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1992-1993 Dissertation Abstracts: Part 3
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ORDER NO: ABA92-26858
TEACHING AND LEARNING EFFECTIVE THINKING SKILLS--COMPARING TWO MODIFICATIONS OF THE LECTURE METHOD WITH THREE TRADITIONAL LECTURE CLASSES IN ECONOMICS Author: CAMERON, BEVERLY JOAN Degree: PH.D. Year: 1992 Corporate Source/Institution: THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN (0127) Chair: JOAN S. STARK Source: VOLUME 53/06-A OF DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS INTERNATIONAL. PAGE 1813. 206 PAGES Descriptors: EDUCATION, HIGHER; ECONOMICS, GENERAL; EDUCATION, SOCIAL SCIENCES The teaching and learning of effective thinking skills is a goal in many undergraduate courses. The lecture, in formal or modified form, is the most widely used undergraduate teaching method. Therefore, when the teaching and learning of effective thinking skills is examined, the lecture must also be examined. This study reviewed literatures on: (1) the lecture as a teaching method and (2) effective thinking. Literatures on: (3) academic motivation, (4) active learning, and (5) methods of teaching effective thinking were also examined. Two testable hypotheses were drawn from a synthesis of the literatures. These were tested using two modifications of the lecture method, one of which used small group work outside the lectures. The two lecture modifications were compared to each other and to three control classes for their ability to enhance effective thinking skills, academic motivation, and academic achievement. All five classes were sections of a principles of economics course with a total of 361 students participating in the study. Data analysis led to the conclusion that both lecture modifications were able to enhance the development of a type of effective thinking development, namely cognitive structuring. Cognitive structuring was measured by student's ability to group related course concepts. However, neither lecture modification appeared to enhance academic motivation, measured as intrinsic goal orientation, extrinsic goal orientation, or task value beliefs, or academic achievement. The conclusion reached by this study is that: (1) the explicit teaching and modeling of effective thinking skills by the lecturer, (2) the use of active learning elements within lecture classes, and (3) the assignment of problem sets that require the use of effective thinking skills, and not the presence or absence of small group work outside the lectures, enhanced the development of effective thinking skills.
ORDER NO: ABA92-26645
A considerable body of research on international teaching assistants (ITAs) has analyzed the linguistic and cultural competence of the ITAs. This study focused on issues related to the views and concerns ITAs bring to teaching at an American university. The study was designed (1) to investigate the nature of ITAs' instructional communication concerns; (2) to explore the differences in American TAs' and ITAs' instructional communication concerns; (3) to discover the impact of the amount of teaching experience on the nature of ITAs' instructional communication concerns; and (4) to compare the nature of communication concerns reflected by a quantitatively oriented instrument to those expressed in a qualitatively oriented measure. For this investigation, a two-part questionnaire and a semistructured interview were used to collect the data. The study was conducted during the 1990 spring semester and 49 subjects participated (10 inexperienced ITAs, 29 experienced ITAs, and 10 experienced American TAs). Findings indicated that with respect to teaching undergraduate students, ITAs expressed concerns about (1) their English language proficiency; (2) their abilities to comprehend and respond to students' speech; (3) their own and their students' intercultural sensitivity; and (4) their ability to create an environment conducive to learning. However, most ITA concerns expressed seemed to be rooted in the overriding concern about the ITA's level of English language ability. With respect to the hypothesis related to differences in the concerns expressed by experienced American TAs and ITAs, the results of the study did not reveal significant differences. With regard to teaching experience gained at an American university, experienced ITAs reported concerns about the task of communicating and the impact of their communication on the students significantly more frequently than did the inexperienced ITAs. A comparison of the results gathered with the quantitative and qualitative measures indicated that the open-ended instrument obtained richer data than the limited response questionnaire. Suggestions as to the nature of ITAs' instructional communication concerns are offered, and implications of the findings are discussed with respect to the instructional preparation of ITAs, arguing that ITA program curricula must be informed by the perceived communication concerns of their ITA program participants.
ORDER NO: ABA92-27165
The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of the local area network (LAN) as a means to improve interactive multimedia instruction. The problems that were studied were the lack of specifications for microcomputer-based instructional workstations and the lack of software to implement a multimedia instructional network. Two types of instructional multimedia workstations were developed: a central file-server for the network and a remote workstation. A network format that facilitates multimedia message transmission was selected. Custom software which uses current network technology and enables teachers and learners to control and access various media resources was developed. The workstations and software were integrated into a prototype local area network to demonstrate methods of sharing multimedia instructional materials.
