Chapter 14 : Evaluation Report of the First Year of the ADAPT Program

C t v i o u s l y , d e m o n s t r a t i n g t h a t ADAPT s t u d e n t s h a v e c h a n g e d o n t h e a h c v e d i m e n s i o n s is n o t s u f f i c i e n t . C e r t a i n l y o n e would e x p e c t some g r o w t h a n d c h a n g e t o o c c u r d u r i n g a c o l l e g e s t u d e n t ' s f r e s h m a n y e a r , A m o r e c o m p e l l i n g d o c u m e n t a t i o n of c h a n g e r e q u i r e s t h a t t h e A D A E T s t u d e n t s * d e v e l o p m e n t Le compared t o some k i n d o f s t a n d a r d o f c h a n g e . Hence two c o m p a r i s o n g r o u p s o f s t u d e n t s were s e l e c t e d , The f i r s t c o m p a r i s o n g r o u p was composed o f s t u d e n t s who h a d a p p l i e d t o t h e ADAPT p r o g r a m b u t i n t h e random p r o c e s s o f s e l e c t i o n were n o t c h o s e n a s p a r t i c i p a n t s . T h e s e s t u d e n t s e n r o l l e d i n r e g u l a r f r e s h m a n c o u r s e s a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y of N e b r a s k a . Later i n t h e y e a r it was d e c i d e d t h a t t h e f r e s h m a n y e a r f o r the ADAPT a n d c o n t r o l g r o u p s d i f f e r e d i n s o many ways t h a t i t m i g h t b e h e l p f u l t o h a v e a t h i r d c o m p a r i s o n g r o u p . A g r o u p o f f r e s h m e n f rom t h e C e n t e n n i a l E d u c a t i o n Program were s e l e c t e d a s a t h i r d c o m p a r i s o n g r o u p . I n t h i s p rogram, a s i n t h e ADAPT program, s t u d e n t s a r e i n small classes, t h e y a r e e n c o u r a g e d t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n c l a s s , t h e y o f t e n know e a c h o t h e r , and t h e p r o f e s s o r u s u a l l y knows them. Compar ing t h i s g r o u p t o t h e ADAPT g r o u p seemed l i k e a more r e a s o n a b l e test of w h e t h e r t h e L e a r n i n g C y c l e ( K a r p l u s , 1974) a s a c u r r i c u l u m o r g a n i z e r was e f f e c t i v e i n r o v i n g s t u d e n t s t o w a r d more a b s t r a c t t h o u g h t p r o c e s s e s . To e x a m i n e a n y c h a n g e s i n f o r m a l o p e r a t i o n a l t h o u g h t p r o c e s s e s a s e r i e s o f p a p e r a n d p e n c i l t a s k s were d e v i s e d . T h e s e were a d a p t e d f r o m I n h e l d e r a n d F i a g e t ' s (1958) o r i g i n a l work i n t h e a r e a o f f o r m a l o p e r a t i o n s . T h e s e tests e x a m i n e t h e s t u d e n t ' s a b i l i t y ( a ) t o s e p a r a t e v a r i a b l e s (b) t o t e s t v a r i a b l e s i n a n u n c o n f o u n d e d way (c) t o g e n e r a t e h y p o t h e s e s s y s t e m a t i c a l l y (d) t o d i s p l a y p r o p o r t i o n a l r e a s o n i n g (e) t o c o n d u c t c r i t ical tests of h y p o t h e s e s ( f ) t o d e m ~ n s t s a t e a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g of p r o b a b i l i t y a n d (g) t o a s c e r t a i n t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n two v a r i a b l e s . T h e s e tests o f l o q i c a l o p e r a t i o n s were a d m i n i s t e r e d t o t h e ADAPT a n d C o n t r o l q r o u p s a t t h e b e g i n n i n g of t h e f a l l semester. To e x a m i n e p