AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOR LEARNING REINFORCEMENT Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 8, 1981 214 AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOR LEARNING REINFORCEMENT Helen LaVan, DePaul University Cameron Carley, DePaul University INTRODUCTION The focus of this research study is the assessment of particular experiential learning techniques that have been used for learning reinforcement. Experiential learning techniques, which are also referred to as simulation, are operating models of ... social situations ... containing only those elements of reality that the designer deems relevant to his purpose [12, pp. 4-5). Learning reinforcement is being defined as the stimuli that are needed to ensure the performance of any learned behavior. The value of assessing an experiential learning situation designed for learning reinforcement is two-fold. First, from the student’s perspective, with some background knowledge in the subject, he or she might be able to gain more from an experiential training session than from a non-experiential approach. Second, an employer’s interest might be better served in allocation of training funds by his being able to assess if an employee could gain the most from experiential vs. non-experiential training media. The objective of this study is to determine the extent to which learning is reinforced as a result of a structured learning situation. The study makes a contribution in that while the learning theory literature is replete with citations on the value of reinforcement in learning from as early as Thorndike (1898), Tolman (1932), and Blodgett (1929), and as recently as the 1970's [Estes (1972), McKeachie (1974) and Howell (l976)], there is very little empirical evaluation reported in the experiential learning literature. Some of the articles in the experiential learning literature deal with how to develop measures of performance in experiential learning settings [9, pp. 61-74; 13; 7; 15, pp. 280-283; 3, pp. 55-71; 16, pp. 211-231; 11, pp. 34-37]. Others report on student attitudes towards the experiential learning situation [12, pp. 4-5; 16, pp. 211-231; 11, pp. 34-37]. However, relatively few are recent empirical evaluations of learning in an experiential setting [14, pp. 75-85; 1, p. 14; 4, pp. 53-65; 8, pp. 13-22], and none of these consider reinforcement of learning rather than the introduction of new concepts. The conceptual issue to which this study is directed is, does experiential learning reinforce the student’s knowledge in a classroom situation; and furthermore, does It enhance the students confidence in his or her knowledge? METHODOLOGY A questionnaire was administered to two undergraduate sections (N53) of a seminar in personnel administration prior to the entrance into the course. The same questionnaire was administered to the students upon completion of the course. The one-quarter course was conducted primarily through the use of structured, experiential exercises from Arthur A. Whatley and Nelson Lane Kelley, Personnel Management in Action, St. Paul, Minn. , West Publishing Co., 1977. Eleven of the books exercises were used as were exercises from other sources. In addition to obtaining basic demographic information, the following question was asked in order to ascertain the amount of confidence the students had in the extent of their knowledge: ‘Evaluate the extent of your knowledge in each of the functional areas of personnel administration.” Eight subject areas in personnel administration were specified1 with room for either a response of ‘none or a three-part Likert-scaled response. The extent of the students’ knowledge was assessed through the use of the following question: ‘List as many terms, concepts and issues as you can under each of the following areas of personnel administration.”2 The areas were then named with room for responses. In addition to basic descriptive analyses, multi- variate analyses were done on the two questions specified above [(1) the confidence the student had in his or her knowledge and (2) assessment of the extent of knowledge)] Means and t-tests were computed in order to determine if there were significant differences in the means of the students’ confidence in their knowledge and in the mean number of terms that the students were able to specify in each area of personnel administration pre- and post-course. Additionally, some correlation analysis was done on the pre- and post-confidence and knowledge scores. DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS The first analysis which was carried Out was done to get a description of the subjects. As is summarized in Table I, the subjects are primarily management majors (50.9%) or double majors, one of which is management (30.2%). They are primarily day students (69.8%) with senior status (83.0%). A little more than half (56.6%) had the prerequisite course in personnel within the last two