A comparison of two alternative modes of teaching rural minority adult participants enrolled in independent study and learner-centered group instruction

This study compared knowledge gain of rural minority adult learners participating in a Cooperative Extension Service consumer credit management course. The data collected on two modes of teaching---independent study and learner-centered group instruction---were compared to determine the relative learning potential of the two methods.; The sample included 57 subjects in the independent study group and 55 subjects in the learner-catered instruction group. A repeated measure design---pretest, posttest and delayed posttest---was used to collect data to measure the amount of knowledge gained and retained through independent study versus learner-centered group instruction.; A variety of inferential statistical techniques (repeated measure, one-way analysis of variance and the Scheffe test, independent t-test, dependent t-test and Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficients) yielded the substantive data relevant to the research questions. Descriptive statistics were use to organize and summarize the demographic characteristics of the subjects.; The researcher concluded that the learner-centered group instruction was much more effective than the independent study method. Learner-centered subjects gained and retained more knowledge than the independent study group between the pretest and the posttest, and continued to gain and retain knowledge between the posttest and delayed posttest. However, the independent study subjects did not achieve increased learning gain between the pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest.; There were no statistically significant correlations of learning gain for either group between the pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest. This finding contradicts the expectation that higher scores on the pretest would yield higher scores on the posttest and delayed posttest.; Additional findings indicted that there were no statistically significant differences in knowledge gain based on the variables of income and educational level. There was a statistically significant difference in knowledge gain on the variable of age. On this variable older participants performed better than the younger participants. Perhaps the older subjects because of their life experiences are more aware of the of faulty consumer credit management.