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1994-1995 Dissertation Abstracts: Part 6
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ORDER NO: ABA94-32516
A STUDY OF POETRY WRITING TEACHING METHODS: NATIONAL SURVEY AND SELECTIVE INTERVIEWS Author: GAFFIGAN, MICHAEL THOMAS Degree: ED.D. Year: 1994 Corporate Source/Institution: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE (0055) Sponsor: LYN CORNO Source: VOLUME 55/07-A OF DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS INTERNATIONAL. PAGE 1808. 187 PAGES Descriptors: EDUCATION, CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION; EDUCATION, HIGHER Although the literature suggests that a workshop pedagogy dominates in college courses in poetry writing, the degree that this is true has not been documented. Nor have its variations--as used by different instructors--been studied systematically. The absence of empirical research related to the teaching methodologies of poetry writing instructors resulted in a descriptive focus for this investigation. One hundred and seventy-two poetry writing instructors in the 128 colleges and universities that offered a major in creative writing were surveyed. All poetry writing instructors at those schools were sent a nine-page questionnaire. Additionally, six instructors selected purposively from the sample were interviewed for one hour. This study described the variety of practices that those instructors reported. It also identified areas reported as strengths, difficulties, and needing improvement. The majority of instructors in the sample used the workshop model as a core on which they provided discussions of poets and craft for poetry writing. A majority of instructors required 5 or more poems to be revised, 1-2 conferences, and 1-5 outside readings. This study also found that instructors' educational background was associated with the areas of focus and number of required assignments. The number of years instructors had taught also affected several areas of focus and exit requirements. When data from this study are framed by Mikhail Bakhtin's ideas, the relationships among their voiced practices, influences, strengths, and needed improvements becomes evident. At the beginning of the semester instructors draw out a general blueprint of areas of focus, particularly exercises and assignments, and overall layout of their courses. As the semester unfolds and students become involved in the dialogic process of critiquing, students join their instructors, acting as co-creators of individual blueprints based on their own needs and interests. The results from this study suggest that discussion between departmental chairs and poetry writing instructors would be helpful in establishing a mutually acceptable course description and class enrollments.
ORDER NO: ABA94-31354
This classroom study drew on the text processing theory of van Dijk and Kintsch (1983) to teach college students strategies for summarization for use in studying. Generalization, a process for judging importance and condensing text, was contrasted with argument repetition, a feature of the surface structure of text which establishes coherence and thus indicates importance. Each strategy was taught with and without self monitoring. A control group wrote about the same materials and took the posttest. The dependent measure was a summary of a passage from Day's (1980) study of summarization. The generalization group significantly outperformed the argument repetition group and control group on constructing a thesis statement which clearly requires macroprocessing. Overall summarization was significantly better in instruction groups than in the control group; the generalization group scored higher than the argument repetition group, but the difference was not significant. Instruction groups did significantly better than controls at excluding ideas that were unimportant, redundant or extraneous and at stating information directly (avoiding empty references). Inclusion of important ideas was higher among instruction groups, but not statistically significant. Sentence transformation, integration of ideas at the sentence level, was not improved by instruction. Self monitoring as implemented in this study did not make a significant difference in summarization. Students in college developmental reading and writing classes often have trouble going beyond the surface structure of text. Many are bewildered by instructions to put only "important" ideas in summaries. Instructions to use generalization or argument repetition were easily understood, and students commented on the usefulness of the strategies. In future research these strategies should be taught for a longer period with a wider range of materials, a pretest, and a test of maintenance and transfer. Poor reliability of scores from one passage to another remains a problem for summarization research; having subjects write two posttest summaries might be wise. A measure of self efficacy and of students' understanding of summarization processes would improve future research.
