Using an Audience Response System (ARS) a.k.a. “clicker” to do attention research

This study makes an effort to examine whether a student’s attention or engagement is increased by possession of an Audience Response System (ARS, or clicker). This experiment tested a difference in performance between students who possessed an ARS and those who did not. The experiment was conducted at a small state college in the Midwest where small class size is typical. Approximately half the students in each tested classroom were handed a clicker and then the entire class was taught a topic. After the topic presentation, students possessing clickers were assessed using a question based on that topic. The assessment was discussed. Further instruction was given on that topic. Then a second question was asked. Just before responding, however, students were surprised by an instruction to hand their clickers to students who were not expecting to be assessed. Barnard\u27s exact test was used to analyze the 2x2 data from eight classes with α = 0.05. The results indicated there were no significant differences between the two groups of students. The last-minute change in performance expectation did not appear to affect the assessment outcomes. This study utilized ARSs to collect data for the experiment. Advantages and disadvantages of using ARS devices to collect data were examined. ARSs were found to be effective in collecting research data