Effects of Teaching Methods and Students’ Attitude on Academic Performance

Abstract

This study explored the effects of teaching methods in business instruction and students’ attitude toward the class on students’ academic performance. The respondents were 135 college students from an Indonesian university. Both the experimental and the comparison groups took the same course taught in two different sections. For two weeks, one teacher taught the two sections of the same course using different teaching methods. In the experimental group (n=58) the teacher used directed small group activities and lectured in the comparison group (n=77). Two-way ANCOVA statistics and t-tests results showed that while both teaching methods had a significant effect on students’ academic performance, the small group study group performed better. The results also showed that students’ attitude toward the class did not affect academic performance; however, students’ attitude were affected by the teaching methods used in the class.