ORDER NO: ABA94-30974
This case study describes the reactions of individual freshman students in a writing class that stressed the theoretical and philosophical importance of computer-assisted collaborative learning. This study also compares these "informed" student reactions to those of individual freshman students in another section of the same course that did not include any theoretical material--"uninformed" students. The study was structured around several hypotheses: in order for students to optimize their writing, they should work collaboratively on computers; in order for them to improve their collaborative effort, they should know about group dynamics and leadership as well as technology; in order for students to function effectively as a group, each group needed a strong leader to help organize and maintain group activity; and finally, in order to provide each group with such a leader, students may need instructor intervention. Students in both classes read the same writings and did the same number of assignments. Students in the "informed" class discussed theoretical claims made about writing collaboratively and insights on small group dynamics, while the "uninformed" students were placed into group and given the assignments without any particular information about how groups function. Students in the informed class were asked to see writing in a group as a vehicle for further understanding of the course content, and as a substantial portion of what was to be learned in this course. Study results show that students learn much from group-writing assignments, that they easily learn technology, that group dynamics instruction can lead away from technological use, and that they do not require assistance with group leadership selection. Case-study responses indicate that while many students initially felt that collaborative writing would be easier (less work), they came to find that they preferred to write alone because each could say whatever he or she wanted to say, the way he or she wanted to say it, and could receive a better grade. The grade was the motivator for all students. In each group the leader was the student most willing to dedicate time and effort toward the project. Leadership did not concern knowledge or experience with technology, writing, or group work. The study also showed that students found a clearer sense of their known style and of all that goes into an academic paper, once they attempted the collaborative and cooperative projects. In addition, students also realized the challenges they faced when working with others. Like the uninformed students, the informed students, despite their clearer sense of where to go and of options for working within a group and solving intergroup conflicts, found that group work truly is a challenge and that they preferred to do their own work. Unlike the uninformed students, all case study students from the informed class recognized advantages to having written with others and responded positively to the experience--although not as positively to actually performing the collaborative tasks. Responses vary from student to student, however, and depend on a number of factors, including a student's academic strength, attitude toward writing, the type of assignment, nature of theoretical material, and the involvement of the teacher. Although initially each student had a fixed expectation about working with a group that was proven inaccurate, eventually each found some value in the group-writing experience. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
ORDER NO: ABA94-28367
The purpose of this study was to assess the dynamics of three different methods of vocabulary instruction at the college level when each is supplemented by a mixed method of computer-assisted instruction. The sample was drawn from a population of freshmen level college students enrolled in a developmental reading course at a four-year university located in Central Arkansas. Enrollment in developmental reading is mandated by the state for students who scored below 19 on the reading section of the American College Test (ACT). One certified reading teacher with three years of college teaching experience and 60 students participated in the study. A three group, quasi-experimental design was used to conduct research. Group 1 consisted of 18 students who received definitional instruction only. Group 2 consisted of 18 students who received contextual instruction only. Group 3 consisted of 24 students who received mixed instruction which included definitional and contextual instruction. All three groups received supplemental computer-assisted instruction employing a mixed method design one hour per week outside the classroom. The Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test, Form G, Blue Level, Vocabulary subtest, was administered as a pretest to assess baseline vocabulary knowledge of all students. Form H, Blue Level, was administered as a post-test to measure differences in vocabulary knowledge of each group over time and treatment. The following research questions were posed: (1) Will three be a statistically significant difference of vocabulary post-test scores, as measured by the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test when the method of computer-assisted instruction is consistent with the method of teacher directed instruction? (2) Will there be a statistically significant difference of weekly vocabulary scores, as measured by teacher-constructed tests, when the method of computer-assisted instruction is consistent with the method of teacher-directed instruction? (3) Will there be a statistically significant difference in delayed recall of vocabulary, as measured by a teacher-constructed test, when the method of computer-assisted instruction is consistent with the method of teacher-directed instruction? To test the research questions, a one-way analysis of variance was used to compare scores on the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test and the delayed post-test. A 3 x 6 repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare scores on the six weekly tests. Based on the analysis of data it was determined that the students receiving context only instruction scored significantly higher on the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test than the mixed group. There were no differences between the definition only and context only groups. All three groups showed significant improvement from test 1 to test 6 on the six weekly tests with the context only group showing the most improvement. There were no differences among the three groups on the delayed post-test.
