An experiment to determine the effect of instructor cognitive and affective verbal interaction on achievement in a public community college

The interest in the individual development of the student, and the recent decline in academic achievement in Economic Analysis I at South Plains College, Levelland, Texas, was a primary reason for conducting the study. Student achievement data from instructor files in the Department of Business Administration at South Plains College indicated a decline in mean academic achievement scores in Economic Analysis I from 1969 through 1973 (14). The apparent inadequacy of conventional teaching methods in producing greater academic performance suggested a need for investigating alternative teaching strategies (45: 6-12).