Using a Choice-Based Assessment to Measure the Effects of a Summer Camp Program on Persistence

• In Event: 66.086 - MTCC Roundtable Session 29
  In Roundtable Session: 66.086-9 - Methodological Considerations in Informal Learning Environments Research

Abstract

Assessing the impact of informal learning programs can be difficult, especially when examining non-cognitive outcomes. We present research using choice-based assessment (CBA), in the form of an online game, to measure the impact of a summer camp on children’s persistence in response to failure. The study was replicated across two years at a camp focused on innovation, involving children (8-10 year olds) playing the game either at camp or at home (Ntotal=881). Results indicate the camp had a positive effect on persistence, as represented by the number of tries at the hardest level of the game. This is a promising demonstration of using behaviors, rather than survey measures, to examine non-academic outcomes.

Authors

• Kristen Pilner Blair, Stanford University

• Doris B. Chin, Stanford University

• Daniel L. Schwartz, Stanford University