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1992-1993 Dissertation Abstracts: Part 2
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ORDER NO: ABA93-00660
A STUDY OF ANXIETY REDUCING TEACHING METHODS AND COMPUTER ANXIETY AMONG COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS Author: TAYLOR, BERNARD WAYNE Degree: PH.D. Year: 1992 Corporate Source/Institution: NORTH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY (0158) Major Professor: PAT MCLEOD Source: VOLUME 53/12-A OF DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS INTERNATIONAL. PAGE 4196. 106 PAGES Descriptors: EDUCATION, CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION; COMPUTER SCIENCE; EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY; EDUCATION, TECHNOLOGY The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between anxiety reducing teaching methods and computer anxiety levels and learning gain of students in a college level introductory computer course. Areas examined were the computer anxiety levels of students categorized by selected demographic variables, the learning gain of students categorized by selected demographic variables, and anxiety levels and learning gain of students after completion of the course. Data for the investigation were collected via the Standardized Test of Computer Literacy (STCL) and the Computer Opinion Survey (CAIN), developed by Michael Simonson et al. at Iowa State University. The nonequivalent pretest/posttest control group design was used. The statistical procedure was the t test for independent groups, with the level of significance set at the.05 level. The data analysis was accomplished using the StatPac Gold statistical analysis package for the microcomputer. Based upon the analysis of the data, both hypotheses of the study were rejected. Research hypothesis number one was that students in a class using computer anxiety reducing teaching methods would show a greater reduction in computer anxiety levels than students in a traditional class. Hypothesis number two was that students in a class using computer anxiety reducing methods would show a greater learning gain than students in a traditional class. This research revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in the computer anxiety levels or the learning gain of students between the control group and the experimental group.
ORDER NO: ABA93-09061
The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not Chinese students would improve English language skills better using two modifications of the Natural Approach--a communicative language teaching method--than with two modifications of the more traditional Chinese language method. Improvement was measured by pretest and posttest results of two standardized examinations: the Second Language Oral Test of English and the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency. The Analysis of Covariance was used to adjust for differences in pretest levels. Using a survey instrument developed by the researcher, the study examined the motivation levels of students prior to the beginning of instruction. Upon the completion of instruction, the study used a course evaluation to assess the opinions of the participating subjects regarding the value of these different instructional methods. The subjects wee randomly assigned to four treatment groups: (a) the more traditional Chinese teaching method with only five minutes of each hour devoted to communicative activities (TC5CA), (b) the more traditional Chinese teaching method with 10 to 15 minutes of each hour devoted to communicative activities (TC10CA), (c) the Natural Approach with only 5 minutes of each hour devoted to activities associated with the more traditional Chinese method (NA5TC), and (d) the Natural Approach with 10 to 15 minutes of each hour devoted to activities associated with the more traditional Chinese teaching method (NA10TC). Findings specific to the research hypotheses are briefly presented as follows: (a) significant improvement of English oral skills among subjects tended to favor the Natural Approach methods; (b) significant improvement of English written language skills occurred in subjects attending the traditional and the Natural Approach methods; and (c) females of NA5TC preferred the Natural Approach significantly more than the males did.
ORDER NO: ABA93-07971
How may protocol analysis be applied to composition instruction? To answer this question, I accommodated or rejected objections to protocol analysis in composition research (in Chapter One). Then, in a preliminary study, during which a freshman composition student and I composed aloud, I developed a general methodology for instructional applications of this procedure (in Chapter Two). Next, in tutoring sessions, a graduate academic writer and I, one after the other, composed aloud, for the student to disclose writing-process problems and for me to demonstrate alternate strategies (in Chapter Three). Also, in two freshman composition sections and in a business communications class, respectively, a videotaped freshman composition student and a videotaped sales manager composed aloud, exhibiting processes, which my students discussed--an original application of protocol analysis to composition instruction (in Chapter Four). Last, I explained this study's additional implications for research and pedagogy (in Chapter Five). The results of this study included the following. Without difficulty or detectable distortion of writing processes, a mature freshman and I composed aloud while being audiotaped and later while he was videotaped. Then, in composing aloud, the writing center client disclosed frequent editing, negative metacomments and illegible drafting. Afterward, I demonstrated strategies to promote fluency, enjoyment, and legibility and assigned relevant exercises. Later, the academic writer composed aloud with greater fluency, legibility, and optimism. Also, two freshman composition classes critiqued a freshman's videotaped writing processes and explained their own, increasing awareness of writing processes. In addition, business communications students viewed a videotaped sales manager compose a letter demanding payment aloud. In critical analyses written afterward, one hundred percent (100%) of the students discussed the writer's processes; fifty-nine percent (59%), his style; and eighty-two percent (82%), his bad-news format. In this study protocol analysis seemed appropriate either for tutoring or for classroom demonstration of a videotaped writer's processes. Applying this research to composition instruction, though, was time-consuming and demanding.
