Professor Lee wants to examine the effects of two different teaching methods. She uses the first method of teaching in her first year introductory course and the second method in her 2nd year advanced course. She find that student performances are better in the advanced class than in the introductory class. She concludes that the second teaching method is superior. What is the problem with her conclusion?
A) The variables have invalid operational definitions.
B) There is no control group for comparison.
C) Stimuli presented to students were not counterbalanced.
D) Interrater reliability in measuring student performance was low.
E) Personal characteristics of subjects are confounded with teaching methods.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The problem with Professor Lee's conclusion is that the personal characteristics of the subjects (in this case, the level of the students, with one group being in their first year and the other in their second year) are confounded with the teaching methods. This means that differences in student performance could be due to their year in school rather than the teaching method, making it impossible to isolate the effect of the teaching method alone.

Professor Lee Wants to Examine the Effects of Two Different