The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two methods of practicing words: (1) visual discrimination and (2) copying. Both methods were designed to facilitate the retention of words. Two hundred fifty-four kindergarten subjects in twelve intact classrooms received twenty-five minutes of instruction on five high frequency words the subjects had failed to identify prior to the study. Each class was, then, divided into three groups which were stratified on the basis of the subjects' scores on the Murphy-Durrell Letter Names Test. Two experimental groups practiced the words in either a visual discrimination or copying task for ten minutes. The control group engaged in creative dramatics for ten minutes. The subjects were checked for recall of the five words, twenty-four hours after the initial teaching session.Three null hypotheses were tested using a 2x2x2x3 fixed effect nonorthogonal analysis of variance. Subjects were identified as high or low scorers on the MurphyDurrell Letter Names Test, younger or older than the median chronological age of the subjects in the study, as male or female, and according to the treatment group to which they were assigned. Tukey's HSD procedure was used to compute 95 percent confidence intervals to analyze the presence of a 2-way interaction involving treatment and sex. Males in the Copying Group recalled significantly more words than males in the Visual Discrimination Group or the control group. Females in the Visual Discrimination Group recalled significantly more words than females in the control group. Females recalled significantly more words than males in the Visual Discrimination Group and the control group. There was no significant interaction involving sex, age, and treatment; no one method was found to significantly facilitate word recall. No significant differences were found between the average number of words recalled by the younger or older subjects.The major conclusion of the study was that males profited from copying words with chalk on a chalkboard while being directed to the distinctive features of the words.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/178877 |
| Date | January 1981 |
| Creators | Mossburg, Jacqueline Rhea |
| Contributors | Harshbarger, Mary E. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | v, 131 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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