ORDER NO: ABA94-26056
A quasi-experimental study (N = 52) was designed to compare the effectiveness of choice of self-paced or traditional lecture as alternative instructional methods for achievement in a community college setting for health science physics. In addition, 19 variables were studied as potential predictors for instructional choice. These included age, gender, mind style (as measured by the Gregorc Style Delineator), psychological type (as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), pretest of physics knowledge, cumulative and Math-Science GPAs, and adult social/academic obligation issues. The study answered two research questions related to the prediction of instructional choice and achievement for the subjects. They are stated in the study in the following way: (1) What are the relationships between choice of instructional method and learner gender, age, Mind Style, Psychological Type, prior achievement, prior college experience, and adult social/academic obligation issues? (2) What are the relationships between achievement in health science physics and choice of instructional method, learner gender, age, Mind Style, Psychological Type, prior achievement, prior college experience, and attendance at formal instructional meetings? These questions were addressed through two multiple regression predictor models. The summary findings for the study were as follows: No significant relationships existed between choice of instructional method and the predictor variables. Four significant relationships were identified for achievement in health science physics, the pretest, Math-Science GPA, Cumulative GPA, and attendance. The 15 predictor variables for health science physics achievement accounted for 79% of the variance for achievement measures as demonstrated by the second Regression Model. No significant relationships were identified between instructional method and either Mind Style subgroups or Psychological Type. In summary, there was no significant difference in achievement due to instructional methods. In view of the small differences in achievement measures, it would be premature to be over-reliant on self-paced forms of instruction or instructor-absent instructional technologies in populations unfamiliar with the skills of self-paced learning. Recommendations for further study include additional research on predictors of choice of instructional mode, time devoted to instruction, and the implications for academic achievement.
ORDER NO: ABA94-28986
This study sought to determine the importance community college instructional stakeholders--teachers, administrators, and support staff--ascribe to 23 student outcome goals and to examine the relationships between biographical variables and stakeholders' perceptions. The study addressed the following research questions: (a) Which of the 23 student outcomes do instructional stakeholders as a whole perceive to be most important? (b) Can these outcomes be factored into a set underlying constructs? (c) Does the perceived importance of student outcomes vary in relationship to the type of student the stakeholder serves? (d) Which outcomes do stakeholders serving different types of students value most highly? (e) Does the perceived importance of student outcomes vary in relationship to: professional role, number of years worked in a community college, number of years worked at the community college surveyed, campus assignment, and gender? Data were collected from 241 subjects employed by a large, urban community college. Subjects rated the importance of 23 student outcomes on a Likert-like scale. The Student Outcome Goals Inventory, a survey instrument developed by the researcher, was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using one or more of the following statistical tests where appropriate: ANOVA, t Test, Factor Analysis, and Discriminant Function Analysis. The major conclusions drawn from this study were: (a) Instructional stakeholders as a group perceived outcomes related to affective constructs, basic skills development, and goal setting to be most important; (b) Six constructs represent the outcomes (Personal/Social, Transfer, Credentialing, Employment, Traditional College, and Developmental); (c) Type of student served has a significant relationship to the perceived importance of 12 of the 23 outcomes with most differences occurring between stakeholders serving lower division transfer students and those serving professional/technical students; (d) Few significant relationships exist between the remaining biographical variables and the 23 outcome variables; (e) The type of students stakeholders served can be predicted with 69% accuracy. The outcomes rated most highly by stakeholders are those that represent a foundation of skills that students are typically expected to gain in their secondary education.