ORDER NO: ABA92-26518
This study examined the effect of computer-generated feedback and videotaped speech performances on the speech skill improvement of college students. The purpose of this study was to determine if computer-generated feedback and self-evaluation of videotaped speech performances would improve speaking skill more than a typical oral and handwritten technique. The two hypotheses were: (1) will students who received instructor feedback before a self-evaluation of the videotape of their performances demonstrate greater speaking skills than students who received instructor feedback after a self-evaluation of the performance? and (2) will students who received computer-generated instructor feedback demonstrate greater speaking skills than students who received handwritten instructor feedback? One hundred twelve college students enrolled in a required public speaking course were assigned treatments using a stratified random sampling procedure. The four treatments were: (1) handwritten feedback before viewing videotape; (2) handwritten feedback after viewing videotape; (3) computer-generated feedback before viewing videotape; (4) computer-generated feedback after viewing videotape. The treatments were employed during an entire semester. Data were collected on the final speech of the semester. Subjects' performances were evaluated using a five point Likert scale by three trained raters, one student and two faculty. Subjects were evaluated on "total" speech performance on the five elements of the scale, and on each individual element: (1) organization; (2) development; (3) style; (4) vocal quality; and (5) gestural quality. No significant main effects were found on "total" speech performances between the treatment groups. A significant difference was found on "vocal quality" and "gestural quality" between computer-generated and handwritten feedback treatment groups. A significant difference was found on the "style" element between the before and after treatment groups. Results indicated that: (1) computer-generated feedback appeared to be as effective as handwritten feedback; (2) providing instructor feedback before self-analysis of videotaped performances appears to improve subjects' cognitive speech skill performances; and (3) providing computer-generated feedback appears to improve subjects' delivery speech skill performances.
ORDER NO: ABA92-26445
The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of mathematics informal focussed writing (MIFW) within college mathematics instruction. During the pilot studies the experimenter assigned college elementary and intermediate algebra students either to an experimental MIFW treatment or to a control treatment. The pilot experimental treatments consistently had higher mathematics class mean test scores than the control treatments, but the differences were not significant at the.05 level. The mathematics content of the MIFW was poor; some students wrote very little. Before the main study, the experimenter added suggestions to the MIFW papers designed to encourage some students to write more during the MIFW sessions. The investigator added a nonmathematical writing (NMW) session during the first class period for subjects in both treatments. The experimenter established criteria and procedures for scoring MIFW and NMW. Four subinvestigations of the main study investigate: (a) the effect of writing treatment with the MIFW upon mathematics test and assignment scores; (b) MIFW scores and their relation to mathematics and NMW scores; (c) the comparison of the MIFW scores of students in college elementary algebra, college intermediate algebra, trigonometry, and calculus classes; and (d) the mathematical content and errors within the MIFW. Results from the first subinvestigation indicate that the experimental treatments' higher mean examination scores are significant at a.05 level for two of the three examinations. Subjects with higher NMW scores had significantly higher mathematics examinations scores. Results of the second subinvestigation do not indicate consistency for subjects' MIFW scores about different topics. The relation between MIFW scores and mathematics scores is unclear and does not indicate a significant association between higher MIFW scores and higher NMW scores. The third subinvestigation results show that the MIFW scores of the higher level mathematics classes were not significantly higher than those of the elementary algebra classes. Based on a broad array of qualitative data, the fourth subinvestigation indicates the persistence of a variety of mathematics errors within MIFW about topics considered prerequisite for mathematics courses in which subjects were enrolled.
