PERFORMANCE IN THE CAPSTONE BUSINESS COURSE: WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF PEDAGOGY, LEARNING STYLES, AND STUDENT MOTIVATION? Development In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 18, 1991 146 PERFORMANCE IN THE CAPSTONE BUSINESS COURSE: WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF PEDAGOGY, LEARNING STYLES, AND STUDENT MOTIVATION? Ralph F. Catalanello and Christine L. Scheck Northern Illinois University ABSTRACT This paper assesses the effect of two individual characteristics on student performance--learning styles and student motivation--in an undergraduate capstone course. We propose that the course design which involves individual and group case analysis as well as a complex business simulation will dampen the effects of these individual characteristics on student performance. It is further posited each learning style leads to different levels of motivation, which in turn impact performance. Results indicate that learning styles impact performance only in the case of assimilators and convergers with respect to motivation. INTRODUCTION This paper focuses on the impact of student motivation and learning styles on student performance in a capstone business policy course. Learning styles is part of an individual’s cognitive structure and refers to the pattern of behavior and performance by which an individual approaches educational experiences [Sims, Veres, and Shake, 19891. Student motivation is defined as those psychological processes which cause arousal, direction, and persistence of voluntary actions within a classroom setting [Laughlin, 1976: Mitchell, 1982]. It is suggested student motivation has a significant affect on student outcomes [Laughlin. 1976]. One’s motivation to study within a class affects his/her performance. Motivation precedes any performance, positive or negative. This relationship has been supported elsewhere [cf., Butler and Nisan, 1986; Howard and Maxwell, 1980; Keon and Willoughby, 19811. A capstone policy course often involves case analysis, business simulations, group exercises, oral presentations, as well as the traditional subject- related content material. Given the diversity of these assignments, one might expect students with differing learning styles to experience some learning opportunities congruent with their preferred style and thus positively influence their class performance. METHOD Sample One hundred and six undergraduate students enrolled in tour different sections of the required capstone management course in a large midwestern university participated in this study. A questionnaire was completed by each student during the first week of the semester. Standardized verbal instructions were given to each class. Operational Measures Learning Styles. Kolb s revised LSI (II) was utilized to measure the degree to which individuals display one of four learning styles (i.e., divergers, convergers. accomodators. and assimilators). From the sample, 16 students were classified as Divergers. 33 Convergers, 19 Accomodators, and 38 Assimilators Motivation. Vroom’s [1964] behavioral choice model of expectancy theory was used to assess motivation. The scale utilized included measures of valence, instrumentality, and expectancy and had been used elsewhere (Webster, et al., 1987). Class Performance. Class performance was measured for each student by obtaining the total points received in the course. RESULTS Regression analysis used to investigate the relationship between student motivation and class performance while controlling for learning style found some statistical significance. Student motivation was found to be significantly related to the performance of assimilators and convergers. The performance of assimilators was significant with an R of .13 (F 5.81, p (.05). The performance of convergers was also significant with an R of .11 (F 3.87, p (.05). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of student motivation levels and preferred learning styles on class performance. The findings suggest student motivation within specific learning styles can be influenced to lead to better class performance. For example, assimilators and convergers were both highly motivated within the present course setting and thus motivation positively impacted class performance. Perhaps this can be explained since both styles have abstract conceptualization as a dominant learning ability. Abstract conceptualization concerns learning by systematic planning and the development of theory to solve problems. It is interesting to note the business policy course emphasizes the need for conceptual skills. The topics presented in a policy course help students develop and refine their conceptual skills [Wheelen and Hunger, 1989]. Thus, those students with abstract conceptualization as a dominant learning ability possibly have an advantage over others, which impacts their motivation level. Unfortunately, there were several drawbacks to the chosen sample, which may have limited the present findings. First, average grade distribution for