What Do Introductory Sociology Students Know and When Do They Know It? The Results of Pretesting Students

Bibliographic Data

ID11064310
AuthorsRobert F Szafran (corresponding author)
Year1986
Volume14
Issue4
Pages217
Publication date1986-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueTeaching Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0092-055X • E-ISSN: 1939-862X
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2307/1318378
OpenAlexW2061491605
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited5

Ways in which both instructors and students can benefit from the administration of a pretest in introductory sociology courses are described. Among other benefits, instructors are able to assess the amount of learning that occurs during the course and students are able to get a practical illustration of course content and testing format. Research results from three introductory sociology classes which used pretests at two different types of schools are presented. Students with higher g.p.a.'s, students with more years of college completed, and students from higher social class backgrounds score better on pretests. High school sociology coursework and prior college coursework in the social sciences do not improve pretest scores. Pretest scores, as well as college g.p.a., predict overall grades for the course. Students who learn more in a course, judging firom their improvement on their pretest grade, do not report significantly greater satisfaction with the course

Mathematics education · Need to know · Pedagogy · Sociology · Computer Science · Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences · Psychology