Using Experimental Research to Test Instructional Effectiveness: A Case Study. Issue 2 (3rd April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Raymond, Chad; Tawa, John; Tonini, GinaMarie; Gomaa, Sally
• Is Part Of: Journal of political science education. Volume 14:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: 167
• Page End: 176
• Publication Date: 2018-04-03
• Subjects: Active learning -- assessment -- diversity -- randomized experiment -- small-n studies; Political science -- Study and teaching (Higher); 320.0711
• DOI: 10.1080/15512169.2017.1394196
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1551-2169

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Cross-cultural competence is now regarded as a critical student learning outcome by many U.S. higher educational institutions. It requires in part that students be able to empathize with people whose ethno-cultural, economic, political, and/or geographic backgrounds are different from their own—a quality that we are labeling global empathy. Yet colleges and universities frequently find it difficult to develop global empathy among their students. We conducted an experiment to investigate whether different instructional techniques—traditional lecture, video news reports, and an online game—or undergraduate students' academic majors are associated with variations in indicators of global empathy. Statistically significant variations in survey data were found only among students majoring in psychology and in responses to two survey questions. Two behavioral measures did not reveal any statistically significant variation. A larger sample, longer exposure to treatment condition, or other changes to the experimental design might elucidate stronger evidence that instructional method or undergraduate academic major affects the development of global empathy, but this type of research may not be feasible at colleges and universities where enrollments are small and faculty lack necessary resources.