e r s o n a l i t y c h a n g e s a n d d e v e l o p m e n t i n s o c i a l a r e a s , twc t e s t s were a d m i n i s t e r e d . I n t h e f a l l t h e ADAPT and C o n t r o l subjects were g i v e n t h e Omnibus P e r s o n a l i t y I n v e n t o r y . T h i s p e r s o n a l i t y tes t e m e r g e d from t h e e x t e n s i v e work o n c o l l e g e s t u d e n t d e v e l o p m e n t by S a n f o r d (1956) a n d h i s a s s o c i a t e s a t V a s s a r a f t e r World Uar 11. E x t e n s i v e d a t a h a v e b e e n a c c u a u l a t e d c o n c e r n i n g t h i s t e s t by t h e s t a f f of t h e C e n t e r f o r R e s e a r c h a n d D e v e l o p m e n t i n B i g h e r E d u c a t i o n a t B e r k e l e y . The test was s e l e c t e d b e c a u s e i t e x a m i n e s b o t h t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l a n d e m o t i o n a l a s p e c t s of p e r s o n a l i t y . However, s i n c e it is more l i k e l y t o i n d i c a t e p e r s o n a l i t y d e v e l o p m e n t o v e r a l o n g p e r i o d of time, it was d e c i d e d t h a t i t s h o u l d n o t b e a d m i n i s t e r e d a s e c o n d t i n e u n t i l t h e j u n i o r o r s e n i o r y e a r . \ A t e s t w h i c h is somewhat more l i k e l y t o show s h o r t term c h a n g e s i s t h e C o n c e p t u a l C o m p l e x i t y A s s e s s m e n t , c o n c e i v e d by Harvey , Hunt , a n d S c h r o e d e r ( 1 9 6 1 ) . T h i s t e s t d e a l s w i t h t h e a d u l t w s a t i l i t y t o c o n c e p t u a l i z e i s s u e s o n s u c c e e d i n g l y a b s t r a c t p l a n e s . Based o n r e s p o n s e s t o s e n t e n c e stems, a s t u d e n t i s c a t e q o r i z e d i n t o o n e o f f o u r & a g e s . The lowest s t a g e s u g g e s t s t h a t a s t u d e n t c o n c e p t u a l i z e s i s s u e s i n b l a c k a n d w h i t e terms a n d i s ve ry c o n c r e t e a b o u t t h e m a t e r i a l a n d f a c t s t h a t a r e p a r t o f h i s c l e a r c u t a n d o f t e n s i m p l i s t i c h a n d l i n g of t h e i s s u e . A t t h e o t h e r end of t h e scale, a s t a g e f o u r r e s p o n s e is c h a r a c t e r i z e d by a c a r e f u l w e i g h i n g o f a v a r i e t y o f v a r i a b l e s t h a t e f f e c t t h e i s s u e . T h e i s s u e is c o n c e p t u a l i z e d i n much more a b s t r a c t and g e n e r a l terms, a n d a n a t t e m p t i s made t o l o o k a t a l l t h e v a r i a b l e s t h a t a r e r e l e v a n t t o t h e p r o b l e m . The C o n c e p t u a l C o m p l e x i t y A s s e s s m e n t was a d m i n i s t e r e d t o t h e ADAPT a n d C o n t r o l s u b j e c t s i n t h e f a l l a n d t o a l l t h r e e of t h e f r e s h m e n g r o u p s i n t h e s p r i n g . F i n a l l y t o assess t h e s t u d e n t s ' a t t i t u d e s t o w a r d v a r i o u s f a c e t s of U n i v e r s i t y l i f e t h e Q ~ S t u & g 3 , p u e a $ ~ g p g p ; i + ~ ~ ~ ~ was a d m i n i s t e r e d , T h i s s t a n d a r d i z e d a t t i t u d e q u e s t i o n n a i r e is p u b l i s h e d b y t h e E d u c a t i o n a l T e s t i n g S e r v i c e . A s t u d e n t ' s r e s p o n s e s t o t h e m u l t i p l e c h o i c e q u e s t i a n s a r e s u m m a r i z e d i n