IStitL for Staff and ‘Organizational Developers
tan suppor Sie the ay K. Kellogg Foundation and Sid W. Richardson Foundation

 

 

 

VALIDATING AFFECTIVE EXPERIENCES

It is a well-known phenomenon that students will forget most of the cognitive material learned in a course
unless that material is quickly and then frequently put to use. What will survive for a longer period of time,
however, are the altitudes generated by the instructional experiences. But in spite of what we know about for-
getting and about the importance of developing. good attitudes toward learning, there continues to be a prevail-
ing instructional disposition to narrowly emphasize content material at the expense of positive attitude develop-
ment. As for students, generally the sole apparent benefit of many school learning experiences is the final

_ grade. Students are rarely aware, with any degree of certainty, of any other benefits that they derive from a

course.

The desires to tackle a common assumption that “feelings are not measurable” and to. promote student I

  
 

awareness of a wider range of course outcomes encouraged me to design a survey measuring the positive
behavioral changes generated by my course in art appreciation. Using the classification of goals developed in

 

Krathwohl, Bloom and Masia’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives! Handbook I: Affective Domain, ities ques- |

tions reflecting twelve affective levels.

The survey is administered during the first class before students are given any orientation to the course

and then again at the end of the semester. Initial survey questions relate to feelings as basic as simple aware- _
ness and become progressively more complex, finally dealing with ‘commitment to a value at the highest level in _

the a ffective domain.

Some sample survey items are included here. Student responses (shown in percentiles), collected in a

recent ark appreciation course, follow each of the sample items and demonstrate how percentile: shifts i in “before” _

and “after” attitudes can be used to measure affective outcomes.

1. How willing are you to tolerate new and unfamiliar forms of art such as “Pop Art”? (Willingness to |

Receive) |

(a) Bored--2.9%-2.1% ; (b) Uncertain--18.9%-7.0%; (c) Indifferent--20.1%-10.6%; (d) Curious~35.5%-46.0%; (e)

Interested--19.5%-33.3%

2. How willing are you to voluntarily look at works of art in magazines and in art galleries? (Willingness to

Respond)
(a) Don’t like doing it--2.4%-0.0%; (b) Doing it bores me--6.5%-4.3%; (c) Only when Ihave to-I8. 9% -7 8%;
(d) Occasionally do it--43,2%-40.4%; (e) Interested in doing it--26.0%-46.0%
3. Hlow much satisfaction do you experience when responding to a sculpture or painting you've noticed?
(Satisfaction in Response)

(a) Don’t like anything--4. 5%-2.1%; (b) Find it boring--10.7%-2. 1% ; (c) A little enjoyment--52. 7% -30. 5%; (d)

  
 

| Enjoyment~21. 9% -46, 8%; (e) A great deal of enjoyment--8. 9%-18.
4. How much real appetite or taste do you have for what is generally considered good art in the sense that
you realize it has value for you? (Acceptance of a Value)

(a) None at all-11.2%-1.4%; (b) Very, very little-36.1%- 4.9%; (c) A little appetite--28. 9%-24. 1%; (d)_

Moderate amount of taste or appetite--14. 8%-50.4%; (e) Great deal of taste or appetite--6.5%-19.1%

5. How much do you consider it an important part of your development as a well-rounded person to actively |

seek out new visual experiences by visiting art galleries or museums, or by developing your latent artistic
talents? (Commitment to a Value)

(a) Not at all-17.8%-4.3%; (b) Only slightly important--18.3%-16.3%; (c) Moderately important--27.8%-
17.7%; (d) Valuable--24.3%-46.8%; (e) Absolutely essential to growth--8. 9% -14.9%

uyJP__ Program in Community College Education, The University of Texas at Austin, EDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712_

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