ORDER NO: ABA93-07410
This study was conducted to determine if there is a significant difference in motivational reaction toward self-instructional text between students who used self-instructional text only and those who used the text in conjunction with other instructional materials. The study also examined student motivational reaction toward the text between students who have prior experience in a self-study environment and those who had no prior experience. Motivation was operationally defined as attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. These variables were measured by Keller's Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS). The IMMS consisted of 36 items as organized into four subscales. A total of 969 respondents who completed the IMMS questionnaire were purposively selected from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University in Thailand. The subjects were classified into two instructional delivery groups: (1) students who used only a self-instructional textbook, and (2) students who used the textbook in conjunction with other instructional media. The same subjects were classified into two prior experience groups; (1) those with prior experience with self-instructional text, and (2) those with no prior experience in a self-study environment. Descriptive statistics, Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Least Square Means (LSMs) were used to analyze the data. Research findings indicated that the students who used multi-media self-instructional materials in self-study are more likely to be motivated in a self-study course than students who used the text only. Students who had prior experience with self-study are more likely to be motivated in a self-study course than students who have no prior experience.
ORDER NO: ABA93-06668
This study sought to determine the effects of prealgebra and arithmetic instruction on completion rates and achievement for students in a community college remedial mathematics course (RSM 0730). In the first phase of the study two sections of RSM 0730 were randomly chosen to be prealgebra classes (RSM 0730-P), and two were randomly chosen to be arithmetic classes (RSM 0730-A). The subjects were given a pretest, received fifteen weeks of instruction in either basic arithmetic skills or in basic algebraic concepts, and were given a posttest. The test used for the pre and posttests was the arithmetic section of the Academic Assessment Placement Program (AAPP) which measures skills in basic arithmetic operations. The analysis of the final grades received by the students in RSM 0730 revealed no significant differences at the.05 level between proportion of prealgebra and arithmetic students successfully completing RSM 0730. The analysis of the mean posttest scores revealed no significant difference at the.05 level between the prealgebra and arithmetic groups. During the second phase of the study, the arithmetic and prealgebra students who had successfully completed RSM 0730 and enrolled in elementary algebra DSM 0830 along with thirty randomly chosen DSM 0830 students who had not taken RSM 0730 were given a pretest, fifteen weeks of instruction in elementary algebra topics, and were given a posttest. The final grades in DSD 0830 for the three groups, which were analyzed using a Chi-square Proportions Test, showed no significant differences in success rates after one semester in elementary algebra between the three groups. The mean posttest scores for the three groups were analyzed using an ANOVA. The results of the ANOVA revealed significant differences in mean posttest scores for the three groups, and Sheffe's Post Hoc Comparison Test was used to identify where the differences existed. The results of this test showed that no significant difference existed in the mean posttest scores for the arithmetic and prealgebra groups, but the nonremedial group's mean posttest scores were significantly higher than either of the other groups.