ORDER NO: ABA92-25819
The ability to solve problems creatively is the hallmark of the modern nurse practitioner. Not only does creative problem resolution require a sound knowledge base, it implies the ability to discriminate and synthesize information, to make decisions, and to implement those decisions appropriately. The quality of one's thinking plays a large part in how well problem resolution is accomplished. Critical thinking is particularly important for nurses because it can assist them in developing creative alternatives and innovative solutions to patient problems, managing complex nursing systems, and establishing collaborative and cooperative relationships with other health care personnel. Many colleges and universities have added critical thinking courses as part of their core curriculum. This study was designed to test the effect of instruction in concept analysis on critical thinking skills and moral reasoning decisions of senior baccalaureate nursing students. A control group consisting of 30 students received no instruction during one semester and an experimental group consisting of 60 students received instruction during the same period of time. An intact group, in a college of nursing in a southern state, was used due to the small number of senior nursing students. Both groups were given a pretest and posttest using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and the Defining Issues Test. The results were analyzed using Analysis of Variance with repeated measures. The findings showed that instruction in concept analysis did not improve the critical thinking skills, moral reasoning decisions, or grade point averages of students who received instruction in concept analysis above those who did not receive instruction. It was recommended that a longitudinal study be conducted to test the effects of long term instruction and that research efforts should be designed to determine the best approach to the teaching of critical thinking skills and moral reasoning.
ORDER NO: ABA92-25224
The number of adult learners in education is increasing. These learners may experience a higher degree of anxiety in new learning situations, especially when confronted with the increased use of unfamiliar instructional technologies (i.e., microcomputer applications). Therefore, instructional techniques should be explored in an attempt to reduce the anxieties of these learners. One possible long-term benefit of decreased anxiety levels may be increased achievement scores. This study examined the effect of three humor treatments (no humor, related humor, and non-related humor) and their interrelationship to the dependent variables of interest, achievement and anxiety. It applies the tenets of an instructional model which incorporates humor to the under-investigated area of the use of humor in computer-assisted instruction (CAI). A true experimental research design was used to evaluate the use of humor in a CAI lesson. The participants, 88 graduate students (67 female, 21 male) from educational research courses, were randomly assigned to one of the three CAI treatment groups. Additional independent variables considered included: demographic, experiential, psycho-social, and attitudinal variables. Multiple linear regression analyses predicting achievement increase indicated no significant difference between the three treatment groups. However, trends were examined in terms of a sign test and results indicated a significant trend in favor of using related humor to increase achievement scores, as compared to not receiving humor or receiving non-related humor. Multiple linear regression analyses predicting anxiety reduction indicated no significant difference between the three treatment groups. However, when the two humor groups were combined and compared to the no humor group, a significant disordinal interaction was found between the treatment groups and pre-treatment anxiety. That is, there was a differential effect of humor on post-treatment anxiety levels. Additional analyses performed included factor, correlational, and post-hoc analyses. This study's overall findings indicated that certain learners may benefit from the use of humor in CAI. Therefore, instructional designers may want to consider humor as an instructional option. This study concluded with suggestions for further research.
ORDER NO: ABA92-25108
The major thrust of this study was to determine the importance of selected teacher instructional variables and their demonstration as perceived by award-winning university teachers and their students. Most of the teaching behaviors were identified from research in elementary and secondary education. The research was designed to explore similarities and differences between college students and award-winning instructors in their perceptions of variables of effective teaching. This research examined studies in teacher behaviors as this term applied to students' perceptions and instructors' perceptions of important teacher behaviors in higher education and the demonstration of the same selected variables among award-winning faculty; explored similarities and differences among teacher excellence award recipients and students in their perception of important variables associated with effective teacher behaviors; and determined the degree to which college students perceived that award-winning faculty demonstrated selected teaching variables in the classroom. The sample consisted of college students selected from classes of tenured teacher excellence award recipients and selected award-winning teacher recipients in 1979 through 1990 at a university in the southwest. Student respondents evaluated the presence of selected teacher behaviors associated with instructional effectiveness. The aim was to discover the degree to which teacher excellence award recipients agree or disagree with their students on the importance of selected behaviors and the degree to which students perceive that award-winning instructors demonstrated selected teaching behaviors. Two instruments were used to collect data. A Rating Scale was used by both award-winning faculty and students from their classes to rate the importance of selected teaching variables. The Teacher Observation Rating Instrument was used to determine whether students perceive that award-winning teachers demonstrated selected instructional variables. The conclusions of this study suggest that the research findings relative to the hypotheses indicate that award-winning faculty and students differ in their ratings of important instructor variables. Also, the findings indicate that significant differences exist among students in their perception of instructor variables that were demonstrated by award-winning teachers. Finally, this research reveals that students differ in their perception of important teaching variables and their perception of instructor variables demonstrated by faculty recipients of the Teaching Excellence Award.
