Transcript Seminar Presentation

Hypothesis:
Students would benefit from both self-esteem and
internal control interventions. One intervention
may prove more helpful than the other.
Independent Variable

 Level 1: No message (control group)
 Level 2: Internal control message (You will be
responsible for your own performance in this
course.)
 Level 3: Self-esteem bolstering message (stressed the
importance of maintaining high self-esteem)
Dependent Variable

 The main dependent variable was the grade that
each student received on the final exam. This would
show whether or not each level of the independent
variable worked.
Participants

 86 students who received Cs, Ds, and Fs during their
academic careers.
 Recruited by the experimenter by asking them to
take part in a study concerning the use of e-mail.
Procedure

 Conducted over e-mail
 The participants were randomly assigned to one of
the three aforementioned groups.
 They would receive a message, or not receive a
message, depending on which group they were in.
 Duration: 6 weeks
Results

 Self-esteem bolstering group: Great drop in grades
between the midterm and final exam.
 Internal control group: No significant change in
grades.
 No message (control) group: No significant change
in grades.
What does this mean?

 Boosting self-esteem may lead to a person adopting
an arrogant attitude.
 Perhaps the participants thought very well of
themselves, regardless of their low grades.
 Internal control: neglected going to lecture because
they felt they had full control over their
performance.
 Self-esteem should not be bolstered independent of
academic success.
 Internal control over academic success should be
accessed in light of actual performance.
Hypothesis:
The participants would report better study
habits and less test anxiety.
Independent Variable

 Level 1: Teaching group- Find a friend, roommate,
or sibling who would be their pupil in study skills.
 Level 2: Nonteaching group- Did not teach anyone
about the study skills program.
Dependent Variable

 The dependent variables are the scores the
participants received when completing the Study
Skills Inventory, Survey of Study Habits and
Attitudes, and the Suinn Test Anxiety Scale.
Participants

 30 university students who responded to a letter,
posters, or radio announcements describing the
study skills program.
 Average age: 22.67 years
 19 male, 11 female
 22 of the 30 were freshmen
Procedure

 Prior to the Study Skills program, the participants
were asked to complete the previously mentioned
surveys.
 Participants were randomly assigned into the two
groups and attended the study skills program.
 After the program, each participant completed the
same three surveys again.
 Duration: 4 weeks, each group met twice per week.
Results

 Study Skills Inventory and Study Habits Survey:
Increased scores after the program. Participants in
the teaching group showed a higher gain.
 Suinn Test Anxiety Scale: Less test anxiety following
the program.
 Only 6 times was it reported that those in the
teaching group failed to teach their pupils some of
the information from the sessions.
What does this mean?

 Increase on the scores of the Study Habits Survey
and Study Skills Inventory: Came from the study
skills program. The teaching group had a higher
gain than the nonteaching group. They felt more
responsible for learning the skills because they had
to teach another.
 Decrease on the Suinn Test Anxiety Scale: The
program focused on behaviors that could alleviate
this anxiety (setting goals to facilitate on-task
behavior, concentration, effective test-taking
practices, etc.