quarters. And relatively few had either a related course not including the prerequisite course (7.6%) or work experience in the personnel department (13.2%). In Table II, there is portrayed the means and standard deviations for each of the confidence scores and each of the knowledge scores, both pre- and post-course. The most interesting finding in this table is that while all the means of the confidence in knowledge scores went up from pre- to post-course, only some of the knowledge scores went up. All would have been expected to go up. Some of the knowledge scores actually decreased in the post-course test. The fact that 1 Manpower planning, recruitment and selection, job design and analysis, compensation, training and development, performance evaluation, labor relations and current issues in personnel. 2 Ibid Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 8, 1981 215 the standard deviations of the confidence scores decreased is also indicative of the students' increased confidence in their knowledge. That is, there is less variation in their confidence in their knowledge at the end of the course. Tables III and IV contain the results of t-tests done to determine whether the differences in the scores were significant. With respect to the confidence scores (Table III), only two were not either significant or approaching significance - training and development and performance appraisal. For all of the other concepts, including the total confidence, the students confidence in their knowledge increased significantly at the end of the course. In Table IV, however, in only one concept, namely manpower planning, did the students’ knowledge increase significantly from the beginning to the end of the course. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 8, 1981 216 Pearsonian correlations of confidence and knowledge scores are contained in Table V. There are statistically significant relationships between confidence in knowledge and knowledge, both pre- and post-course (1 & 2), and there was a significant relationship in knowledge pre- and post- course (4). In other words, confidence was related to knowledge at both times. Additionally, this relationship was stronger at the end of the course (.357 vs. .2439). Also, a student’s knowledge at the end of the course was related to the student’s knowledge at the beginning of the course (4). But because the confidence in knowledge increased significantly, as was previously discussed, no significant relationship existed between these two confidence scores (3). The general finding of this study is thus that while experiential learning increases confidence in knowledge, it does not necessarily increase knowledge. LIMITATIONS The first limitation is the small sample size. For this paper 53 respondents filled Out questionnaires for both pre- and post-analysis. Secondly, a further research effort would differentiate statistically between a control group and an experimental group - i.e., the experiential learning group. Under a control group, subjects would be exposed to traditional learning concepts. With an experimental learning group, cases, exercises, role playing and other forms of innovative learning devices could be utilized. The two groups could be matched on relevant variables. Another limitation of the study may be that the instruments used to measure the students’ confidence and knowledge are not sufficient. For example, the authors are viewing confidence as the student’s certainty that he or she has depth and understanding of the subject matter. However, the frame of reference should be more clearly spelled out. The students should be told to relate their present knowledge either to their peers, to the general public, or to a practitioner in the personnel field. The extent of knowledge question obtains a breadth of knowledge, rather than a of knowledge, information. For example, a student would get credit for merely marking whether he or she knew of management by objectives as a concept. In future research a post- test would attempt to ascertain if the student could describe MBO in detail and if he or she had sufficient learning experience to actually perform a MBO program in an organization. The timing of the post-test might be thought of as a fourth limitation. There may have been an element of student stress reflected in their responses due to the post-test being distributed at the end of the quarter. Anxiety over grades, job placement interviewers, and quarter break plans would all contribute to this tenseness. However, the problems of the alternative of contacting students after a class has ended and they have dispersed are formidable. IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH A specific area for further study would be analysis of demographic differences among the students. Relevant demographic characteristics which might help to explain the findings include student’s major, grade point average, class year, day or