ORDER NO: ABA92-28048
This study examined the effects of two types of context instruction, direct process oriented instruction and traditional context instruction, on the ability of less able college readers to determine word meaning from context and on their awareness of the degree of contextual aid provided in the text. The 46 subjects included in the study were enrolled in reading/study skills classes in a community college. Direct process-oriented instruction was designed to improve the students' ability to determine word meaning from context and to increase their awareness of the degree of facilitation provided in the text. Instructors taught a three-step strategy employing a paradigm of explicit instruction (modeling $\to$ guided practice $\to$ practice/application) that gradually releases responsibility of independent task performance to the student. In the traditional instruction groups, the students independently practiced deriving word meaning from context and reviewed their responses through class discussion. The instructors did not teach the students any particular strategy for using context nor were differences in the facilitative effects of context discussed. Both instructional groups were exposed to two levels of practice (more or less). An immediate and a delayed posttest were constructed to assess the ability of the students to derive word meaning from context and to determine their awareness of the degree of facilitation the context provided. The effects of textual factors (selection type and degree of contextual aid) on the students' ability to determine word meaning from context were also examined. Students in each of the treatment groups with the highest and lowest scores on the immediate and delayed tests were interviewed by the researcher in order to reveal the possible qualitative effects of instruction on the way the students approached the task. Significant differences were found between the more and less practice groups' supply definition scores. Textual features were also found to affect the students' ability to determine word meaning from context. Although significant quantitative differences were not found between the scores of the two instructional groups, qualitative differences in the interview responses were revealed, suggesting positive effects of the process-oriented context instruction.
ORDER NO: ABA93-06070
The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two methods of academic library instruction on research process orientation (a construct developed by Kuhlthau), library anxiety (a construct developed by Mellon), student performance on the complex problem-solving task of researching and compiling a research paper bibliography, research paper topic and title development, perceptions of the immediate usefulness of the library instructional sessions, and attitudes about library instruction in general. Two instructional treatments, traditional approach and a cognitive strategies approach, were designed for use in the library skills component of a undergraduate English composition class. One hundred ninety students were assigned, in intact groups, to one of the two treatment groups. The researcher, an experienced library instructor, taught all sections using a lecture and discussion format. The traditional instruction was resource-oriented and emphasized standardized procedures for student interaction with the library environment. The cognitive strategies instruction was process-oriented and emphasized integration of cognitive skills for problem-solving, metacognitive skills for self-monitoring, and affective skills for self-motivation. A series of t-tests were conducted to determine pretest, posttest and gain score differences between treatment groups on the research process orientation, library anxiety, and general attitudes measures. Group differences in expert ratings of student performance on the research paper bibliographies and in student perceptions of the usefulness of instruction were also analyzed using a t-test. The categorical data produced by measures of research topic and title development were compared using a chi-square analysis. Overall, the cognitive strategies instruction was successful in improving research process orientation, reducing library anxiety, and improving general attitudes. Evidence for the effectiveness of this instruction was also shown in evaluator judgements of more focused research paper topics and titles among the cognitive strategies group, and especially, in the strong performance of the cognitive strategies group on the research paper bibliographies. The measure of perceptions of immediate usefulness of library instruction did not detect any significant group differences, with both groups indicating strongly positive perceptions.
ORDER NO: ABA93-05455
The purpose of the study was to investigate and compare cooperating teachers' and university supervisors' perceptions of 32 supervisory activities performed by the cooperating teachers regarding their student teachers' planning and instruction. A survey instrument, consisting of 32 items describing commonly reported supervisory activities, was administered to 65 cooperating teachers and 12 university supervisors involved in secondary student teaching at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Spring Semester 1991. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used to report and analyze the perceptual responses of the two participating groups. Item means of the Likert measures were used to rank the items. Visual analysis produced three levels of use and helpfulness of the activities to student teachers as perceived by the cooperating teachers and the university supervisors. The $\chi\sp2$ statistic was used to identify three levels of agreement (high, medium, low) between the two groups. The findings indicated that the two groups expressed significant differences over the helpfulness of stated expectations for student teachers, the modeling of teaching methods and styles, and a concern for instructional organization. The cooperating teachers perceived that these activities were more helpful to student teachers than the university supervisors perceived them to be. The two groups were similar in their perceptions of the lack of helpfulness of formal conferences and the helpfulness of the activities that granted student teachers autonomy to plan their lessons. They agree that informal supervision of student teachers in which a sense of autonomy to plan on their own is passed to the student teachers is more helpful than formal supervision entailing technical systems of observation and evaluation. The similarities and differences of cooperating teachers' and university supervisors' perceptions of the helpfulness of the activities suggest the usefulness of in-service programs, to allow the two groups to share their educational philosophies and supervisory knowledge. It is recommended that further studies utilizing representative samples of elementary and secondary cooperating teachers, university supervisors, and student teachers, including direct observation of supervisory acts, would provide useful empirical information to the education literature. Additional studies should examine the other areas of cooperating teachers' responsibilities: orientation, evaluation, and professional development.