ORDER NO: ABA94-28914
The primary purpose of this study was to determine the factors perceived by accounting instructors to affect their use of computers in accounting instruction in the classroom in Minnesota's post-secondary institutions. Three classes of independent variables were identified for this study, namely (1) systemic: computer facilities, administrators' support, colleagues' encouragement, students' background, and institutional level; and (2) personal: instructors' characteristics, training in computers, and ownership of a personal computer; and (3) attitudinal. A mail questionnaire was sent to 221 accounting instructors as follows: community colleges (44 subjects), technical colleges (67 subjects), and universities (110 subjects). Of the returns, 154 (69.68%) were usable. Seven measures of computer usage served as dependent variables including (1) accounting and business computer applications, (2) percentage of time per quarter used for instruction, (3) number of computers per student, (4) CAI used in the classroom, (5) CAI used in the lab, (6) computer applications for classroom demonstrations, and (7) CMI used in both office and home. The data were analyzed with the use of frequency distributions, chi-square, t-test, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Factor analysis was used to cluster independent variables relating to administrative support and instructors' attitudes. Seven regression equations were constructed and analyzed. These equations revealed a set of significant primary and secondary findings. The most significant variable to emerge from these equations was administrators' support money. Variables that were significant even when administrative support money was included in the analysis were deemed to be "primary." They included students' background, experience in teaching software, training in business software. Secondary variables included institutional level, colleagues using computers for accounting instruction, colleagues' encouragement, experience in teaching software, ownership of a personal computer, computer anxiety, and computer benefit. The main conclusion of this study was that administrators' support money was the most important factor affecting the use of computers by post-secondary accounting instruction in Minnesota.
ORDER NO: ABA94-28781
Thirty-eight students (25 experimental; 13 comparison) participated in a formative evaluation study examining the effectiveness of teaching creative problem solving skills to senior students in a human development practicum seminar. Seven groups (4 experimental and 3 comparison) were compared over two semesters on three dimensions: problem solving behaviors, satisfaction with the classroom portion of the seminar, and self-perceived effectiveness in the field placement. The experimental group was given instruction in creative problem solving methods as part of a structured human services practicum seminar design. The comparison group followed the traditional open discussion seminar format. Quantitative analysis revealed a significant difference between the groups in application and evaluation of problem solving methods, such that students who were instructed in creative problem solving methods used such systematic approaches to problem solving and evaluated their problem solving behaviors as more effective than did the students who did not receive such instruction. No significant difference was found between groups regarding their satisfaction with the class. A significant difference between groups was found regarding students' self-perceptions of effectiveness in field placement settings, with those in the experimental group reporting greater satisfaction with their effectiveness in field placement settings and in their professional growth. Qualitative analysis supported these quantitative findings. Creative problem solving skills were successfully learned and applied by students in the experimental group at their field placements. Some students in the experimental group also successfully transferred the application of creative problem solving skills to situations beyond the class and the field placement. While the limitations of the study do not allow for definitive conclusions or extensive generalization of the findings, this study has demonstrated that instruction in creative problem solving skills can be a beneficial part of education for careers in human services.
ORDER NO: ABA94-28525
To describe a context in which cooperative learning and computer-assisted instruction might be used, a paradigm for developmental education is presented. The model is based on Roueche's eleven characteristics of successful developmental programs. This study compares the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction with that of cooperative learning in increasing students' mathematical achievement. The software chosen for the study was the Diagnostic and Prescriptive System (DAPS) developed by Computer Systems Research (CSR). The central question addressed in the study is: Given the choice of one hour per week of either group work or individualized computer-assisted instruction, which strategy works better for which learners? The preTASP Test was used for both the pretest and the posttest. For algebra, no effect was statistically significant at the 0.05 level. For arithmetic, gender was the only main effect that achieved statistical significance, while the interactive effects of treatment by gender, treatment by ethnicity, and treatment by gender by ethnicity were all found to be significant. Cooperative learning appears to be a more powerful technique than computer-assisted instruction, especially for females and minorities. For example, beginning with the lowest pretest score of any ethnic, gender, or treatment group, Hispanic females in the Cooperative Learning Group managed a higher posttest score than their counterparts in the Computer-Assisted Instruction Group. Black females in the Cooperative Learning Group scored higher in algebra than any other ethnic-gender-treatment group. Moreover, the Cooperative Learning Group registered higher posttest scores than the Computer-Assisted Instruction Group in ten of the sixteen ethnic-gender-treatment groups, even though six of those ten groups began with lower pretest scores than did their counterparts in the CAI Group.