ORDER NO: ABA92-24914
Two programs for in-service teachers of earth science were described and evaluated. In the first program, two different methods of inquiry-oriented instruction were used to improve elementary in-service teachers' attitudes toward science and their earth science content knowledge. The methods used were the "less structured guided discovery" and the "guided inquiry" strategies described by Carin and Sund (1985). The results of this study indicated that the attitudes and content knowledge of the teacher-participants significantly improved regardless of the teaching method employed. This study also suggested that both inquiry-oriented methods are somewhat more effective for teachers of grades 4-6 than for teachers of grades K-3. In the second program, a seminar series designed for middle school earth science master teachers was evaluated. The objectives of the seminar series were (1) to improve the knowledge of recent advances in earth science; (2) to facilitate understanding of individual earth scientist's contributions, motivations and research methods; (3) to improve the understanding of the relevance of earth science research to teachers and students; and (4) to identify ways to incorporate the research findings into classrooms. The seminar was evaluated using tests, Likert scale and open-ended questionnaires, and a focus group discussion. Evidence from all sources indicated that the teacher-participants' knowledge of recent advances in earth science and understanding of contributions, motivations and research methods had improved. Some evidence suggested that the seminar series was more effective in communicating how the information was relevant to the teacher-participants than how the information was relevant to students. However, data from the focus group discussion and from the implementation questionnaire suggested that the teacher-participants used a considerable amount of information and materials from the seminar series in their classrooms. The focus group discussion also generated several suggestions for planning, organizing and presenting seminars given by scientists for classroom teachers.
ORDER NO: ABA92-24878
A comparative study of traditional and adult students was conducted at Spartanburg Methodist College (SMC) in Spring, 1991 to determine if age influenced the students' teaching style preferences. Other demographic variables (race, gender, amount of previous college experience, type of previous college experience) were also examined in light of their influence on preference for teaching style. The Learning Style Inventory: A Measure of Student Preference for Instructional Techniques (Renzulli and Smith, 1978) was utilized to identify nine teaching styles and assess student preference. A questionnaire was developed by the researcher to obtain demographic information (age, race, gender, amount and type of previous college experience). A sample of 176 SMC students (121 traditional students and 55 adult students) was selected for the study. Analysis of the data revealed a difference in teaching style preference related to age. Adult students at SMC preferred lecture and drill and recitation; traditional SMC students preferred discussion, teaching games, and simulation. No statistically significant difference in teaching style preferences was found for race (nonwhite and white), gender (female and male), amount of previous college experience (never attended, attended one year or less, attended more than one year) or type of previous college experience (not at all experienced, sometimes experienced, very often experienced). SMC's traditional students, defined as younger than 21, and the college's adult students, described as 21 years of age or older, differed significantly (p $<$.05) regarding their most preferred and second most preferred teaching styles.
ORDER NO: ABA92-24632
This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of problem-based learning methods of instruction, when compared to lecture-type instructional methods, on the attainment of course content knowledge and on problem-solving competencies. Two classrooms of students enrolled in a chiropractic college diagnosis course were compared; one group receiving traditional methods of instruction, and the other group receiving problem-based methods. Problem-based instructional methods are a compilation of several techniques, having in common, the use of problems to introduce and to amplify material to be learned. The two groups were compared by using test scores received on three course content examinations and one problem-solving examination. A questionnaire was used to examine student's attitudes about the instructional methods that they experienced. A 2 x 3 factorial analysis of variance was calculated to determine if statistically significant differences existed between test scores for the two groups. By using the factorial method, it was possible to determine that teaching method and grade point average were not interacting to affect test scores. Results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in the test scores on the three course content examinations between the two groups. There also were no statistically significant differences in problem-solving capabilities between the two groups when evaluated by a written problem-solving examination. No appreciable differences were elicited in the attitudes of the students about the teaching method employed. The results obtained in this study failed to demonstrate the anticipated improvements in problem-solving competencies of students who were taught using problem-based learning instructional methods.
