Assessment of the effect of international TAs on student attitude and learning in a first year chemistry laboratory program

CHED 370

Wendy L. Keeney-Kennicutt, k-keeney@tamu.edu, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, P.O. Box 30012, College Station, TX 77842-3012
The results are presented of an extensive Quality Enhancement Plan study of the impact of international TAs (ITAs) versus domestic TAs (DTAs) on student attitude and performance in a large first year chemistry laboratory program. The study involved 2565 students taught by 27 ITAs (58 lab sections) and 22 DTAs (53 sections). The students were statistically the same (p<0.05) using the TIPSII tool. A short content test (Cronbach's alpha = 0.55) showed that ITA sections did slightly better statistically (Cohen's d = 0.16). ITAs' and DTAs' teaching philosophies were statistically the same using the Philosophy of Education Survey (r2 = 0.98 on 35 points), but were very different from students' (r2 = 0.22). When sections were sorted by the overall mean of their TA evaluations, there were equal numbers (±1) of ITAs and DTAs in the top and bottom quartiles. Other findings will be shared.