t c scores o n e l e v e n d i m e n s i o n s . T h e s e i n c l u d e a l o o k a t (a) how t h e s t u d e n t p e r c e i v e s h i s f a m i l y and h i s p e e r s , (b) t h e s t u d e n t ' s p e r c e p t i o n of t h e s o c i e t y i n g e n e r a l , (c) t h e s t u d e n t ' s s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h t h e U n i v e r s i t y e n v i r o n m e n t , a n d (d ) how t h e s t u d e n t b a l a n c e s s t u d y i n g w i t h e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r i n v o l v e a e n t s . ~ l l t h r e e of t h e f r e s h m a n g r o u p s r e s p o n d e d t o t h i s t e s t d u r i n g t h e s p r i n g semester. I n o r d e r t o c o m p a r e t h e e f f e c t s of t h e f r e s h m a n y e a r o n t h e t h r e e t a r g e t groups--ADAPT s t u d e n t s , c o n t r o l s t u d e n t s a n d c e n t e n n i a l s t u d e n t s o i t was first n e c e s s a r y t o a s s e s s t h e s t u d e n t = o n some m e a s u r e t a k e n p r i o r t o t h e i r e n t r a n c e t o t h e U n i v e r s i t y . The A m e r i c a n C o l l e g e T e s t i n g (ACT) p r o g r a m a d m i n i s t e r e d n a t i o n a l l y ~ r o v i d e s s u c h a m e a s u r e . T a k l e 1 s h o w s t h e r e l a t i v e p o s i t i o n s of t h e t h r e e g r o u p s a s well a s t h e means a n d s t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n s of t h e e n t i r e f r e s h m a n c lass a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y of N e b r a s k a L i n c o l n o n t h e ACT. W h i l e some s l i g h t d i f f e r e n c e s d i d o c c u r , t h e t h r e e g r o u p s a p p e a r e s s e n t i a l l y e q u i v a l e n t o n t h i s m e a s u r e . S e v e r a l o t h e r v a r i a k l e s t h a t a l l o w a c o m p a r i s o n of t h e t h r e e g r o u p s of F r e s h m e n a r e p r e s e n t e d i n T a b l e 2. It is i n t e r e s t i n g t o n o t e t h a t t h e ADAPT g r o u p b a s a l a r g e r p e r c e n t a g e of i n s t a t e s t u d e n t s t h a n a n y of t h e o t h e r g r o u p s . Also, t h e ADAPT g r o u p h a s by f a r t h e l a r g e s t p e r c e n t a g e of s t u d e n t s who g r a d u a t e d from t h e b o t t o m h a l f of t h e i r c lass (34.8%). I n t h e c o n t r o l g r o u p a v e r y l a r g e p e r c e n t a g e o f s t u d e n t s h a d g r a d u a t e d i n t h e t o p q u a r t e r of t h e i r h i g h s c h o o l class. The b a s i c d e s i g n of t h e e v a l u a t i o n of f o r m a l t h o u g h t was a p r e t e s t a n d p o s t t e s t c o m p a r i s o n of t h e ADAPT and C o n t r o l g r o u p s . S i n c e t h e c e n t e n n i a l g r o u p was n o t a d d e d u n t i l t h e s p r i n g o f t h e y e a r , no p r e t e s t scores were a v a i l a b l e o n t h o s e s t u d e n t s . T a b l e 3 p r e s e n t s t h e means and s t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n s o f t h e ADAET and C o n t r o l s u b j e c t s cn e i g h t s u b t e s t s o f f o r m a l o p e r a t i o n s and a c o m p o s i t e i n d e x o f f o r m a l o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y . The A D A P T s t u d e n t s s c o r e d s i g n i f i c a n t l y h i g h e r t h a n t h e C o n t r o l s t u d e n t s o n