Booth Id:
BEHA030
Category:
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Year:
2019
Finalist Names:
Stewart, Kaylee (School: Weber High School)
Abstract:
Educational success is a major factor in predicting earning potential and more educational institutions are leaning towards content mastery as opposed to seat time in a content course. With this evolution there is increasing need for an educator to accurately assess what a student knows about a the material. This research attempts to determine the impact of conformity on one's ability to correctly respond to a prompt. The research was conducted with three age groups; 10-11, 16-17, and 30-35. With all age groups one participant (subject) was asked to leave for a period of time while the researcher met with the remaining participants to instruct them to respond to the questions incorrectly. The subject was invited back into the room and the test began. The test consisted of 6 questions projected and students were asked to respond one at a time and responses were written down. The subject would be the last person to respond to the question. The 10-11 age group subject answered an average 94.3% of questions correctly; the 16-17 group subject had an average score of 50.0%; and the 30-35 group averaged 61.0%. In conclusion the age group that tested to have the highest rates of conformity and the lowest amount of answers correct was 16-17 age group which could imply that conformity is dependent upon age. Educators need to be aware of this possibility when assessing students in order to accurately determine whether or not they have mastered content.