ORDER NO: ABA92-37243
This study investigates the writing development of native and nonnative English speaking college students in required English composition classes. The study examines how students from different cultural groups perceive writing and effective writing instruction as well as their attitudes toward writing and their self-concept as writers. The purpose is to identify factors affecting their writing development and to describe effective writing instruction for students enrolled in university composition courses from multiple perspectives. The time span is from the past to current instruction. The social context covers the class, classroom interaction, the First Year Composition Program, human interactions, and home environment. A qualitative approach was utilized to conduct this study. Data were collected from systematic interviews with the following three groups of subjects: four native English speakers from ENG 102, and eight nonnative English speakers, four Koreans and four Mexicans, from ENG 108. Four interviews with each subject were held systematically through the fall semester, 1991, while the students were attending the ENG 102, ENG 108 classes. The Director and Assistant Director of the First Year Composition Program, and two instructors of ENG 102 and ENG 108 constituted another group of interviewees who provided their perceptions about writing, the writing program, and native and nonnative writers. Data were also collected from observation of classes in which students enrolled. Through this study, the relationship between instruction and writing development is revealed, and the factors affecting writing development of college writers are identified, i.e., contextual influence of schooling, previous and current instruction, and family environment; cultural influence; and individual factors such as interest, motivation, language competence, intellectuality, disposition, and affective factors. Perceptions of native and nonnative speakers in effective writing instruction and essence of effective writing instruction are also discussed. There are two phases in the effective writing instruction. Phase one lies in the accomplishment of the teacher depending on their attitude, knowledge, and competence; while phase two is the effort of students completed by their hard work in mandatory reading and writing, and individualized effort in pleasure-reading and purposeful reading in grammar and mechanics. This descriptive study may contribute to writing pedagogy by increasing academics' understanding of the writing development processes of native and nonnative writers at college level and, as a result, benefit the college student writers. The study also demonstrates a direction for writing research that goes beyond product-based and process-based research.
ORDER NO: ABA93-03576
Russell's project demonstrating excellence is presented in two forms; (1) a grammar book for adult students, and (2) a manual for a basic writing skills laboratory. Both components are designed for teaching basic writing skills to college students who are referred to as "non-traditional" students. These are students who have been out of school for 5-20 years and are returning to further their education. This is a basic grammar book written as a result of experimental testing and working with a population of predominantly black "non-traditional" adult college students, literature review, and observation of other college programs. It is designed to meet the basic grammar needs of adult students and will bridge the gap of those who are returning to college for the first time after being out of school for 5-20 years. It may also be used for students who are entering college for the first time and need basic writing skills. The manual is to be used for establishing a basic writing skills laboratory. The laboratory method assist students at various stages of learning these skills. Motivation and encouragement at each level of learning will be a major objective for the teacher. The theories she used were Rhetoric, Cognitive, and Expressive. Methods used were peer workshop, individualized writing laboratory, literature for reading, and basic skills. This manual will provide college faculties with a guide to design and implement a writing laboratory for adult college students.
ORDER NO: ABA93-02139
This study compared the effectiveness of two instructional techniques for teaching college students to identify and interpret metaphors in reading material. The criterion used to measure their comprehension of the material was their ability to state the main idea of the passages containing the metaphors. The population consisted of college students enrolled in remedial reading classes in an urban university. Because a previous study indicated that metaphors are often a liability rather than an asset for some college students, this study attempted to determine whether or not students can be taught to deal effectively with metaphors. Three treatment groups were used: (1) control, (2) reading, and (3) writing. The subjects in the control group were instructed as usual, while the subjects in the reading and writing groups received highly specified instruction in the identification and interpretation of metaphors. A single classification of analysis of covariance was performed to determine whether or not specific instructional methodology in teaching metaphors had an effect on the students' ability to understand material read, and whether one instructional method had a greater effect than another. An independent samples t-test was used to determine whether or not the posttest scores differed significantly between the treatment groups (when combined as one group) and the control group. A t-test for correlated samples was used to analyze the differences between means of the pretest/posttest scores for each group. The results of the study showed a significant difference in the performance of the two groups which received specific treatment, while the control group demonstrated no significant improvement. Although more research is needed, it may be beneficial to develop and implement programs designed to teach college level students, particularly those experiencing reading difficulties, how to deal effectively with metaphors in their reading materials.