ORDER NO: ABA92-24289
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an author-developed simulation-game entitled, "Pancreaticmania: Taking Control," as an instructional strategy in teaching nursing students diabetes content. Learning styles were assessed to determine the influence of learning preferences on learning. A two-group experimental design (simulation-gaming and study guide discussion) was conducted with 41 students enrolled in a Midwest university. These questions were posed: (1) Does participation in simulation-gaming versus study guide discussion result in greater diabetes knowledge? (2) Do various Modes of Learning (Canfield's Learning Styles Inventory) influence subjects' attainment of knowledge when taught with simulation-gaming versus study guide discussion? (3) What is the relationship between Modes of Learning and diabetes knowledge when taught by these instructional strategies? (4) How do subjects' perceptions of their participation relate to their particular instructional strategy? During the fall of 1991 subjects (1) completed Canfield's Learning Styles Inventory, (2) participated in six hours of a diabetes lecture, (3) were randomly assigned to a two hour participation in either the simulation-game or the study guide group, (4) completed an evaluation of their respective strategy, and (5) completed the Diabetes: Basic Knowledge Test (DBKT). Major findings revealed that gaming subjects scored higher on the DBKT compared to the control subjects. A 2- group ANOVA, however, indicated the difference not to be statistically significant. Therefore, simulation-gaming appeared to facilitate learning equally as well as study guide discussion. Correlations were also computed between the Modes of Learning subscales and the DBKT scores. Analysis of data did not detect a statistical significance relationship. Thus, both strategies appeared to promote learning, regardless of students' particular learning style. Participants' perceptions of their respective instructional strategies (i. e., simulation-gaming versus study guide conditions) were analyzed using a Chi-Square procedure. Both groups rated their experience as positive. No statistical difference was found between the two groups with regard to enjoyment, motivation, or empathy. A statistically significant difference, however, was found with the study guide subjects indicating that they wanted more of this type of strategy than did the experimental group. The results add to the knowledge of simulation-gaming as a viable instructional strategy.
ORDER NO: ABA92-24279
The purposes of this study were (1) to analyze the current approaches to teaching ethics in a university setting and (2) to determine if there is a leading methodology in both the manner and method of presenting ethics in the business school curriculum. The study involved a survey of mostly deans at 158 universities that hold membership in the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. Responses were received from 158 institutions. The questionnaires were completed by the deans of the schools of business of these institutions or their representatives. The primary analysis was conducted by means of a questionnaire/survey to reflect the methods and styles of teaching business ethics. Additionally, the survey was used to determine the methods of ethics presentation, integration, or single-course coverage, as well as the various topics that are covered. The study revealed that 93% of the universities surveyed have ethics in the school's curriculum. Of this number, 57% treat ethics in a separate course. The methods of presenting ethics varied with lecture still being the dominant mode at 41%. However, discussion, group projects, and student presentations each governed approximately 20% of the delivery method. Case studies at 36% and audio-visual materials at 32% reflected the large majority of how class time is devoted. Textbooks and other readings together constituted a little more than 30% of the class time. Results were very clear that most universities are treating practical applications as a large part of any treatment of ethics in the business school curriculum. Additionally, it was found that schools of business, based on comparison to prior studies, are gravitating away from lectures as the only means of presentation and are incorporating more case studies, as well as discussions and group projects with student presentations into class instruction. Ethical topics should be practical application oriented and should be driven by the current state of affairs in business and society as a whole. Over 50% of the respondents indicated the need to deal with environmental issues as a topical area of the 90's.
ORDER NO: ABA92-21586
Many of the studies dealing with computer-assisted instruction in accounting appear to be descriptive and anecdotal in nature (Bialaszewski, Kocakulah & Bialaszewski, 1986; Cerullo, Topiol & Klein, 1989; Helmi, 1986; Kent & Linnegar, 1988). The purpose of this research was to estimate the effect, if any, that a specific computer-assisted instruction (CAI) program, Hypergraphics, had on student achievement in a basic accounting course at a community college. The results of this study indicate that CAI is no better, yet no worse than traditional instructional methods. The results of this study also indicate that students' grade point averages (GPAs) may contribute to their degree of success in accounting. Students with medium GPAs and students with high GPAs achieved at significantly (p $<$.05) higher levels in an accounting course, regardless of treatment.
