KINE398.H01 – Scientific Inquiry

Description

Scientific Inquiry Assignment #2: Controlling for Error

Due 9/8 by 1:00pm

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to practice identifying variables and sources of error in a research study.

Skills: You will practice identifying variables and types of error that occur in a research study.

Knowledge: This assignment will help you to become familiar with sources of error and how they may appear in research.

Task: Answer the following questions based upon the paragraph provided below.

Criteria for success: You will be graded upon your ability to provide complete and correct answers.

The effect of multitasking on the grade performance of business students

By Ellis, Y, Daniels, B., Jauregui, A.

Published in Research in Higher Education Journal (2010)

The purpose of this study is to determine whether multitasking in a learning environment affects the grade performance of students. We conducted an experiment using 62 undergraduate business students enrolled in the first accounting principles course at an AACSB International accredited university in the Southeastern part of the United States. The students participated in a class lecture and afterwards were given a quiz covering the lecture content. One-half of the participants received written instructions to send text messages via cell phone, a form of multitasking, while the other half of the students (control group) did not text. After the lecture, they were given a quiz consisting of 20 multiple choice questions from a computerized test bank that accompanies the textbook. We randomly distributed the instruction sheets to each subject. Half of the students (31) received an instruction sheet requiring them to send the professor three different text messages (treatment) during the lecture. They could send the three text messages at any time during the lecture; however, all three text messages had to be sent before the end of the lecture. The other half of the students (31) was instructed to turn their cell phones off during the lecture. In addition, all students were instructed to not talk to anyone during the lecture in order to maintain anonymity among them about the treatment. Non-texters scored 15.9% pts higher than texters in the lecture (58.7% vs 42.8%).

Please answer the following questions.

What is the independent variable of this study?