A study of the relative instructional merits of various subject presentation techniques in training films

94 Pages·04.204 MB·English

by  Dakin, Hollis

A STUDY OF THE RELATIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MERITS
OF VARIOUS SUBJECT PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES
IN TRAINING FILMS
«RBEMaaMMtt0ttMKsnnnai
A Thesis
Presented to
*•*
the Faculty of the Department of Cinema
The University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts in Cinema
by
Major Hollis Dakin and Lieutenant Hugh C* Oppenheimer
August 1950
UMI Number: EP42699
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UMI EP42699
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This thesis, written by
MAJOR HOLLIS DAKIN
.LIi;DfjSMKI,...HU&H..C*-OPPOHEIEER
under the guidance ofVi.&iJ? Faculty Committee,
and approved by all its members, has been
presented to and accepted by the Council on
Graduate Study and Research in partial fulfill­
ment of the requirements for the degree of
.MASTER...QP....ART.S.
Faculty Committee
0. 2s
CChhaaiirrmmaann
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED . . 1
The problem « • • • • • • • • • • • * • * 2
Statement of the problem • • • • • • • • 2
Importance of the study » . * • • • » • 3
Definitions of terms to be used ........ 5
Training films................. ........ 5
Relative instructional merit • • • « • • 5
Subject presentation technique ........ 5
Organization of remainder of thesis • * . 6
II. PLAN FOR THE INVESTIGATION ................ 7
Type of analysis .......... a
Mnat type of analysis of instructional
merit should be attempted • • • • • • a
Planned variables ...................... 10
Miat element in the subject presentation
technique would be varied • • • • ♦ « io
.
Subject matter of films • • • • • • • « • 11
Mi at manual operation would form the
subject matter of the films • • • • • • n
Age level of experimental group • • • • • 12
Of what age level would the students be 12
Hypothesis • • • • • • ............ 13
iv
CHAPTER PAGE
Experimental design .......... ♦ 14
Summary • 17
III. PREPARATION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL FILMS . . . IS
IV. TESTING ............................. 27
Test preparation • • • • • • • « • • • . . 28
Groups tested • • . • • « • • • • • . . 29
Testing procedure . . • • . • • • • • . . 30
Scoring •• ........ • • . . • • • • • • • 31
Summary • • • • • • • • • • • • * • • . . 32
V. INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS ................ 33
VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . 44
General summary • • • • • • • • • • • • • 44
Procedure • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 45
Statistical method • • . . . • • • • * • • 45
Analysis of results • • • • • • . * . • • 46
Conclusions • • • • • • • • • • . » • • • 46
Limitations and weaknesses • • • • • • . . 4S
Recommendations • • . • • • • • • • • • • 52
Chapter summary • • . • • • • • • • • • 53
BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................... 56
APPENDIX A. QUOTATION ..................... 59
APPENDIX B. SCRIPTS.............................. 62
P art I . . . . . . . . . » • » * « * ^3
V
APPENDIX B (continued) PAGE
Script for monologue film * * • * 63
Part I I ........... 70
Script for dialogue film * . . • 70
APPENDIX C. TEST 79
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
I* Means of Combined Test Scores Matched
According to IQ • • . . ............ . 36
II. Comparison of the Extremes and Means of
Individual and Combined Test Scores . •
III. Statistical Comparison • • • • ........ 40
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE PAGE
1. Comparison of the IQ Frequency Distributions
of the Control Group and Tivo Experimental
Groups • » • • • • • • • * • • • * • • • « 34
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED
The educational effectiveness of motion pictures
has been a matter of study since as early as 1913
However, the acceptance of the motion picture as an
instrument of instruction in the schools was not as
rapid as might be supposed by those who view the medium
in its present stature and are not acquainted with its
history. As late as 1926 the practicability of the
general use of motion pictures in America*s classrooms
was considered with a good deal of skepticism, even by
one of the foremost manufacturers of basic materials
of the medium. At that time, Mr* George Eastman of the
Eastman Kodak Company announced his interpretation of
a survey conducted by his organization which indicated
that he felt the medium to be far from properly de­
veloped for the purpose and its costs prohibitive for
its intended users*2 Included in his statement was
the following:
1 Charles F. Hoban, Jr., Focus on Learning
(Washington, D. C*: American Council on Education,
1942), p. 5*
2 B. D* Wood and F* N* Freeman, Motion Pictures
in the Classroom (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company,
T92^ir P« xxl.
That school authorities would not be justified
in making the expenditure required for film ser­
vice until adequate experiments were made and the
value of films as teaching aids definitely
determined*3
Since the appearance of Mr* Eastman*s announce­
ment there has been a great deal of investigation ac­
complished* Great numbers of studies, both restricted
and extensive, have been undertaken by recognized au­
thorities in education and psychology* Examples of
them may be found in any of several bibliographies,
such as that compiled and summarized by Dale, Finn, and
Hoban*^ That interest in the matter is not restricted
to those professionally engaged in the field is at­
tested in part by the number of project reports and
theses which have been prepared on various phases of
the subject* However, there is in the lists of studies
a noticeable omission of investigations on the phase with
which this study is concerned*
I* THE PROBLEM
Statement of the problem* It was the purpose of
3 Ibid*, p. 5*
4 Edgar Dale, James D. Finn, and Charles F. Hoban,
Jr., "Research on Audio-visual Materials," Forty-Eighth
lear Book of the Society for the Study of Education.
Part I (Chicago: University oF‘Chicago Press, 1949J,
PP* 253-93*