ORDER NO: ABA92-21271
The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the effect of prolonged waiting during a single outpatient visit on the ability of an elderly patient to recall medical information given to them during that visit. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, patient flow was studied in an outpatient surgical eye clinic to determine whether the subject clinic was one which generated large amounts of waiting time. In the second phase, 50 elderly cataract patients were carefully monitored during their time spent in the subject clinic in terms of waiting time, stress response, and recall ability for information provided during the visit in order to investigate whether a stress response to extensive waiting occurred and whether a significant relationship between such stress and recall could be observed. A weak link was found between waiting and one measure of stress, but no link was found between stress and recall. Covariates and various demographic correlates were studied as possible masks for the theoretically expected bridge from waiting to stress to recall. However, the results of these analyses were insignificant. It was concluded that the bridge of waiting to stress to recall was not valid for the particular population and/or clinical situation studied.
ORDER NO: ABA92-20492
Although the literature is replete with techniques to assist the researcher with the evaluation task, very few techniques regarding an effective process for evaluating developmental education programs have emerged. Those techniques that have emerged have been criticized for not producing useful results. The central purpose of this research was to develop a process for evaluating the instructional component of developmental education programs. The Educational Opportunities Program at Oregon State University was used as a case study. The review of literature established a theoretical basis for the model that was developed. A detailed description of the program is provided, as well as interviews with instructional staff. An instrument for eliciting program participants' views and opinions is included. The entire evaluation process was then evaluated for effectiveness. The evaluation process proved to be effective as a means for evaluating the instructional component of developmental education programs considering the original purpose of the evaluation. Although the focus was originally on the product, the process proved to be the most powerful catalyst for change. Future evaluators are cautioned to consider carefully the purpose, audience and intended outcome before proceeding further in the evaluation of the instructional components of developmental education programs.
ORDER NO: ABA92-18675
This project presented an approach to instructional development in technology for college level reading teachers. Instructional development refers to programs or activities which aim to introduce teachers to new teaching strategies and/or to advance their knowledge and use of a teaching strategy. This project specifically introduced reading teachers to the use of computer assisted vocabulary development instruction as a teaching strategy and the project examined the reading teachers' opinions about the use of vocabulary development software as an instructional tool. The project guided six college reading faculty through a hands-on, in-class introduction to a commercially-prepared software program for vocabulary development instruction. The project's procedures included the use of questionnaire and interview instruments to assess the six participants' customary approaches to vocabulary development instruction and to learn their opinions about their personalized introduction to the strategy and their opinions of computer assisted vocabulary development instruction. The theoretical bases which underlay the project's design were: (1) Goodman's and Smith's psycholinguistic models of reading which describe developmental reading instruction as an interactive language process incorporating characteristics of the reader, the text and the reading task and (2) Wedman and Strathe's research in faculty development in technology which describes faculty investigation of a new instructional strategy as a highly personalized process. In addition, the project's use of Hall, Loucks et al.'s framework for analyzing adoption of new instructional strategies was instrumental to the interpretation of its results. The project examined the process of instructional development among college reading faculty. Significant among the results and conclusions of this examination was the importance of personalizing an instructional development project because teachers have varying levels of knowledge and concern about a new teaching strategy. Early participant assessment is a major recommendation to directors of instructional development projects so that the planning and implementation of their projects can be guided by the personalized needs of the participants. The dissertation includes a package of assessment instruments. The project also examined varied uses of computer assisted vocabulary development instruction as a teaching strategy. Significant among the results and conclusions of this examination was the consensus of participants' opinions that computer assisted vocabulary development instruction is a useful instructional tool suitable for in-class and/or out-of-class activity. The location and schedule of a school's computer facilities, the amount of available hardware and software and the instructional content and design of specific vocabulary development software are important among the factors influencing a teacher's decision to adopt this instructional strategy.
ORDER NO: ABA92-17951
This study examines a particular teaching approach--computer-based instruction--to determine how it might help marginal students enrolled in beginning writing classes at Fairmont State College to improve their writing. To determine this, the researcher first considered the academic and financial climate as it exists at Fairmont State College and then how receptive that climate might be for establishing a program for computer-based instruction in writing. A review of the literature on computer-based instruction, writing process, and cognition pedagogy indicated that computer-based instruction could enhance the writing performance of marginally competent writers such as the majority of Fairmont State College students enrolled in the required beginning writing classes. Examining pre-writing samples, pre-tests for computer, dispositional, and situational writing anxiety, and journal responses, the study compared the writing behaviors of three groups of students enrolled in beginning English: group I students used word processing software; group II students used both word processing and writing process software; and group III students used no computer-based instruction at all. The study concluded that computer-based instruction had a significant influence upon the improvement of writing for students participating in the study. Specifically, the computer-based groups, learning in a collaborative workshop environment, significantly reduced their writing anxieties, increased their levels of revision activity, and showed significant improvement in writing performance over the non-computer-based group. Based on those results, this study recommended to the Fairmont State College English department certain revisions in the objectives and teaching approaches for its beginning writing course. A major feature of that recommendation was that instruction for the first course in writing should be computer-based and that students should be required to submit papers prepared on word processors.
