Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the Scholastic Aptitude test scores of students who took a preparation workshop compared to those who did not. Secondly, the study examined if there was a significant difference in scores between boys and girls on the SAT as it related to the experimental treatment of short-term coaching. Finally, this study determined if there was a significant difference between scores of different ethnic groups on the SAT as it related to the experimental treatment of short-term coaching. Methodology. This true experimental study included 122 seniors from three separate comprehensive high schools. Sixty-one students received treatment by participating in a SAT workshop prior to taking the exam, while an equal number of students in the control group received no treatment. As a post-test, all students involved took the Scholastic Aptitude Test on November 5, 1988. Both the experimental group and the control group were comprised of ethnically diverse boys and girls. The data were collected and an analysis of variance formula was used to determine the differences between control and experimental groups, boys and girls, and ethnic groups. Findings and Conclusions. The results of the study showed that: (1) there was no significant difference between the scores of students in the experimental group compared to those students in the control group in verbal achievement or math achievement on the SAT, (2) there was no differential treatment effect related to sex of the student on the verbal or math sections of the SAT. Males exposed to coaching did not differ significantly from females exposed to coaching. However, independent of coaching, males scored higher than females on the verbal and math sections of the SAT, (3) there was no differential treatment effect related to the ethnicity of the student on the verbal or math sections of the SAT. The three ethnic groups exposed to coaching did not differ significantly from each other. However, there was a significant scoring difference between ethnic groups independent of the treatment of coaching. Overall, this study showed that the impact of short-term coaching was not significant in changing student's scores on the SAT. Recommendations. (1) High schools may wish to re-evaluate the investment in personnel and materials in offering SAT preparations programs, (2) high school students should examine the time they devote to short-term preparation for the SAT, (3) further research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of long-range coaching on students' SAT scores.