A study comparing the effectiveness of Russon's early-new-matter approach with the current Gregg manual approach on speed development in first-year shorthand

Abstract

The problem to be considered was: Would the use of Russon's early-new-matter approach in a beginning shorthand class significantly influence the achievement of the students in that class? Because the ultimate goal of shorthand is the ability to take new-matter dictation and transcribe that material in accurate form, it seemed reasonable to assume that, if students had early experience in these activities, their skills would be higher at the end of the period of instruction than if they had no such experience until midway through the course. This study was undertaken in order to find answers to the following questions: 1. Would the application of methods as delineated in Russon's early-new-matter approach significantly affect the achievement (as measured by 5-minute new-matter dictation tests) of first-year shorthand students at the end of the first year of instruction? 2. How would the level of achievement (as measured by 5-minute new-matter dictation tests) of two groups of shorthand students taught by two different methods for the first semester compare at the end of the first year of instruction?