ANTECEDENTS OF LEARNING IN THE SIMULATION: A REPLICATION Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 25, 1998 ANTECEDENTS OF LEARNING IN THE SIMULATION: A REPLICATION Jerry Gosen and John Washbush Univiversity of Wisconsin-Whitewater INTRODUCTION This study replicated a study undertaken in 1997. It was exploratory, and its purpose was to find out why some participants learn more than others in TE simulations. Put another way, the purpose was to identify which variables are associated with greater learning in the simulation environment. METHOD Subjects and Procedures The subjects of this study were 97 seniors enrolled in an Administrative Policy course. Each author taught two sections, and industry composition and game procedure differed somewhat by author. For the first author, simulation play began in teams, but after five quarters, teams were abandoned and students continued as single-member firms. For the second author, teams remained intact throughout play. Team size ranged from two to four players, with 68% of the teams beginning the simulation three members. Simulation length was 12 quarters. Performance was based on Net Income, ROS, and ROA. The game was worth 25% of the course grade, and 5% course grade reflected the score on the post-test exam measuring learning. Variables and Variable Measurement Learning. We measured learning in two ways. We measured consciously-simulation-related learning with two forms of our multiple-choice and short- essay examination. There was a pretest and a post-test. Learning was defined as the percentage score for the post-test minus the percentage score for the pre-test. The second learning measure was open ended. We simply asked students what they were learning. Antecedent Variables. Seven variables were chosen as potential predictors of learning in the simulation. They were chosen for common sense reasons, because they were thought to influence learning by educational, management, or simulation scholars, or because of previous research. The seven were motivation, cohesion, organization, goals, struggle, perceptions of the simulation, and feelings toward the simulation. Student goals, degree of struggle, feelings and perceptions toward the simulation, along with the open-ended learning questions were measured via questionnaire given after the third and sixth rounds of play--goals and learning with open- ended questions, struggle questions with a Likert scale, and perception and feeling information with 15 bi-polar semantic-differential items. Motivation, organization and cohesion were measured with an adjective check list, given after quarters 4 and 7 asking students which items characterized their experience in the simulation. Content analysis of student goals and self-reports of learning was undertaken by the senior author. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed with simulation-related learning scores as the dependent variable and all the continuous antecedent variables as independent variables, including motivation, struggle, cohe- 152 Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 25, 1998 sion, organization, and feelings about and perceptions of the simulation. F-tests were performed comparing simulation related learning scores of those expressing certain goals for the simulation with the learning scores of those not expressing such goals. Correlations were calculated between open ended learning and continuous antecedent variable measures. The results from this and last year’s studies show enough similarity to suggest that there is a finite, definable set of concepts and skills, conceptually different from each other, that participants learn in the simulation.. Those mentioned most frequently in both studies were: 1) building financial statement analysis skills, 2) learning to plan strategically and make decisions which adapt to the game’s circumstances, 3) learning the game’s cause and effect principles, 4) the importance of anticipating and planning for predictable and unpredictable future events, and 5) learning that the game (and business in general) requires consideration of complex phenomena. We have begun to identify variables that influence the degree to which undergraduates (at least) learn in the simulation. The results of both studies suggest that learning scores are greater when simulation teams are organized, when players want to reduce expenses, and when players want to finish high in the game standings. Curiously the results indicate that those less motivated learn more and those from teams unequally prepared learn more. In both studies, students who learned about financial principles expressed a feeling of confidence and accomplishment towards their simulation experience, and those who were learning about strategic planning felt disorganized and confused early in the simulation. In the present study (but not in last year’s ), those who felt as if they were improving learned more and those who said they were learning about decision making felt alert and charged. This and last year’s studies have been extensive; the purpose of both was to explore the relationship of each of numerous antecedent variables to learning. Some findings from those two studies were clear and repeated. But many relationships occurred in one study and not in the other. It is likely that future studies more or less identical to the present one will yield results unique to that section or game. Generalizable results may be hard to come by. So, it is time to drift away from extensive, exploratory study, such as the present one, and use its results to generate questions to answer and hypotheses to test in future studies. A complete text including references and tables can be obtained from the senior author. 