evening attendance, time of beginning course in personnel, whether he or she had worked in the personnel field, and whether he or she had been enrolled in a related course. This could pinpoint further than time and space constraints allowed for in this paper, the specific relationship between a student’s academic major, for example, and his or her responses to knowledge of personnel techniques. Another particularly interesting relationship would be that of measuring retention of information previously learned in the prerequisite course to the time of the post-test. An expanded study could well investigate whether use of cases instead of exercises would have achieved different responses on the instrument, and therefore different statistical findings. Possibly cases would have increased the knowledge responses more than the exercises did. Exercises used by students were derived from only one source. Perhaps several sources for exercises would produce different results In the confidence and knowledge levels of the students. This too would be an interesting implication for further research. REFERENCES [1] Bartlett, Robin L. and Christine E. Amsier, “An Evaluation of the Synergistic Simulation of the Federal Open Market Committee,’ paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, April 4- 8, 1977, p. 14. [2] Blodgett., University of California Publications in Psychology, 1929. [3] Boardman, Gerald R. , “A Computer-Based Simulation Model for the Feedback and Analysis of the Administrative In-Basket Exercise, Educational Administration Quarterly, Winter 1975, V. 11, No. 1, p. 55-71. [4] Brenenstuhl, Daniel C. and Richard O. Blalack, ‘Role Preference and Vested Interest In a Bargaining Environment,” Simulation and Games, March 1978, V. 9, No. 1, p. 53-65. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 8, 1981 217 [5] Estes, W. K. Reinforcement in Human Behavior,” American Scientist, Vol. 60, 1972, pp. 723-729. [6] Howell, W. C. Essentials of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Homewood, Ill: Dorsey Press, 1976). [7] Hunsaker, Phillip L. Leadership Assessment and Training Simulations; Field Application and Faculty Training System (Milwaukee, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin, 1975). [8] Kaufman, Frank L., ‘An Empirical Study of the Usefulness of a Computer-Based Business Game,” Journal of Educational Data Processing, Vol. 13, No. 4, 1976, pp. 13-22. [9] Lucas, Henry C., Jr., “Performance in a Complex Management Game,’ Simulation and Games, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 61-74. [10] McKeachie, W. J. “Instructional Psychology,” Annual Review of Psychology, 1974, pp. 161-193. [11] Millar, J. W. L., “The Power Station Game: A Study,” Physics Education, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 34-37. [12] Nesbitt, William. Simulation Games for the Social Studies Classroom, Foreign Policy Association, 1971. [13] Olmstead, Joseph A. and Elder B. Leon, The Use of Management Games for Developing Army Officers in Administrative and Staff Jobs (Alexandria, VA: Human Resources Research Organization, 1979). [14] Remus, William and Steve Jenner, ‘Playing Business Games: Attitudinal Differences Between Students Playing Singly and as Teams,’ Simulation and Games, Vol. 10, No. 1, 1979, pp. 75-85. [15] Robinson, J. N., “Teaching Economics to Adults: The Use of a Game,” Adult Education, Vol. 49, No. 5, 1977, pp. 280-283. [16] Ruben, Brent D. Toward a Theory of Experience- Based Instructions,” Simulation and Games, Vol. 8, No. 2, 1977, pp. 211-31. [17] Thorndike, E. L. Psychological Monographs, Vol. 1, 1898. 118] Tolman, Edward. Purposive Behavior in Animals and Men, 1932. Table of Contents Volume 8, 1981 The Promotion: Human Sexuality in Organization The Simulation of Chaos Leadership Development in a Simulated Urban/Suburban (U/S) Environment Tomed: A Computer Game Emphasizing Social Responsibility/or/why the Pop-Top Can? Integrated Brain Activity and the Manager's Job: Utilizing the Troika Model What does R2 Have to do with a Product Management Course? An Analysis of the Effects of Jungian Problem-Solving Style Dimensions on Marketing Decisions Bargaining Behavior in Personal Selling and Buying Exchanges Extending the Simulation Product Life Cycle A Generalized Algorithm for Designing and Developing Business Simulations Operationalizing a Test of a Model of the Use of Simulation Games and Experiential Exercises Pygmalion and Perception: An Experiential Exercise Behavioral Consequences of Reward Regarding Employee Absenteeism in an Industrial Setting: An Operant Conditioning Approach The Simlab Program: The Use of Experimental Simulation and Process Analysis for the Development of Management and Organizations Designs for Research on Simulation-Games, Cases, and Other Experiential Exercises The Role of Students in The Case Method Weaknesses in Research Design Critical Variables in Research on the Educational Value of Management