all sections of this course normally fall within a B (i.e.. above average) range. This gives little variance in the dependent variable of interest. Secondly, the sample size available for use in the present study resulted in small cell sizes for each learning style classification. Finally, the debate continues over the reliability and validity of learning style measures [Sims et al.. 1989; Highhouse and Doverspike, 1987]. Future studies should be done to address these issues and correct for possible limitations. Table of Contents Volume 18, 1991 Personality Types and Total Enterprise Simulation Performance Using DIS 'n DAT as a Decision Support System for a Marketing Simulation Game Theoretical Derivation of a Market Demand Function for Business Simulators The Ethnographic Case Study: An Experiential Approach to Teaching Retail Management Electronic Bulletin Board Systems (BBS): Support Software for Computer Simulations The New Budget Game Negame: A Cross-Cultural Role-Play to Introduce Students to the Familiarization Stage of Negotiations Modeling Short-Run Cost and Production Functions Using Sheppard's Lemma in Computerized Business Simulations Increasing Simulation Realism through the Modeling of Step Costs Predicting Simulation Performance: Differences Between Groups and Individuals A Facility Location Case to Stimulate Classroom Interaction Educational Effectiveness of Business Simulation Gaming: A Comparative Study of Students and Practitioner Perspective Ethical Dilemmas in Experiential Learning: Issues and Strategies A Critical Review and Assessment of ABSEL's Award-Winning Procedures and Protocols Political Risk: A Simulation for Business Practitioners Upside Down: A Cross-Cultural Game in Experiential Learning Gorby's Dilemma: From Communism to Free Enterprise in Two Hours Strategic Market: Planning with the COMPLETE Product Portfolio Analysis Package: A Marketing Decision Support System Career Concepts and Total Enterprise Simulation Performance Experiential Learning in Human Resources: A Performance Appraisal Application Managerial Motivation and Realism Among MBA Student as Viewed through The Looking Glass, Inc. Simulation An Experiential Approach to Teaching Data Analysis Using MYSTAT: Rationale, Procedures and Results Practicing What Was Preached: A Sequential Learning Model put to the Test Student Attitudes about Policy Course Simulations An Investigation of the Relationship Between Simulation Play, Performance Level and Recency of Play on Exam Scores The Effect of Leadership and Cognitive Processing Styles upon Peer Performance Evaluation: Implication for the Utilization of Simulations in Business Pedagogy On the Transfer of Market Oriented Business Games to Socialist Cultures An Application of Financial Analysis of the Business Firm in a Simulated Competitive Environment Collective Bargaining Simulation: An Exercise based on a Familiar Theme Making Business Policy a Strategic Management Experience A Student Exercise for Intergrating the Concepts of Power and Motivation The Boundaries Extended: An Experiment Comparing Dialectical Inquiry, Devil's Advocacy and Consensus Using the Executive Game Using a Simulation Package to Develop a Simulation Exercise in Cost Accounting Success Factors in Experiential Training for Creative Problem-Solving Teams An Experiential Approach for teaching Quality management Critical Success Ratios: A Comparison of Two Business Simulations in a Multi-Year Environment Stocklogs: A Classroom Exercise for Teaching the Logistical Relationship of Location and Inventory The Organizational Leadership Program Simulating Business Decision-Making: Using Statistical Cases for Classroom Exercises Scripting for the Classroom Upgrading the Business Strategy and Policy Game Developing Student Team-Building and Leadership Skills Using Computer-Aided Experiential learning Strategies Organizing and Outward Bound Field Trip An Architecture for Extensible Simulation Games Performance in the Capstone Business Course: What is the effect of Pedagogy, Learning Styles, and Student Motivation? Operational Strategy with Participant-Modifiable Parameters An Example of a Personal Selling Case Transformed into a Role Play Scenario Instructional Software: It's Evolution and Current State of the Art in the Business Curriculum Ascertaining Performance Variables for use in Determining Student's Grades in Courses Employing a Business Simulation Designing Management Seminars Using Business Simulations The Accounting Information Systems Course: Bridging the Gap between the Classroom and the Real World The Good Cooks Guide to Training Excellence: Working with Passion A Demonstration on Multiple Data Collection Methods: Seeing Strategic Issues Through the Looking Glass Simulation Systems Analysis and Design: Why Undergraduate Education gets a Failing Grade Accommodating Organizational Culture: An Evaluation of Management Development Delivery Modes in Varying Organizational Cultures Modeling Total Quality into Business Simulations The Political Futures Game Meeting Meeting Objectives