153 Table of Contents Volume 25, 1998 Marketing Goes to the Movies Bringing Experiential Learning to a Principles of Marketing Course Investment Analysis Application Using In-house Spreadsheet Models SugarCoated Statistics: An Exercise for the First Day of Class Improving Undergraduate Student Involvement in Management Science and Business Writing Courses Using the Seven Principles in Action Establishment and Funding for Interuniversity / Multidisciplinary Student experiences The Prospects of Creative Teaching: A Discussion with Patricia Sanders The Simulation and Classroom Assessment Techniques Developments of Management Skill Assessment Games as Instruments of Assessment: A Framework for Evaluation The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Business Curricula Threshold Solo Competitor: A Management Simulation (V1.0) a Windows-Based. Play Alone, Total Enterprise Simulation and Assessment Instrument Toward An Understanding of One's self-concept Total Enterprise Simulations and the Internet: Improving Student Perceptions and Simplifying Administrative Workloads The Expatriate an Assignment Orientation Game An Expatriate's Nightmare: An Experiential Exercise in Coping with Overseas Assignments Analyzing Experiential Exercise: Using the Scientific Method for Problem Solving The Second Component to Experiential Learning: A Look Back at How ABSEL has handled the Conceptual and Operational Definitions of Learning Predictive Models of Learning: Participant Satisfaction of Experiential Exercises in Business Education Accelerating Moral Development through Use of Experiential Ethical Dilemmas Ethical Dilemmas to use with Business Simulations to Teach Ethics The Class Approach in Behavioral Simulation in a Business Policy/Strategic Management course: A Progression toward Greater Realism An Exploration of the Emergence of Process Prototypes in a Management Course Utilizing a Total Enterprise Simulation How Organizations Are Improving Their Performance Utilizing Electronic Commerce: Examples From The Internet The Market Access Planning System (Maps): A Computer-Based Decision Support System For Facilitating Experiential Learning In International Business An Excel Workbook For Student Planning And Interface With A Simulation Game Design Of Multi-Media Based Pedagogy For Leadership Training Panel Discussion On Using The Internet For Courses Valuing And Enhancing Teaching: Sharing Tips Via The Web The Buddy Project: A Semester Long Project Aimed At Developing An Appreciation For Diversity Enhancing The Excitement And Learning Retention In The Classroom: The Power Of Magic The Supervised Management Internship: A Job Or Learning Experience Team Ware™ An Online Moderated Class Discussion Facility And Beyond A Neophyte Distance Educator's Experience Learning Management By Practicing Management: A Report Of Significant Student Service In 1997 Integration Of Academic And Service Learning: Students' Perceptions About Its Effects And Outcomes The Value Of Incorporating A Service Learning Component Into Course Content: A Presentation And Roundtable Discussion Business Games Teach: Thoughts on the Sources of Conflicting Conclusions on their Effectiveness Antecedents Of Learning In The Simulation: A Replication Using Student Journals To Enhance Learning From Simulations Technological Change And Intertemporal Movements In Consumer Preferences In The Design Of Computerized Business Simulations With Market Segmentation Integrating The Marketing Curriculum Using Collaborative Learning Teaching Time Management In A Sales Program: The Application Of A Computer Simulation Game Adapting Interactive Computer Simulations For Content Based Esl Instruction Multimedia And Student Expectations Synthesizing Data For Media Simulations Composing A Team Health Promoting Behaviors-A Decision Making Exercise Does it really Work? An Application of the Group Interaction Framework Administering the MIT Beer Game: Lessons Learned A Paperless Economy? Instructing Students on the Aspects of Successful Electronic Commerce Maximizing Learning Gains in Simulations: Lessons from the Training Literature Observing General Ability in a Total Enterprise Gaming Simulation FReach Teach: A Computer-Based System for Teaching Advertising Media Planning An Integrated Business Instruction System An Experiential Exercise you can Tinker With Experiential Exercises or Computer Simulations? Cash Flow Statements: Are They Important in Business Simulations? Holistic Cognitive Strategy in a Computer-Based Marketing Simulation Game: An Investigation of Attitudes Towards the Decision-Making Process Barnga: A Game on Cultural Clashes The Many Faces of Culture: Understanding Country and Corporate Culture Students' View of the Use of Business Gaming in Hong Kong Assessing General Management Interest What is the Future of Business Gaming? Starting a Small Music Trivia Business Exercise and Other Innovative Icebreakers An Integrated Approach to Behavioral Skill Development Career Focus: A Student and Business Learning Experience The Use of Concept Mapping in Teaching Strategic Management An Experiential Approach to Developing Mission Statements Business Games in Brazil-Learning or Satisfaction A Simulation within a Simulation: Job Layoff's and Emotional Reactions