ORDER NO: ABA94-26553
The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which marginal costs of instruction vary by curricular area at two-year higher education institutions in the U.S. A subordinate objective was to determine the extent to which these costs vary for similar curricular areas among (1) "public" institutions versus "private, not-for-profit" versus "private, for-profit" institutions, and (2) "junior colleges" versus "community colleges" versus "technical colleges." The curricular areas targeted for marginal cost generation in the study were (1) arts and sciences, (2) business and data processing, (3) health, (4) service, (5) trades and (6) technical. Marginal costs were estimated in the study by means of regression analysis. Three different classes of cost function and quasi-cost function regression models were utilized: (1) enrollment-based models, (2) degree-based models, and (3) award-based models. These differed as to the types of measures utilized to account for "output" at institutions. In all models, some version of "total expenditure on instruction" served as the dependent variable. Variables pertaining to costs of input factors and to technologies of production served, along with "output" data, as independent variables in the study. Virtually all data used in the study were obtained from 1989-90 Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data System (IPEDS) surveys and were cross-sectional in nature. Four different regression model specifications were attempted in the study: (1) linear, (2) double-log, (3) linear with second order and interaction terms ("linear translog-like"), and (4) logarithmic with second order and interaction terms ("translog-like"). The effectiveness of each of these functional forms varied by institutional sector. Statistically significant marginal cost estimates were obtained in the study for all six curricular areas in most institutional sectors, but conflicting sets of estimates often were observed. As a result, the investigation was only partially successful in determining whether marginal costs of instruction for similar curricular areas varied systematically by institutional sector. In addition, a lack of data regarding quality of output rendered cross-sectoral comparisons tenuous. It was concluded that disaggregation of institutions into more homogeneous units of analysis in future studies held potential for the generation of more definitive marginal cost results.
ORDER NO: ABA94-25466
The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the effects of video-based instruction (VBI) using authentic video material in the second language classrooms in a university setting. The primary question for the study is whether video-based instruction (VBI) has a positive impact upon learners' communicative competence, listening comprehension, motivation, and cross-cultural awareness. The secondary question for the study is whether VBI has a positive effect on any other category of language learning. An investigation of these questions could contribute to current knowledge about the effects of using video in the ESL classroom. Using the qualitative research design, the researcher completed a four-week study of ESL students at the Summer Institute in English Language & U.S. Culture at Duke University. The researcher developed a video-based instructional curriculum based on Krashen's second language acquisition hypotheses and "communicative competence" theories. Eight key students served as subjects for this study. The data sources for this study include a survey questionnaire and a pre-treatment interview with each student, post-treatment interviews with the students and the instructor. To cross validate the data, the instructor and the researcher also served as participant observers. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed along with other data by the researcher for recurring categories. These categories were then used as the basis for explaining the experiences of the eight students. The findings identified in the analysis of data consistently support that video-based instruction helped these eight students improve in their communicative competence and their listening comprehension. Their motivation was increased as a result of this method of instruction, and their cross-cultural awareness increased in relation to each student's proficiency level as well as the degree of exposure to American culture. Additional findings from the data analysis suggest that video-based instruction also increased the students' vocabulary learning. This study serves to expand, to some extent, previously held assumptions regarding the effects of using video and television in the ESL classroom and, more importantly, to suggest the bases for future studies which examine the effects of the video-based instruction using authentic video materials on other variables.