ORDER NO: ABA93-01531
This study addresses the challenge for instructional administrators in community colleges as they have contended with a role which has changed from a faculty orientation to a management orientation. Currently, compounding the challenge, the relevance of instructional administrators in community college administration is being questioned. Originally concerned with the lack of training, lack of support, and lack of identity for instructional administrators (first line managers), an intervention was sought to respond to those problems. The intervention, in the form of creating a statewide organization, the Association of Instructional Administrators, (AIA), was built on theoretical literature addressing the "strength of weak ties" (Granovetter, 1973) boundary spanning (Tushman and Scanlan, 1981), and "convergent communication" (Rogers & Kincaid, 1981). Although the original effort emphasized training and networking, the increasingly political environment, fostered primarily by the passage of AB 1725, which emerged as early as the formal constitution of AIA in 1989, was influencing internal development of the organization and the external perceptions of it. Additional interventions to help focus the organization--a needs assessment survey and interviews-- failed to reflect sufficiently the changing social context so that the organization could respond with an appropriate mission and goals statement. However, the interventions were found to be inextricably linked to a social context which was moving from a collective bargaining management-controlled environment to a shared governance faculty-controlled environment. The emerging change in the social context, in particular the dynamic political environment, negated the value of the organizational intervention as an adequate means of responding to the plight of instructional administrators. Further, the needs assessment interventions were not sufficiently responsive given the current environment. Finally, it became evident that the instructional administrator role is one which demands clarification of purpose and worth especially within the shared governance environment. Most significantly, the findings suggested that instructional administrators might develop a successful role in the system by realigning themselves with faculty issues rather than management concerns.
ORDER NO: ABA92-39604
This study examined the relationship between field dependence, three different instructional designs and past achievement, and how these variables influence present achievement. After 157 undergraduates took the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), they studied an instructional booklet which presented the four major concepts of the Synectics method of creative problem-solving, using one of three instructional designs. The three designs included in the method variable were: (1) a critical attribute identification strategy; (2) a best example comparison strategy; (3) a combination of the first two. Present achievement was measured by a posttest administered immediately after completion of the unit, and by a retention test given one week later. Past achievement was measured by the ACT test score. The data were analyzed by a two-way ANCOVA, multiple regression and Pearson correlation coefficient. The 3 x 3 ANCOVA (3 methods x 3 levels of field dependence) indicated no main effects for method or GEFT, although a trend toward significance appeared on the retention test scores for the GEFT variable, favoring field independent learners. The ACT score served as the covariate and was significant for both the posttest and retention test scores. The multiple regression revealed a significant contribution by the ACT score on both the posttest and retention test variables. A significant contribution was made by method on the retention test scores. The Pearson correlation coefficient revealed a strong positive correlation between posttest/retention test scores, and ACT scores for both field dependent and field independent learners. The following conclusions were reached: (1) Previous achievement, as measured by the ACT score, is a reliable predictor of present achievement; (2) Field dependence is not a meaningful variable in a complex, verbal task; (3) The combination method joining the critical attributes strategy with the best examples strategy, was not an effective instructional tool.
