Publication Date

Summer 2019

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Jenni Redifer (Director), Adam Lockwood, Andrea Paganelli, Qin Zhao

Degree Program

Doctor of Psychology in Applied Psychology

Degree Type

Doctor of Psychology

Abstract

Psychologists and educators have examined the use of a wide variety of technological advancements in the classroom, and have studied the effects of these new tools on many factors that affect classroom performance. However, little research exists to demonstrate how specific teaching techniques, specifically the provision of partial or skeletal presentation notes (such as might accompany a Power Point presentation), affect factors that we already know to affect academic success, such as locus of control and academic self-efficacy. This study sought to discover the impact that providing partial presentation notes for use during lecture would have on students’ performance, as well as changes that might result in their locus of control and academic self-efficacy beliefs. Additionally, this study sought to examine the impact of cognitive load and interest as exploratory variables. In order to determine the effects of partial presentation notes on performance, locus of control, and self-efficacy, this study examined the locus of control and self-efficacy of students assigned to either receive partial or complete presentation notes to accompany a visual presentation and lecture. It was expected that the participants in the partial notes condition would score better on the exam, experience more internal locus of control, and higher academic self-efficacy than those in the complete notes condition. The results showed that neither locus of control nor self-efficacy were positively affected by condition. Additionally, performance was not affected by condition. However, locus of control increased for those participants in the complete notes condition, which was the opposite of the expected relationship. However, some interesting relationships emerged between the variables of interest and the exploratory variables. Higher self-efficacy was correlated with greater interest, and greater interest led to more positive change in self-efficacy. Higher self-efficacy meant better scores on the exam and lower cognitive load. Higher cognitive load was correlated to lower exam scores. These results suggest that many factors need to be considered before implementing new technology in the classroom.

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