A Semantic Differential Instrument to Evaluate Experiential Teaching Methods

Abstract

"This paper discusses the applicability of semantic differential analysis as a means of gaining insight into the factors that students consider important in comparing various teaching methods. A survey was administered to a total of dive Sections of two undergraduate courses - a junior level management course and a senior level business policy course. The instrument asked students to react to each of three teaching methods (lecture, case discussion, and computerized business simulation) by indicating the appropriateness of each of 21 word pairs to each teaching method. The students perceived some significant differences among the three methods in terms of their predictability, complexity and motivational power. Demographic differences among the students were significantly correlated with some of the different perceptions of the teaching methods. These results strongly suggest that the semantic differential may offer substantial advantages over traditional course evaluation techniques for developing course designs that meet the specific needs of various student groups. "