PERCEIVED INSTRUCTOR ENTHUSIASM AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 13, 1986 52 PERCEIVED INSTRUCTOR ENTHUSIASM AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT Patricia Sanders, Central Connecticut State University Jerry Gosenpud, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater ABSTRACT Enthusiasm comes from the Greek, where it meant "possessed by a god.” An enthusiastic person is someone who literally is inspired by a powerful force. It is used frequently as a descriptor of effective teachers. This research studied the relationship between instructor enthusiasm, as measured by an Enthusiasm Awareness Index, and student achievement. Results indicated that performance in the classroom as measured by exam scores and final grades varies minimally if at all with perceived instructor enthusiasm. This is at variance with previously cited research. The article presents and discusses several reasons for this variance. Enthusiasm is a valuable quality for anyone, regardless of the kind of work one does. The word “enthusiasm” is derived from a combination of Greek words meaning, “possessed by a god.” An enthusiastic person is someone who literally is inspired by a powerful force. In the literature on enthusiastic teaching, the word usually means “stimulating,” “animated,” “energetic,” or “mobile’.’ Most would agree that an enthusiastic classroom environment is a more interesting and stimulating place to be than in a dull or stolid environment. But, what effect, if any, does teacher enthusiasm have on student achievement? The available research on enthusiastic teaching suggests a positive relationship between teacher enthusiasm and student achievement. Cruichshank (3) found that, all other things being equal, a teacher who presents material in an animated and stimulating manner will have students who achieve better on tests than a teacher who does not. Another group of researchers tested retention in college students after experiencing presentations from “static” speakers and “dynamic” speakers. Static speakers read from a manuscript, used no gestures, had no direct eye contact, and kept vocal inflection to a minimum. Dynamic speakers delivered presentations from memory, with extensive use of gesturing, eye contact, vocal inflection and animation. The mean score of the students who heard the dynamic speaker was significantly higher than those who heard the static speaker (1). The implications of this study are that energy level not only contributes to retention but to attention. Lastly, in his review of the research on enthusiastic teaching, Rosenshine (4) identified behavioral components of enthusiastic teaching and classified them into two categories: high inference and low inference variables. High inference variables measured behaviors that required considerable inferring from what was observed or heard in the classroom. They included variables such as mobility, animation, energy or expressiveness. Low inference variables measured those behaviors that required an observer to classify teacher movements into objective categories, such as, words per minute, amount of gesturing, or movements per minute. Rosen- shine found that high ratings on both categories of variables, as measured by independent observers, related positively to measures of pupil achievement. Rosenshine concluded that animated teacher behaviors also may serve as secondary reinforcers; that is, hearing or seeing an energetic teacher “may positively reinforce certain responses of the pupils during the lesson” (l+,p. 510). In the studies cited above, teacher enthusiasm was measured by an observer or by a person external to the classroom or learning environment. In the present student instructor enthusiasm is measured by student responses to a questionnaire, the Enthusiasm Awareness Index (EAI). This study has two purposes: first, to introduce the EAI as an instrument in which college students may rate their instructors on enthusiasm behaviors; and secondly, to use the EAI as an aid to study the effects of enthusiasm on student achievement. More specifically, it asks the question: What is the relationship between perceived instructor enthusiasm as measured by an Enthusiasm Awareness Index (See Appendix 1), and student performance as measured by two exam scores and final grades? METHOD The Enthusiasm Awareness Index (EAI) was designed initially as a self-reflective device for teachers and trainers to assess personal awareness of enthusiasm levels. The intent of the index was not verification of levels of enthusiasm, but awareness based on self-knowledge and feedback from ones environment. The index was developed based upon the research review of Rosenshine (4), and the enthusiasm training programs of Collins (2). While the index itself has not been tested for validity and reliability, each item on the index, or a variation thereof, has been verified by both Rosenshine and Collins as a component of enthusiastic teaching. The EAI was administered to 442 students in 20 separate management classes at two different universities (U-l, and U-2). Students were required to rate their instructor’s level of enthusiasm over the seven items of the EAI on a seven point Likert-type scale. At U-i the EAI was administered at the twelfth week of a fifteen week semester in 16 separate management classes in policy, principles, production, and management topics. Ten sections from the 16 were selected randomly to participate in the study. This was done to avoid selection bias. The EAI was administered by a graduate assistant and student code numbers were used as a means of identification. Final grades were obtained by student ID for students in the randomly selected classes. At U-2 students were enrolled in ten separate sections of the same Production course. The EAI was administered at the eleventh week of a fifteen week semester. The EAI was administered by a graduate assistant and student code numbers were used as a means of identification. Students in the ten sections took two common exams constructed by a person not teaching any of the Production sections. The two exams were administered by a graduate assistant, one at the tenth week, and the other at the fifteenth week. