ERIC Number: EJ1459107
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1551-2169
EISSN: EISSN-1551-2177
Raising the Stakes on a Political Science Major Field Test: Evidence from a New Capstone Course
Journal of Political Science Education, v21 n1 p47-66 2025
Using a major field test (MFT) is a common method of program assessment. For accurate assessment to take place, however, students must be sufficiently motivated to perform. This paper studies a change in major requirements that associated a major field test to a grade in a political science capstone course. After controlling for possible confounders like Gender, Age, Ethnicity, and differences in GPA and ACT scores, a modest but statistically significant treatment effect was found. However, the fit between a student's program GPA and MFT scores did not improve, leading to questions about how best to assess political science knowledge for program graduates.
Descriptors: Political Science, Majors (Students), Achievement Tests, Evaluation Methods, Capstone Experiences, Degree Requirements, Educational Change, Academic Achievement, Student Evaluation, Student Motivation, Grade Point Average
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A