ORDER NO: ABA94-24090
This study investigated the role of analogic instruction and reasoning level on dependent measures of concept acquisition and conceptual change in an introductory college genetics course. The question of whether concept acquisition and conceptual change are facilitated through the use of instructional analogies was addressed. The control treatment consisted of expository instruction alone while the experimental treatment included instructional analogies and analogic instructional materials developed by the researcher. All students were given the same pretest measures of reasoning (the Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning) and researcher developed evaluation of student misconceptions concerning specific concepts within genetics (the Diagnostic Evaluation of Student Misconceptions). The effect of analogy-based instruction on immediate (weekly quiz), as well as delayed (end of semester) achievement was investigated. Following instruction, all students were readministered the Diagnostic Evaluation of Student Misconceptions as a posttest measure and given an attitude survey. Although not stated as hypotheses, the role of analogic instruction on student attitude, and the role of gender in concept acquisition and conceptual change were evaluated. In addition, the effect of instruction on student attitude, concept acquisition, and conceptual change was assessed using a modified "think-aloud" interview protocol. The study found gains in student achievement with instructional analogy. The attitude surveys and interviews indicated that a majority of students who received instructional analogies believed analogy-based instruction was beneficial. Implications for the instruction of genetics and theoretical course concepts are presented.
ORDER NO: ABA94-22632
In the classroom, communication leads to understanding, and understanding leads to learning. The Bible college has had a significant role in the undergraduate education of men and women for the ministries in the Christian faith. The purpose of this dissertation was to survey the current status of instructional technology in the areas of media personnel, facilities, and equipment, to determine how instructional technology is administered, budgeted, and the services offered, and to discover any plans concerning future implementation of instructional technology. The dissertation surveyed Bible colleges in the United States and accredited by the American Association of Bible Colleges (AABC). The survey consisted of 30 questions addressing 11 research questions developed for the study. The survey was sent to 75 Bible colleges that made up the population. Of the 75, 68 returned the survey for a response rate of 91%. The data were analyzed and conclusions made concerning the status of instructional technology in the Bible colleges. Data concerning the existence of full-time media staff, facilities and the primary activities most frequently conducted in media centers were gathered. In addition data on the implementation of computers in the academic environment and the availability of computers to faculty and students were received. The survey included data on the administration and jurisdiction of instructional technology. Additional data on the percentage of annual budget pertaining to capitalization and equipment procurement, operations, purchase and rental of equipment, staffing, and future development were gathered. The types of services and who receives them was also a part of this study. This information will prove essential to any Bible college or AABC institution, its faculty, and members of the administration as they develop curriculum for the continued upgrading of the academic mission of the Bible college.
ORDER NO: ABA94-22601
This dissertation examines the experience to 12 postsecondary education faculty and administrators during and after a faculty development seminar on service-learning pedagogy. The seminar, entitled "Connecting Service Experience with Classroom Instruction: Theory and Practice in Service-Learning Curriculum Design," was developed to (a) stimulate faculty interest in connecting student public service with academic study and (b) to provide participants with the knowledge and resources necessary to design courses that implement this pedagogy. Data were gathered from participants' seminar learning plans and assessments, through interviews conducted more than one year following the seminar, and through follow-up reports. The study is intended both to build upon and elaborate research on instructional improvement efforts related to service-learning pedagogy, and on faculty development initiatives generally. There were two sets of questions. One set attempted to learn whether the seminar met its goals. The second set of questions sought to identify variables related to how well these goals were achieved by different individuals. The study found that in the aggregate the seminar's goals were largely met. Analysis of participants' responses suggests that three, related sets of factors--in those that participated, in the seminar, and in the participants' institutions--were important to this success. Participant factors: (1) motivation to learn about service-learning; (2) concrete goals related to service-learning curriculum design and instruction; (3) perceptions that connecting study and service will be supported by administrators and colleagues; (4) roles that enable them to undertake seminar-related work, and buffer them from budgetary and promotional pressures. Seminar factors: (1) practical, action orientation; (2) intensive and interactive process; (3) presentation of relevant foundational knowledge and theories; (4) presentation of effective, varied models with opportunity to reflect on their application to participants' roles and institutional context; (5) opportunities to learn, practice and reflect upon specific service-learning pedagogies. Participant institution factors: (1) financial stability; (2) support for student volunteer service; (3) support for teaching generally and study-service connections specifically. Further research is needed to confirm these factors as variables in successful faculty development strategies related to service-learning, and to instructional improvement generally, and to better understand their relationships.