ORDER NO: ABA92-33288
The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) To compare the effects of a teacher-directed method and an individualized learning packet in teaching a unit of beginning badminton skills to college students. (2) To determine the attitude of the students exposed to each teaching method. Seventy students were selected from two activity courses in the Physical Education and Recreation Department at West Georgia College in Carrollton, Georgia, to serve as the population samples to be studied. These students were not physical education majors and ranged from age 18-22. The two groups were randomly assigned to the treatments. Subjects were required to complete a badminton screening form in order for the investigator to determine if they had previous formal instruction in a badminton class or not. Three badminton skills tests were administered to all subjects at the second and third class meeting to determine the initial performance levels of the subject. Groups received instruction in the beginning badminton unit for twenty lessons over a 10-week period. A paired t-test for significant differences at the.05 level of confidence was used to evaluate the pretest to posttest improvement. The results indicated that both groups improved significantly on the badminton skill tests. Both methods are effective for the teaching and learning of selected badminton skills. Posttest analysis indicated no significant difference in two of the three tests which supported that either method was effective. Consequently, physical education teachers can employ the individualized learning packet approach in selected learning environments. The resulting release time frees the teachers to be a facilitator who works individually with each student, allowing him or her to improve at their own rate without sacrificing quality personalized instruction in larger classes. At the end of the formal instruction a questionnaire was administered by the investigator in order to determine the students' perceptions concerning the value of the badminton course. The t-test of significant difference indicated at the.05 level of confidence that subjects did not differ significantly in their perceptions and opinions of the individualized learning packet and the teacher-directed methods as successful approaches for the teaching and learning of selected beginning badminton skills. Both groups expressed strong positive perceptions that the course was valuable. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)
ORDER NO: ABA92-39715
The purpose of this study was to contribute to a better understanding of factors affecting use of CAI by selected Chinese university educators. This study attempted to examine whether identified factors have an effect on use of CAI by selected Chinese university educators. These five factors were investigated: Attitudes toward CAI; language factor; lack of adequate CAI courseware; lack of availability of CAI educators training; and lack of availability of computer systems. The study also sought to identify the current status and attitudes toward the use of CAI and the relationship between the use of CAI and educators' gender, age, university rank, computer experience, and English level. Subjects were 124 Chinese university educators from 24 different institutions. Among them, 35 attended 1991 Beijing Workshop on CAI in Beijing, China. The remaining 89 subjects attended the 5th National CAI Conference, Nanjing, China. A questionnaire was developed and translated into Chinese in order to collect data from China. Collected data were analyzed through conducting analyses of frequency, percentage distribution, means, General Linear Model (GLM), analysis of variance (ANOVA), analysis of matrix of correlation coefficients, and Scheffe test. Significance was accepted at the.05 alpha level. Results of this study indicated a significant development of CAI in China in recent years. Most educators had positive attitudes toward CAI and more than half of them used CAI in their teaching. The study also found statistically significant differences between use of CAI and age and English level; age, rank, and computer experience were also correlated to use of CAI; all 5 factors examined in this study were statistically significant related to use of CAI. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made for improvement and future research on CAI in China.
ORDER NO: ABA92-38856
This research study analyzed the leadership role, behavior, and degree of influence of community college chief instructional officers at six single-college districts in Southern California. Data were obtained on the expectations that exist for the CIO's role in influencing the instructional program, the behaviors that CIO's engage in which have a significant impact on instruction, and the amount of influence they have on their instructional programs. The president, deans, faculty leaders, and CIO's were interviewed at each college. CIO "experts" were also interviewed to compare their responses to those of other respondents. The responses were also compared across sites by respondent position category. Two theoretical bases were used. Role theory, with its concepts of role expectations and intrarole conflict, helped define differing views of the CIO position. Leadership theory was useful in analyzing how people influence others. Yukl's (1989) Integrating Taxonomy of Managerial Behavior, based on an extensive review of leadership research, provided the framework for categorizing role expectations and behaviors. The major findings of the study include the following: (1) Respondents in all categories expect the CIO to provide academic leadership. They also expect the CIO to make decisions, after thorough consultation, and to motivate people for the benefit of the instructional program. Faculty respondents also expect the CIO to build positive relationships with them. (2) CIO's are most likely to impact instruction through the decisions they make. CIO's are most likely to have a positive impact when they engage in behaviors associated with planning and organizing; they are most likely to cause a negative impact when they fail to consult adequately. (3) Fifty-one percent of the respondents rated their CIO's influence as "high." Another 26 percent rated it "moderate," while 23 percent rated it "low." (4) Presidents, deans, faculty, and CIO's tend to agree on CIO role expectations. However, the faculty expect more from the CIO in terms of building relationships and consulting. Seventy-seven percent of the respondents rate the CIO's influence as high or moderate, but faculty are more likely to rate the influence as low in comparison to other groups. These findings indicate that CIO's are academic leaders in their community colleges.
