Philippine E-Journals

Effectiveness of Review Classes in Improving the Exam Performance of Engineering Students

Leonardo V. Surio

 

Abstract:

This quasi-experimental study aimed to find out if the review classes conducted by the College of Environmental Design and Engineering were effective in improving the qualifying exam performance of students. Sixty-six students (42 males and 24 females) participated in the exam, which consisted of 60 items divided into 7 subject areas: 10 items each for Integral Calculus, Differential Calculus, and Physics; 8 items each for Algebra, Trigonometry, as well as Probability and Statistics; and 6 items for Analytic and Solid Geometry. Students took the pretest qualifying exam prior to the review. They attended review classes for 57 hours during the summer term, after which the posttest was administered. T-test was used to determine if there was a significant difference between the pretest and the posttest scores of students combined and the female and male members separately after attending the qualifying review. Results revealed a significant difference between the pretest and the posttest scores of the participants, showing a consistent marked improvement in the mean scores of the posttest with the female members demonstrating slightly higher knowledge gain compared to the male members. This means that the review classes conducted by the department helped improve the scores of students in the qualifying examination. However, as it is the first full implementation of the review classes, it is recommended that a true experimental study be conducted again using an improved qualifying examination instrument.