ORDER NO: ABA94-22597
This study examines the preferences and predicted effectiveness for adult students of certain faculty traits, methods of classroom instruction, and evaluation practices by 496 adult undergraduate students and 42 faculty members in 9 private U.S. liberal arts institutions. Both students and faculty were sampled by two separate surveys which essentially posed the same questions regarding classroom practices and instructor behaviors. The major finding indicates significant differences between adult students and faculty on 6 of 15 instructor characteristics. Faculty rated the effectiveness of certain behaviors and traits higher than students rated them including such characteristics as encourages self-directed study and respects student's perspective on issues. On soliciting student input into course objectives, students rated this practice at a level significantly higher than faculty $(p<.01).$ On instructional methods which faculty predicted adult students would prefer, 4 were rated significantly lower (at the.01 level) and one, preference for lectures, was rated by students at significantly higher levels than faculty $(p<.01).$ The methods on which faculty predicted student preferences at levels significantly higher were instructor and student led seminars, class discussion, and cooperative learning in small groups. On preferences for and effectiveness of methods of classroom evaluation, formal research papers were rated by students at significantly lower rates than faculty $(p >.05).$ As to other practices, students preferred periodic quizzes and a major paper $(p <.05),$ mid-term examinations $(p < .01),$ and the combination of all three $(p <.05)$ at significantly higher levels than faculty. Multiple choice exams were also rated significantly higher by students than by faculty $(p <.01).$ It was concluded that faculty and adult students view certain instructor characteristics as generally preferred and effective but disagree as to which characteristics are the most important. Generally, the adult students in this survey were more conservative in their preferences than faculty would have predicted and expressed preferences for standard classroom examinations. The study raises questions as to certain assumptions by authorities in adult education and learning.
ORDER NO: ABA94-22558
This study investigated the relative effectiveness of three instructional methods for teaching argumentative writing to college freshmen: (1) Models, which focused on the study of models (good examples) of argumentative writing; (2) Scales, a treatment basically identical to Models but with the additional activity of using criteria-based scales to judge the quality of specially prepared "constructed passages" of argumentative writing; and (3) Revision, which was basically identical to Scales but with the additional activity of writing revised versions of some of the "constructed passages." The Models treatment functioned as a "control" while the Revision and Scales treatments were "experimental." Two cooperating instructors, each teaching three classes of Freshman Composition, administered one of the three separate instructional treatments to each class. A total of 102 college freshmen were subjects of the study, which took place over a period of eight weeks during the Spring 1993 semester at Arkansas State University, Jonesboro. T-tests for Holistic scores (ratings of over-all quality of writing) showed no improvement for the Models treatment, while the Scales and Revision t-tests indicated pre-to-posttest improvements significant at P = 0.012 and P = 0.002, respectively. Primary trait scores, which measured five Toulmin-based qualities of logic in writing, showed mixed results. No significant differences between the Scales and Revision treatments were noted. Pre-to-posttest effect sizes were moderate for Scales (0.54) and Revision (0.48) treatments, but weak for the Models (0.19) treatment. Significant instructor effects were noted: One instructor's Scales students registered an effect size in excess of a full standard deviation (1.095)--very high and very promising for Scales as a method of instruction. Ethnographic data suggest the differences between individual instructor-effects were due to the instructors' differing facilities in understanding Toulmin-based logic. A sex-associated difference was noted, revealing significantly higher holistic and primary traits gains for females: a posttest ANCOVA showed a sex-associated difference for Toulmin-logic primary-traits significant at P = 0.000.
