Since our friend the Dissenting Wren seems to have read the study, dare I ask whether they have done any work that would help us know where these students are after 1, 5, 10 years out of school? Probably not at this point, but do we know if they're planning that for the future? Because I am curious about those numbers, too.
j
On Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 6:17 PM, Carrol Cox <cbcox at ilstu.edu> wrote:
> The study's conclusions were that 45% of students showed no statistically
> significant gain in critical thinking after two years, and that 36% showed
> no statistically significant gain in four years. So, the upper level
> classes only got to 1/5 of those who made no gains in the first two years.
> At my school, in most majors, the rigor simply never kicks in.
>
> ========
>
> Any use of this for coparaing generations is simply supid. There is no
> evidence for change.
>
> It is equally possible that there has been _no_ change, that there has been
> an _improvment_ or that there has been a change for the worse.
>
> I wouldn't be surprised if there had been an improvement in fact. I don
> remember anywhere's near to 1/3 of my classmates particularly changing in
> their thinking from freshman year to senior year.
>
> Unless students have improved in the last 60 years, this study has
> considerably overestimated the present.
>
> I still simply cannot under stand why anyone finds this study in the least
> interesting.
>
> Carrol
>
>
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