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 13, 1986 53 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS Separate one-way analyses of variance were completed for each dimension of the EAT by the 20 classroom sections, as well as for a total enthusiasm score by the 20 sections. Table 1 presents both the analysis of variance and descriptive statistics for total enthusiasm scores by all sections. Analysis of variance indicates significant differences across sections on all seven dimensions of the enthusiasm index. That is, student perceptions of enthusiasm do differ across classroom, and they differ across instructors, as well. There also appears to be consistency among raters. A rank order of mean enthusiasm scores of each of the twenty sections by instructor appears in Table 2, and shows that instructors in multiple sections were rated similarly across sections. That is, instructors consistently received highest, moderate, or lowest ratings by students. Table 3 presents an analysis of variance for both sets of exams scores for the ten sections at U-2. Analysis of variance yields no significant differences across sections on exam scores. That is, there were no significant differences in accomplishment across the ten sections. This means that variances in performance cannot be explained by variances in enthusiasm. This finding also is supported by a correlation analysis as presented in Table 4. These results show minimal or no relationship between enthusiasm scores on one hand, and either exam scores or final grades, on the other. The correlations in Table 4 are broken down by university. This breakdown reveals that correlations at U-l are greater and more positive than those at U-2. DISCUSSION The results of this study indicate that performance In the university classroom as measured by two exam scores and final grade varies minimally, if at all, with perceived instructor enthusiasm. This suggests that instructor enthusiasm has little effect on student achievement, at least as measured by exam scores and final grades. This finding appears to be at variance with previously cited research indicating a positive relationship between teacher enthusiasm and student achievement, and contrary to the commonly held notion that teacher enthusiasm is an important ingredient in student achievement. It should be noted, however, that the bulk of the previously cited research studied teacher enthusiasm at the elementary and secondary levels of education. It is possible that age and maturity may have a leveling effect on enthusiasm and achievement. In this study four of the enthusiasm scale scores and the total enthusiasm score correlated significantly at the .10 with grades at U-l, where common exam scores did not comprise the majority of students’ grades. This suggests that at U-l achievement did vary with enthusiasm, only if minimally. It also should be noted that the overall enthusiasm scores were higher at U-l. The differences between the two universities may be explained by several factors: sections sampled, subject matter taught, and use of common exams. At U-2 all sections sampled were in Production Management, a required core course for all business students, and uniformity was encouraged by the use of common exams and a common text. At U-l there was a greater variety of sections sampled, subject matter taught, and none of the instructors taught to a common exam. At U-l, only two sections were in Production Management. The remainder of the sections sampled were in slightly more dynamic subject matter than Production Management. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 13, 1986 54 The fact that at U-l, subject matter was more dynamic and instructors had greater choice in selecting course curriculum may have resulted in greater enthusiasm scores. Also, it is possible that instructors who are perceived as enthusiastic create a more positive, open, and energetic classroom atmosphere that becomes mutually reinforcing with a stronger student/instructor relationship. In this type of open environment, it is possible that instructors may use more subjective judgments in determining student achievement. The subtlies of such a positive classroom environment may induce the instructor, either subconsciously or consciously, to place greater emphasis on attitudes, appreciation, and participation, rather than on specific exam scores, thus evaluating the student overall as an individual, as well as a performer on exams. It is also noted that at U-2, the Enthusiasm Index was administered the week following the first exam. One might conclude that enthusiasm scores at U-2 reflected Exam 1 results. Differences in exam scores, however, do not support this conclusion. Finally, it is interesting to note that at U-l, at least two instructors used experiential or modified experiential teaching techniques. It is possible that there is some relationship between pedagogic style and perceived instructor enthusiasm, regardless of achievement. This notation is worth further investigation. CONCLUSION If there is a relationship between an instructors enthusiasm and achievement, the results of this study do not reveal it. The focus of the study was narrow. It focused on two measures of performance, achievement on exams and final grades. It is possible that instructor enthusiasm may have a more subtle, but significant impact on students in terms of appreciation for and attitudes toward subject matter that may be longer lasting than the effects of performance on exams. The problem Is that measures of performance reflecting this more subtle influence are very illusive. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 13, 1986 55 It is not clear that a relationship between enthusiasm and learning exists, especially at the college level with quantitative courses. Continued research is necessary to clarify if it does and under what circumstances. REFERENCE S (1) Coats, W. D. & Smidchens, U. Audience recall as a function of speaker dynamism. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1966, 57, 89-91 (2) Collins, M. L. The effects of training for enthusiasm on the enthusiasm displayed by presence teachers. Doctoral dissertation. Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, 1976. (3) Cruichshank, D. R. Teaching is Tough. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: 1980. (4) Rosenshine, B. Enthusiastic teaching: A research review. School Review, 1970, 78, 499-514. Table of Contents Volume 13, 1986 How to Use Microcomputers in Human Resource Management Courses What's My Line? An Exercise in Job Analysis, Description and Classification Relationships Between Team Cohesion Dimensions and Business Game Performance Four Factors Affecting Group Performance in Business Policy Simulations Enhancing Strategic Management Goal-Setting Skills in the Business Policy Course Using a Business Simulation in the Principles of Management Course - Learning Outcomes and Perceptions Personal Computers: Drexel's Experience Using Psychological Type to Enhance Negotiation Skills The Effects of Conflict Handling Styles on Negotiation Behavior: An Analysis of an Experiential Exercise An Experiential Test of Bargaining Decisions and Representation Self-Grading of Examination by Students, A Viable Alternative to Traditional Procedures Perceived Instructor Enthusiasm and Student Achievement An Experiential Approach to Teaching Subordinate-Oriented Communication Assessing the Effects of a Computerized Study Guide in Macroeconomic Principles: A Statistical Analysis A Sales Management Simulation for the PC an Integrative Tool for the Sales Management Course Teaching Re-evaluation of Salespersons Through the Use of a Simulation Game A Test of Student Performance and Attitudes and Performance Under Varying Game Conditions Developing and Testing Airways: A Marketing Simulation Experiential Learning Revisited: Some Thoughts on Designing More Adaptive Management Education Programs Developing the Competencies of Creativity and Accurate Self-Assessment Self-View and Norms: Some Longitudinal Laboratory Results Strategic Planning with an Experiential Case The ABSEL Research Consortium: Preliminary Steps and Position Papers An Analysis of ABSEL Conference papers (1974-1985) The Creation and Operation of a Data-base System for ABSEL Research Funding for a Research Consortium on Simulation and Experiential Learning Simulation - Indoctrination or Learning The Dilemma In Evaluating Classroom Innovations Personality Variables on Group Cohesion, Team Participation and Total Learning Justifications for and Problems in Developing and Using Computerized Experiential Activities Management Competency Models and the Life-Long Learning Project: What Role for ABSEL External Validity of Business Games Restructuring the University - An Experiential Exercise The Surrogate Class Exercise Images of Effectiveness: A Classroom Exercise The Algebran Industry: A Tutorial Framework Another Chance: A Multi-Leveled, Macro Business Game for Micro-Computers A Water Quality Management Simulation Game Acquisitions? Divestitures? Progress Report on a Conglomerate Game Enterprise: A Multi-Purpose Management Development Simulation Marketer: A Microcomputer Simulation in a High Tech Industry A Pedagogical Analysis of Alternative Tax Elections for Exploration Costs in the Mining Industry Using of Multiple Microcomputers Application Programs to Teach Fundamental Business Concepts and Practices Demonstrating the Role of Simulation in Strategic Operations Planning: A Case Study in Bank Check Processing Location Analysis The Subjective Side of the Decision Support System: A Pitfall for the Panacea A Group-Based Procedure for Revealing Judgmental Heuristics and Biases An Experiential Exercise in Bayesian Decision-Making Values for Selected Parameters in Physical Distribution Simulation and Games Computerized Business Management Simulations for Tyros The Management Decision Laboratory at New York University An Example: The Use of Management Games on Microcomputers by Computer Novices Enhancing Mainframe Simulation Via Microcomputers: Designing Decision Support Systems Integrating Personal Computers Into a Course as a Decision Support Tool A Decision Support System for Capital Funds Forecasting Performance and Attitudinal Affects of a Decision Support Package in a Business Game Using the Real World: Interviews with Woman Mangers The Cooperatively-Authored Student Handbook International Buying: An Experiential Exercise The Research/Teaching Interface: Turning a Pretest into an Experiential Exercise Building Microcomputer Business Simulations Simulation with Discrete and Continuous Mathematical Modeling An Interpolation Approach to Developing mathematical Functions for Business Simulations The Design of Simulation Models Using Thought Organizers The Assessment Center as a Teaching/Learning Device An Approach to Meeting the AACSB Guidelines for Introducing Skills and Personal Characteristics (SACs) Using an Interclass Simulating and Role-Playing Pedagogy Experiential Learning about the World of Work: A Program for Primary and Secondary School Educators Assessment of Relevant Personal Characteristics of Potential Entrepreneurs