Games Research Questions for Cases Research on the Learning Effectiveness of Business Simulation Games - A Review of the State of the Science The Effects of Valuation Techniques on Holding Cost During Inflationary Periods: A Simulation Exercise The Operations Simulation - A Study in Game Development Applying Guided Design to the Production/Operations Management Course: A Progress Report and Evaluation Terminal Data Entry and Retrieval Systems Simulations and Microprocessors Microcomputers and Related Technology for Simulation Gaming Microcomputers - A New Technology for Innovations in Business Simulations Microprocessor Controlled Interactive Video Simulation Business Game Design: From Theory to Practice The Success of a Computerized Simulation in Microeconomic Pedagogy The Test Preview Game: Applying the Game Show Format Providing a Real World View of the Personal Function: A Simulation Finding an Effective Means of Teaching Managerial Behavioral Skills: Two Different Experiential Teaching Methods Compared A Management Development Program Based on the Experiential Learning Model Participant Type Differences in Response to Experiential Methods: An Informal Look Preparing Student Groups to Participate in Experiential Group Projects: An Organizational Development Approach An Instrument for the Assessment of Learning Dimensions: A Progress Report of the Learning Dimension Scale (LDS) An Empirical Analysis Relating the Learning Style Inventory to Memory and Logical Ability Teaching Styles in Simulation Experiential Learning Versus Traditional Teaching Styles Student Perceptions of Effective Teaching Behaviors Problems in Evaluation of Experiential Learning in Management Education Students' Perceptions of Learning by Simulation A Relative Evaluation of Experiential and Simulation Learning in Terms of Perceptions of Effected Changes in Students Overview of Computer Based Business Games in Business Policy Classes Behavioral Decision Theory and Business Policy Giving Accounting Students Writing Experience as Job Preparation Getting to First Base with MBO: An exercise for Writing and Evaluating Objectives Dimensions of Conflict in Experiential Learning Consumer Alienation and Perceived Relevance of the Business Simulation Using the Self-Reference Criterion to Simulate Culture in Internationalized Business Course Experiential Learning in a Cross Cultural Setting- The Practice of Simulation Approach to Business Education in Japanese Universities Student' Perceptions of the Use of a Computerized Simulation in Teaching Management Information Systems Using the Case Study Approach to Develop a Microcomputer Bases, Fully Integrated, Data Base Driven, Management Information System The Case Study as a Tool for Organizational Change: Applying the Steel Ax to the Designers of Management Information Systems Toward a Theory of Teaching Business Policy A Case Study in the Use of Experiential Learning (A Management Game Simulation) to Enhance Student Understanding of Strategy Evaluation and Policy Formulation Suggestions for Integration of the Business Administration Core Publishing Opportunities and Requirements for Business Simulation and Experiential Learning Materials How do we Apply Experiential Learning Intercollegiate Case Competitions for M.B.A. Students: Initiation and Implementation Teaching Business Policy and Strategy Using the Incident Process The Learning Co-Op Approach to the Core Policy Course Meeting the Managerial Skill Shortage - Is Academia Up to It? An Empirical Analysis of Experiential Learning Reinforcement International Experiential Learning: Experience is the Best Teacher Encouraging Student Participation During International Academic Programs European Summer Study Program: Can you, Should you, What Does it Take? Travel Seminars in Europe: How can I Direct One? International Experiential Learning: Student Evaluation ABSEL: Empirical Findings on the State of the Association Sensitivity of Performance Scores in Business Simulations Improving the Learning of a Business Simulation Game by Increasing the Process Content Student Participation in Deciding Performance Criteria for Grading in an OB Course: An Exercise and a Case Study Markup for Profit: A Simulated Self-Administered Experience in Retail Pricing The Investment Decision Game: An Experiential Learning Approach to Stock Market Decisions Through Gaming CHIPS: A Marketing Channels management Game External Validation: An Experimental Approach to Determining the Worth of Simulation Games Teaching Performance Appraisal Skills: An Experiential Approach In Support of Experiential learning: Results of a Follow-Up Survey The Introductory Management Course: Taking Theory Application One Step Further Decision Efficiency and Effectiveness in a Business Simulation The Implications of Cognitive Processing Variables and the Complex Decision Simulating the Simulation for Enhanced Player Rationality Simulation/Experiential Learning Audit