Benefits of Incorporating Audience Response Systems to Improve Student Performance

The majority of the focus on high school accountability models rest solely on the shoulders of the Algebra 1, English 1, and Biology End-of-Test scores.  A school’s overall academic performance is assessed by the government for the proficiency levels of its students in these three classes.

With the passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in January 2002, testing has become not only more routine, but also increasingly high-stakes and focused more on specific content knowledge.  Test results are regularly used as the measuring stick for student advancement to the next grade and as a gauge for judging the quality of schools and the educators who work in them.  (NCREL, 2005).

When a school is low performing in one or more of these tested areas, it must research and implement strategies in an effort to improve the proficiency levels of its students. 

One of the latest technological advances that have been used as an instructional strategy in the school systems is the Audience Response System (ARS).  The ARS is an electronically handheld device that allows teachers to send questions and receive answers from their students in a matter of seconds.  “The computer instantly tallies and graphically displays student responses on the computer screen” (Stowell and Nelson, 2007, Pg. 253).

            One of the causes of low performance on End-of-Course tests is the teacher’s inability to truly know if a student understands the content of the material on a daily basis.  If there is a gap in time between when an assignment is turned in and when it is graded by the teacher and returned to the student, then the students who did not comprehend the material continue to fall further and further behind.  “The best application of clickers appears to be the immediate feedback assessment provided to the instructor and the students” (Kenwright, 2009, Pg. 74).  The results of this feedback will allow the teacher to see what part of the lecture material continues to be unclear to the students and needs to be allotted more time for review and practice.  The opposite is also true, the feedback may show that all the students in the class have a good understanding of the material thus the teacher is able to save time and move to the next topic.  “Students also know immediately how their level of understanding compares to their classmates” (Kenwright, 2009, Pg. 74).  The instant feedback from the ARS can be used as a motivational tool when a student realizes that he/she in one of the only students that did not understand the material.

            Another possible reason for low performance on End-of-Course tests is the lack of participation of students during class throughout the semester.  Students do not participate in class for a variety of reasons.  Low performing students do not participate for fear of failing in front of their peers.  “Students tend to respond to instructor questions less during lecture by simply raising hands” (Shaffer & Collura, 2009, Pg. 273 as cited in Stowell & Nelson, 2007).  “They often feel anxious about drawing attention, revealing their opinion, or giving the wrong answer,” (Shaffer & Collura, 2009, Pg. 273 as cited in Beatty, 2004; Martyn, 2007).  The anonymity that the Audience Response System provides students is a key factor in its ability to increase student participation.  “For example, students who have tendencies toward introversion might be more willing to participate and might experience less negative emotions (e.g., anxiety, shame) when using an anonymous responding method” (Stowell & Nelson, 2007, Pg. 253). Also, “it gives students courage to express themselves even if they think their opinion differs from the lecturer” (Kenwright, 2009, Pg. 75 as cited in Uhari, Renko, & Soini, 2003).  Another way that the response systems increase the level of participation in the classroom is by giving everyone the opportunity to answer questions simultaneously.  In a typical classroom, a teacher has to monitor and assess twenty-five or more students at the same time.  Only a few number of students are willing and able to answer questions posed by the teacher.  Without clickers, “the same students often answer the questions week after week, but clickers force every student to answer” (Kenwright, 2009, Pg. 75 as cited in Ribben, 2007).

            A portion of a school’s low performing students comes from the students with learning disabilities population.  Students may be classified as having a learning disability for a variety of reasons.  Some students may have an information processing deficiency in their reading skills or math calculation skills, writing skills, or all three.  A strategy that works well with these types of students is providing frequent opportunities for feedback.  The ARS will allow the teacher the opportunity to create multiple choice assessments that can provide instant feedback for math and reading comprehension assignments.  The student and teacher could then discuss the results of the assessment to get a better understanding of what the student really knows and possible remediation solutions to help the student understand the material better.  Some students may have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and do not have the ability to focus in class for long periods of time.  Students with ADHD may tend to “drift” mentally during class, especially during long lectures.   “Embracing a dynamic approach to teaching can certainly create more interesting and engaging lectures.  A more interactive approach to education helps create an active learning environment and encourages students to understand and consequently gain more from their lecture experience” (Cranston & Lock, 2010, Pg. 23). The clickers allow the teacher to have this dynamic approach in their lessons.  It is a creative way to collect data that also makes the students play a more interactive role in the lesson.  The clickers can bring enjoyment into the lesson because the handheld devices are a lot like video game devices that are very popular to students of all ages.  A recent study was conducted between two classrooms:  one was a lecture class using clickers; the other was a lecture class without using the clickers.  When surveyed, “students thought that using the clickers produced more interaction, made the lecture more interesting and entertaining, enhanced the clarity of the examples, and provided a smoother transition to the results” (Shaffer & Collura, 2009, pg. 276).  Other students may have a physical or speech impairment that affects their ability to participate in class.  The clickers are an easy way for physically impaired students to participate in class and turn in assignments from their seat without their impairment being an issue.  Also, a teacher can assess the knowledge of a student with a speech impairment without having to ask the student respond orally to a question.  This will help to alleviate the student’s fear of embarrassment by not drawing attention to his disability.  “Presenting information in several ways prevents boredom, gives students confidence and success, and strengthens individual areas of weakness for students with and without disabilities” (Lamb, Hodges, Brown, & Foy, 2004, Pg. 1).  For whatever the reason a student may be classified as learning disabled, the Audience Response System can help these students participate and perform classroom activities along with the rest of their peers. 

References

Cranston, G., & Lock, G. (2010). Who wants to be an aerospace engineer?  Use of audience response system to stimulate student learning in engineering lectures. Engineering Education Postman, N., & Powers, S. (2008). How to watch TV news (Rev. ed.). New York: Penguin. (Example)

Kenwright, K. (2009) Clickers in the Classroom.  TechTrends

Lamb, P. Hodges, B., Brown,  M. and Foy, D. (2004). Motivating Youth with Disabilities to Learn in the Science Classroom:  A Guide to Educators.  Information Brief: Addressing Trends and Developments in Secondary Education and Transition

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. (2005).   Critical Issue:  Using Technology to Improve Student Achievement, Retrieved from www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te800.htm.

Shaffer, D. and Collura, M. (2009) Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Personal Response System in the Classroom.  Technology and Teaching.

Stowell, J. and Nelson, J. (2007) Benefits of Electronic Audience Response Systems on Student Participation, Learning, and Emotion. Teaching of Psychology.

University of California Berkeley Disabled Students Program. (1999). Teaching Students With Disabilities.   Retrieved from www.dsp.berkeley.edu/TeachStudentsWithDisab.html.