ORDER NO: ABA94-18837
The setting for this case study was an undergraduate self-instructional course which incorporated teaching strategies such as individualized instruction, active learner participation, mastery learning, and peer tutoring. Perceptions of the college students toward (1) computers as delivery media, and (2) the self-instructional environment were investigated. The study was conducted as computers were introduced into this non-traditional course within a traditional college context. The respondent pool consisted of eight peer instructors and 81 students. Data were gathered by means of survey, interview, and document review of the semester-end evaluations. Both quantitative and qualitative data were used to report student perceptions toward the application of soft and hard technologies. The study found that the college students surveyed preferred using textbooks than computers. This finding differs from previous studies. They perceived that using textbook would be learning more, that supports the assumption of one's preference enhancing achievement gain through media. Self-instructional course was preferred to traditional courses, and was rated as promoting more efficiently the course features under study. But the students also reported these features not working well for them. A very small and uneven number of respondent pool between groups may have caused the contradictory findings. But the alternative learning environment situated in a college context where traditional evaluation systems are practiced may have caused the finding. Because of the great variety of learning environments and their respective media presentation systems, further studies are needed to obtain a fuller view of the uses of learning environment and their associated technologies. A knowledge base of the alternative learning environments and their impacts on learners informs educators how to design situations for optimal learning.
ORDER NO: ABA94-16427
Instructional computing applications are increasingly being diffused throughout social work higher education. For this study, graduate faculty ($N=330$) nation-wide were surveyed about their use and perceptions of computers as instructional tools. Rogers' (1983) Diffusion Theory was used to identify variables hypothesized to be correlated with the innovational adoption process. The findings suggested that the innovational attributes of trialability (r =.459, $p<.001$) and observability (r =.363, $p<.001$) surfaced as moderate predictors of instructional computing innovation adoption levels. Perceptions of complexity (r =.358, $p<.001$) as they pertained to computer anxiety and perceptions of relative advantage (r =.361, $p<.001$) were also moderately correlated with innovational adoption levels. Vital to social workers, perceptions of compatibility with values also moderately predicted adoption levels (r =.342, $p<.001$). Past experiences with computers did not appear to correlate with adoption levels. Finally, institutional and individual variables were not significant in predicting instructional computing innovation adoption levels among graduate faculty.
ORDER NO: ABA94-14577
The primary purposes of the study are to describe and understand undergraduate classroom instruction in history so that (1) teaching patterns may be identified; (2) specific and well-defined explanations for these teaching patterns can be offered, and (3) implications of these findings can be explored by researchers, policy-makers and college teachers of history. A two-part conceptual framework is developed to find out how professors teach and why they teach as they do: the domains of influence on teaching and the process of teaching itself. Under the former are external and internal factors, and under the latter there are two stages--preparation and instruction. A series of class observations and post-class interviews with 27 professors in Beijing University and Beijing Normal University brought the following findings. Three levels of lecture were found: descriptive, interpretive/analytical, and interrogative. Three patterns emerged from the 27 cases when the two sets of factors merge and shape teaching: (1) The internal factors and external factors happen to be in harmony with one another, i.e. teacher's belief fits with the external conditions. This makes it possible for a professor to teach as he wishes with the least hindrance. (2) The two domains are in conflict, and the external factors are more potent, compelling him to teach against his own beliefs. (3) The internal factors emerge as more powerful than external constraints, which means the professor chooses to teach as he wishes but has to do it with extraordinary effort because he has to withstand external pressures. Conclusions. (1) Professors teach history primarily by lecturing, which contains primarily factual information. (2) Many factors account for the continued dominance of the lecturing format. It is the responsibility of professors to balance the internal strength and external constraints for a viable pedagogy. (3) Individual professors do have limited discretion and do make teaching choices. Their decisions on instruction are based on their beliefs and confidence in their command of the subject matter and ideas of pedagogy.
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