ORDER NO: ABA92-15825
Significant research evidence exists which supports the effectiveness of cooperative learning within many age groups and different subject areas. However, the extent to which these cooperative techniques are beneficial to college-age students learning computer applications and operations was unknown. The effects of cooperative learning on college student computer competence, computer anxiety, attendance and attitudes need to be known to expand the research to higher grade levels. The purpose of this research was to study the effects of cooperative learning on the learning of computer applications and operations by college students. In this study, four sections of a beginning computer course, at the college level, were used to conduct the experiment. Two sections comprised the experimental group and two sections comprised the control group. In the two control sections, the students attended a lecture/discussion course and worked on computer projects individually. In the two experimental sections, students attended a lecture/discussion course structured around Student Teams--Achievement Divisions (STAD)--a student team learning method and were assigned to heterogeneous groups based on performance level, gender and ethnicity. Based on the findings of the study the following conclusions were drawn. This study found there were no significant gains in computer competence resulting from the assignment of college students to cooperative STAD groups compared to college students working individually at the computer. Second, this study found there was no significant decrease in computer anxiety resulting from the assignment of college students to cooperative STAD groups compared to college students working individually at the computer. Third, students who worked in cooperative learning groups did not feel greater responsibility to attend class even when they knew their team members were depending on them. This was a significant finding especially since their actions differed from their attitudes on the issue of attendance. Fourth, student attitudes at the end of the ten-week period indicated that both students in the experimental and control groups desired to be taught in the opposite manner from the way they were taught.
ORDER NO: ABAAA-I9511762
The objective of this research was to examine the academic performance of the Texas Academic Skills Program Test (TASP) responsible mathematics students enrolled in a study skills instructional program and those TASP students who were not. Additionally, this study investigated the effectiveness of a study skills instructional program on the attitudes of TASP responsible developmental mathematics students. Moreover, the study ascertained the effect of selected demographic variables such as gender, age, ethnicity, income level, and grade point average on the attitudes of TASP responsible developmental students toward mathematics who attended a study skills instructional program. The Pre-Posttest Control Group Design was utilized in the study. This experimental design involved two groups of students. One experimental group and one control group. The experimental group underwent a semester of lectures which included study skill instructions, while the control group was lectured traditionally without study skills instructional during the same period. The population consisted of college freshmen attending a southeast urban university in Texas. Approximately 10 thousand students are enrolled at this institution. The sample included four TASP responsible developmental mathematics classes. Included in this population were 85 males and 92 females with different age ranges, with various educational levels, and whose mathematics' backgrounds from different high schools differed. The simple random sampling procedure was employed in this investigation. Each student who took the mathematics section of the Patterson Academic Achievement Test (PAAT) was given an equal chance of participating in the study. Three instruments were used to collect the data for the empirical investigation. Two of the instruments were developed by the researcher. They were the Patterson Academic Achievement Test (PAAT) and the Patterson Demographic Data Inventory. The PAAT was used to ascertain the academic achievement of students for this investigation. This instrument consists of three sections: arithmetic, algebra and geometry. The Patterson Demographic Data Inventory consists of eight socio-demographic items. The demographic data used in this study examined from this instrument were gender, ethnicity, educational level of the parents, income level of the parents, type of neighborhood, grade point average and age. The third instrument used in this study was the Modified Version of the Aiken-Dreger Attitude Scale which measured attitudes. The data for this study were treated using the One-Way Analysis of Variance and the One-Way Analysis of Covariance. Based on the results derived from the statistical analysis, some of the significant findings are as follows: The variable study skills instructions did produce a significant effect on the obtained total mathematics scores of freshmen TASP responsible developmental mathematics students; the obtained arithmetic scores of freshmen TASP responsible developmental mathematics students were significantly affected by study skills instructions; and, the freshmen TASP responsible developmental mathematics students' ethnicity produced a significant effect on their attitudes regarding mathematics.
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