ORDER NO: ABA92-37735
I identify seven guidelines for response to student texts recommended within the growth model: (1) to encourage substantive revision, (2) to focus on content, (3) to respond to drafts, (4) to make text-specific comments, (5) to take the perspective of a reader, (6) to leave decisions up to the writer, and (7) to be positive and supportive. I analyze the written responses of four teachers in a college writing program based on this growth model to see which recommendations they value and what happens when they attempt to carry them out. The data include marginal and end comments of these teachers for the same six student texts, as well as accompanying think-aloud protocols and two interviews with each teacher. All four teachers saw themselves as enacting responses appropriate to the growth model, and they generally made responses consistent with their pedagogical intentions, although there were lapses and blind spots. They encountered difficulties because of competing values inherent in the recommendations. Some of their most difficult choices were whether (1) to concentrate exclusively on ideas or also to consider text features, (2) to take the stance of an engaged common reader or a detached expert, (3) to maintain a positive, supportive stance or give a candid, and perhaps critical, reaction, (4) to challenge the personal beliefs of students, and (5) to leave decisions about how to revise up to the writer or provide direct and practical help to facilitate revision. In addition, they also struggled with the competing values of efficiency and depth of response. Their difficulties in negotiating among these competing values--all encouraged within the growth model--suggest a need to clarify priorities in how teachers read and respond to student writing. Moreover, part of their difficulty was that the recommended response does not represent a unified set of values within the growth model. Their distinct patterns of response suggest a division between those emphasizing growth as a writer or those emphasizing growth as a thinker, and these patterns suggest another division between those valuing a personal response and those valuing a professional response.
ORDER NO: ABA92-37707
This study examined higher education instructional and student services expenditures at public institutions in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin from 1978-79 through 1987-88. Specific research questions were (1) Are there trends in expenditures for instructional services and student services that are based on types of institutions? (2) Are there relationships between expenditures for instructional services and student services that are based on types of institutions? (3) Are there trends in expenditures for instructional services and student services that vary among states? (4) Are there relationships between expenditures for instructional services and student services that vary among states? The study included eleven public four-year doctoral granting institutions, twenty-seven public four-year non-doctoral institutions, and twenty-eight public two-year community/junior colleges. The data were reported as full-time equivalent (FTE) per student expenditures and analyzed statistically to discover trends and relationships between institutional levels and among states. Doctoral granting institutions indicated a trend of constant growth in FTE expenditures throughout the ten-year period and non-doctoral four-year institutions indicated a similar trend until 1987-88. Community/junior colleges indicated a sporadic pattern of growth and decline in FTE expenditures throughout the ten-year period. The data indicated that expenditure trends did not vary among states. Relationships did exist on the basis of levels of institutions and between states. Usually, the higher the level of institution, the higher were the levels of FTE instructional services expenditures and the lower the level of institution, the greater were the levels of FTE student services expenditures. Instructional services expenditures exhibited similar relationships among states, but student services expenditures indicated differences in relationships among states. Recommendations included: (1) procedures for funding higher education should be explored further, (2) expenditures beyond 1987-88 should be examined to identify trends in decreasing expenditures, (3) further research should examine the impact of enrollment patterns, and (4) data on expenditures should be adjusted for inflation with FTE enrollments weighted more heavily for graduate students.
ORDER NO: ABA92-37393
The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term perceived effectiveness of three types of teaching methods for enhancement programs in community and junior colleges: lecture method, combination method, and individualized laboratory method. Community and junior colleges were selected randomly and called for the purpose of selecting two colleges using each of the three teaching methods. Seventy-five alumni members, who had completed their program of study during the past five years from each of the selected colleges, were randomly selected and surveyed. The survey resulted in the following conclusions: (1) Based on teaching methods, a research of literature and a telephone call placed to the academic officers of each randomly selected community or junior college, the three most used teaching methods are lecture, combination, and individualized laboratory. A majority of the community and junior colleges are using two or more of the methods. (2) Based on age, it is concluded that students between 20 and 40 are more likely to finish an enhancement program. It is also concluded that computer-assisted instruction is a more successful intervention technique with younger students that with more mature students. Furthermore, multimedia is an effective intervention technique with all ages when used with lecture and individualized laboratories. (3) Based on gender, males are more likely to finish an enhancement program than females. It is also concluded that computer-assisted instruction can be used successfully with both males and females. Furthermore, multimedia is an effective intervention technique with the female population when used with lecture and individualized laboratories. (4) Based on teaching methods, all three teaching methods are successful at preparing students for the next level courses. (5) Based on teaching methods, findings show that computer-assisted instruction is more widely used in enhancement programs that multimedia. (6) Based on teaching methods, the level of the success of the enhancement program is improved with the use of an individualized laboratory. Also, respondents to the survey who experienced both computer-assisted instruction and multimedia prefer multimedia.
