into IEP/504 students, hereafter called IWD (Individuals With Disabilities), and non IEP/504 students, hereafter called regular education, to see if there is any difference in scores. Data Collection Methods For the first part of the study, students are provided with a reading assignment and a study guide (Appendix A) to complete as they read. The study guide will be completed, turned in to the Instructor for a grade and returned to the Student, with the instructions to, “Study this for a test on Friday.” The second part of the study follows the general format, assigning a reading guide that is to be completed, turned in for a grade and returned, but on the day before the test (Appendix B), we will go over each question as a class, to insure they have the right answer, and understand the material. Data collected will be in an excel chart, outlining the test scores, and investigating trends between the two methods. Instruments and Student Learning Outcomes This research was designed to investigate if spending time working through a study guide with the students prior to testing them on a subject would improve their test scores. Proof of increased test scores would be presented to students in the following class sequences, and discussion could ensue on the value of studying prior to test taking for better results. While this could be viewed as a generic learning outcome, it is a specific, transferrable skill that could be used in other classes. Measurement of the learning outcome will be comparison of the test scores from the first and second 5 week periods. These tests are end of chapter all tests provided by the Publisher of the textbook. The tests follow the same format, and as they are matching, either a word bank or picture is provided to match answers with. In measuring student learning outcomes, I would be happy with ANY improvement in scores. For a realistic number, I will accept a 5 to 10 point increase as showing improvement. Looking at the group as a whole, data shows the overall class average increasing from 58.67 without review to 66.21 with review, an overall increase of 7.54 points(appendix A). Further breakdown of the data indicates the general education scores improved from 65.18 to 72.25 (appendix B), an increase of 7.07 points, and the IWD group went up from 50 to 58.166 (Appendix C), an improvement of 8.17 points. In each category, the stated benchmark for improvement we were looking for was 5 to 10 points. Based on the study results, these benchmarks for improvement were met. The control group (Appendix F), covering the same material during the same time frame, sans the review of the study guides prior to the test, showed a little over a one point improvement. Within the factors that this investigation is looking at, I would consider the control group as having very little improvement, as compared to the seven to eight point increase by the focus group. • Looking at the data charting, I would venture that review of s study guide prior to a test WILL give students a chance of increasing their test scores. It seems important to me that the most improved group was those identified as IWD students. My classes always seem to have a number of students noted as needing assistance in the classroom setting. While all students improved their test scores using the Guides, the IWD students seemed to benefit at a higher rate when this method was used. • Based on the results, I would encourage my fellow educators to try this method in their instruction if a rise in test scores is desired. While some may think that it is an accommodation for the IWD students, this study shows all students benefit from this type of assistance. Based on my research, with my demographic of Students, and my instructional methods, this research demonstrated that I can increase test scores by review of the Study guide. The students retained and demonstrated a better understanding of the material, as evidenced by the end of chapter completion of the testing instrument. As the control group did not increase scores during the same period, covering the same material, this tends to indicate to me that this study did provide an improvement in the scores. • For further study and recommendations, I would perform the same study on the following groups to see if the information is valid, • Juniors (only in class) • First semester • Both of these groups still have a greater stake in getting passing grades in class than do the nearly graduated seniors. At times, Seniors by the second semester know if they have the credits to graduate, and my not make the best effort to try for high scores. I truly believe that is one of the factors for the seeming low grades on the testing instruments. Figure #1 Bibliography 1. Kasik, J., Jurewicz, K. & Groves, A. (2007) The Use of Study Guides in Student Studying Strategies. Retrieved March 9, 2011 from http://castle.eiu.edu/speebp/pdf/Other-studyskills-studyguides.pdf 2. Horton, S. & Lovitt, T. (2001) Using Study guides With 3 Classifications of Students. Journal of Special Education, Vol. 22 Issue 4 3. Conderman,G. & Bresnahan, V. (2010 January) Study Guides to the Rescue, Intervention in School & Clinic Vol. 45 Issue 3, p169-176; , 8p 4. Illinois Learning Standards in Science, retrieved March 8,2011 from http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/science/standards.htm 5. Illinois Occupational Skills Standards, Automotive Technician Cluster retrieved January 27, 2011 from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED448351.pdf