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IU South Bend Assessment Grant Final Report
March 28, 2008
Pre- and Post-Quiz Assessment
By Johnnie M. Griffin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Introduction
In October 2006 the IUSB Assessment Committee Granted Dr. Johnnie M. Griffin, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, an Assessment Grant in the amount of $1800.00 to assess pre- and post-quizzes. The grant was used to compensate a student assistant who organized, according to provided instructions and information, and input quiz data into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) format.
The pre- and post-quizzes were given to students attending Dr. Griffin’s S161 Principles of Sociology classes between Fall 2003 and Fall 2006. The initial intent of giving these quizzes was to provide students with evidence that measurable learning.
The students took approximately 5 to 10 minutes to take the pre-quiz and 10 to 20 minutes to complete the post-quiz. The time increase was because they were able to answer more of the questions on the post-quiz than on the pre-quiz.
The items on the quiz were selected because of their relevance to many of the concepts students would encounter in the S161 course, and in other sociology courses where S161 was a pre-requisite (e.g., S 306 Urban Society and S316 The Family).
Discussion
There are between 6 and 8 items on a total of 328 quizzes. They included—
- Define sociology.
- Identify three main classical theorists.
- Identify three main three theoretical perspectives.
- What is meant by “macro” and “micro” social structures?
- What are (a) a variable; (b) an independent variable (c) a dependent variable?
- Define theory.
- What is a literature search?
- What is the sociological imagination, and who is the theorist identified with it?
Item (4) “What is meant by ‘macro’ and ‘micro’ social structures” and Item (6) “Define theory” did not appear on all the quizzes. Item (4) appeared on 47 quizzes, and Item (6) appeared on 175 quizzes.
There were four main categories of responses: (1) no answer, (2) incorrect answer, (3) correct answer, and (4) missing [items that did not appear on all the quizzes]. The results indicate an increase in correct answers on the post-assessment, as well as a decrease in items where no answers were given on the pre-assessment.
Pre- and Post-Quiz Assessment
Percent of Categorical Answers
No Incorrect Correct
Answer Answer Answer Missing
Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post
(1) Define Sociology 8% .3% 26% 9% 66% 99% -- --
(2) Theorists 71% 2% 23% 7% 1% 92% -- --
(3) Perspectives 83% 4% -- 32% -- 65% -- --
(4) Micro / Macro 17% -- 13% -- 70% 100% 85% 85%
(5) Variables 38% 6% 41% 42% 20% 57% -- --
(6) Theory 13% 3% 75% 50% 12% 48% 47% 47%
(7) Literature Search 64% 7% 24% 34% 38% 59% -- --
(8) Sociological 91% 4% 9% 61% -- 35% -- --
Imagination
Source: Pre- and Post-Quizzes from Fall 2003 – Fall 2006 S 161 Principles of Sociology courses taught by Johnnie M. Griffin, Ph.D. , Assistant Professor, Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology, IU South Bend.
Results
- The results of the pre- and post assessment data do provide evidence of measurable learning and evidence of where more time and focus on conventional concepts (e.g., Item 6, Theory, and Item 8, Sociological Imagination) are necessary.
On the post-quiz assessments, there are indications of higher percentages in the “Correct Answer” category than in the “Incorrect Answer” categories for items (1) Sociology, (2) Theorists, (3) Perspectives, (5) Variables, and (7) Literature Search. However, the results indicate lower percentages for items (6) Theory and (8) Sociological Imagination. One hundred percent (47) of the students answered item (4) Micro / Micro correctly.
- In Fall 2003, the initial purpose of the pre- and post-quiz assessments was to give students indications at the end of the semester that they had learned and retained some of the principles of sociology. I noticed that certain questions were being missed consistently on the quizzes, and certain questions were being answered correctly. Having empirical evidence, as indicated by the data output will enable me adjust my lectures and exams so students will have opportunities to learn and retain concepts that are not only pertinent to the sociology discipline (e.g., theories, theorists, variables) but also to other disciplines (e.g., psychology, business, education, etc.).
As a result of this assessment, I can measure percentage differences to determine the extent of learning certain concepts more than others. Also, I can include more variables (e.g., major, classification, gender) to see if there are categorical relationships related to the results. I can also examine why and when Items 4 (Micro / Macro) and 6 (Theory) were included in the quizzes, and possible reasons 100 percent of the students answered Item (4) correctly on the post-quiz.
- The work started with this pre- and post-assessment will continue because there are many ways to interpret the results which are not within the scope of this report. Not only can I prepare pre- and post-assessments for the S161 Principles of Sociology but also for other subjects that I am assigned to instruct.
- Although the members of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology are aware of the pre- and post-assessment grant that I received, the information has not been shared with anyone in this department, nor with students (except the student who input the information, and saw value in the results).
The results of the pre- and post-quiz assessments could be very useful in preparing a departmental assessment exam for sociology majors, especially those preparing for upcoming graduation. Other professors would use it as a guide to prepare their own pre- and post-assessments, which are not intended to replace exams, but to serve as a guide to enable our students to retain more relevant information and perhaps increase the retention rate of students at IUSB.
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