ORDER NO: ABA92-35918
This project evaluated effectiveness of a short (less than 6 hours) multimedia instruction module on discussion leading skills for beginning instructors. The module was composed of computer-based instruction, videotaped demonstration, and practice, and was used by subjects from four middle Tennessee colleges. Subjects were teaching assistants (TAs) and full-time faculty members representing three disciplines. Although faculty were not beginning instructors, their perceptions of module importance were solicited as a means of confirming content. Data were gathered from participant reaction sheets, observations of pre- and posttreatment classroom discussion leading behaviors, and exit interviews. Two independent observers viewed pre- and postttreatment videotapes for demonstration of target behaviors. Subjects perceived their ability to perform the discussion leading skills as significantly better (p $<$.05) following treatment. There were no significant differences in discussion leading behavior following treatment, although there were statistically significant changes in standard deviations, indicating a movement toward greater uniformity. Significance of the difference between correlated variances was computed for subject behaviors (p $<$.01), talk time (p $<$.001, subject talk; p $<$.01, learner talk), and learner behaviors (p $<$.02). The most obvious behavior change was physical arrangement of classrooms. Thirteen of the 15 subjects chose to create a more interactive environment following treatment by rearranging chairs from rows to circles. All subjects had developed an open classroom environment (e.g., asked open-ended questions) prior to treatment, and most demonstrated attempts to continue development of other facilitative behaviors following treatment. Two subjects avoided facilitating a discussion during posttreatment videotaping by requesting various students to read text selections out loud. This may have been resistance to demonstrating skills they were not yet comfortable using. Subjects rated the module as being effective, with the videotaped demonstration being the least liked segment. Module content was perceived as being important and the "right thing to do." Problems encountered during the study included difficulty in recruiting subjects and equipment availability. Although permission was obtained at each institution, only one department officially supported the project. Maximum effectiveness of training provided for instructors will only be realized when there is direct institutional support for such development in the form of senior level encouragement and assistance for new TAs and faculty.
ORDER NO: ABA92-34681
Five years ago, computer graphics was a totally secondary component of the college art curriculum. Now most art schools are seriously integrating computer graphics into the curriculum. Consequently, educators are looking for guidance, but they are finding few references. The problem of this study was to identify a list of curriculum guidelines applicable to art educators and program strategists interested in using computers in art courses. A reliable consensus of opinion among a group of computer art educators and computer graphics professionals teaching in college art and design programs was used to develop the guidelines. The purposes of the study were: (1) to describe the effects on teachers and students of introducing computers into the college-level art and design curricula; (2) to identify the computer's role in the art and design curricula by obtaining the consensus of the computer art educators and computer graphics professionals; (3) to identify the skills and knowledge the art teacher needs in order to use computers in art courses; and (4) to identify the curriculum considerations and pedagogical methods related to introducing computers into the college-level art and design curricula. The major procedure used in the study was the Delphi technique. The study was undertaken in two phases: preparatory and principal. The objective of the preparatory phase of the study was to identify nationally recognized experts in the field of art education and computer graphics. The objective of the principal phase of the study was to elicit the opinions of the experts identified in the preparatory phase. Their projections serve as the basis for formulating guidelines for integrating computers into art curricula. Thirty-one guidelines for integrating computers into art and design curricula were identified. They were categorized as one of the following: curriculum considerations, knowledge/skills, pedagogical methods, and roles of computers and teachers. Recommendations for further research included: (1) using educational experts from a more diverse or larger sampling of the population to see if other guidelines are identified or ranked in a different manner, and (2) replication to determine if other guidelines are identified or ranked in a different manner.
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