Abstract
Three groups of college students were given instructions using different testing techniques to determine whether the superior performance obtained with Programmed Student Achievement (PA) was due to a Hawthorne Effect. PA students, operating under the consequence of failing the course if they failed to evidence criterion performance (100% mastery) on weekly quizzes, exhibited superior performance, relative to control groups, on the weekly quizzes and on an unannounced retention test. The results seem to preclude any attempt to interpret the effectiveness of Programmed Student Achievement on the basis of a Hawthorne Effect.
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References
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Haddad, N.F., Nation, J.R. & Williams, J.D. Programmed student achievement: A Hawthorne Effect?. Res High Educ 3, 315–322 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00991248
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00991248