Comparing Traditional Teaching Method and Experiential Teaching Method using Experimental Research

Abstract

<p>The modern time is shaping a world of opportunities that has glorified the role<br />and functions of multinational organizations across the globe. An individual has<br />become a global citizen, who explores employment opportunities in different<br />countries of the world. This has signified the importance of interpersonal skills that allow individuals to connect with people from different cultures. As a result, the role of business communication instructors has become vital because they impart the skills of communication among their students. For this, instructors’ sensitivity towards the teaching methods used in classrooms are of prime significance. These methods determine the interest level and motivation of students towards learning and acquisition of communication skills. Therefore, this study aims to compare experiential learning method and traditional learning method to explore which method inculcates and improves the communication skills of business administration students of a private sector university. The study was conducted in a quantitative paradigm using an experimental research design. The sample size comprised 60 BBA students from two different sections of business communication courses. The data were collected using a pretest and posttest. For the pretest, communication skills were imparted to both the groups using the traditional teaching method that heavily employed lecturing. For the posttest, the controlled group was taught using the same traditional teaching method while the treatment group was taught using the experiential learning method. Mean scores 20.46 & 19.90 with a significant value of 0.375 for the pretest established identical nature of both groups. Mean scores 27.80 & 30.36 with a significant value of .002 of posttest showed that the two groups under study had different identities in scores, which proved that experiential learning method improves students’ communication skills better than traditional communication skills.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> business communication, experiential learning, experimental research, traditional learning</p>