This paper questions both what was being tested in prior instructional media research on the educational value of film and television and the value of some of those findings. An alternative way of conceptualizing the communication process that occurs when students view an instructional film or television program is proposed, which places viewers…

In a study that was conducted to measure performance as a function of multimedia instructions, 360 college students in a University of Colorado introductory psychology course were taught to build a model helicopter from an assembly kit. Their instructions consisted of either viewing a narrated film (one or two viewings), or hands-on practice using…

The effects of various interactive video instructional control options and practice on learning were examined in this study. The interactive video lesson was a 30-minute videotape designed to introduce cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Subjects were 48 graduate and undergraduate volunteers, none of whom had prior experience with CPR or…

Current issues in educational communications and technology are addressed in this collection of 48 papers, in which research reports predominate. Topics discussed include factors related to the learner, e.g., field dependence/independence, learning strategies, information processing, spatial ability, cognitive style, and cognitive strategies.…

The effects of encoding specificity were evaluated for learners: (1) in a typical classroom group learning environment, (2) receiving an audiovisual presentation on an academic subject, and (3) in a group testing environment. Encoding specificity involves the interaction between the encoding phase of memory or the learning context, the stored…

The effects of three types of pacing in microcomputer-based instructional programs were examined by evaluating learning competency on five achievement tests ranging in difficulty from memorizing facts to solving problems. Subjects were 100 first-term freshmen enrolled at Ohio State University who completed a microcomputer program on heart…

This study examines the relationship between high computer access and "student empowerment" at the Nashville, Tennessee, site of the Apple Classroom of Tomorrow (ACOT) project. The study rests on the premise that school learning is a function of the work carried out by students in school, and that schoolwork is experienced by students as…

This study investigated the effects of different structures of a synthesizer and formats of the generality component on the application and remember levels of learning. Seventy-three undergraduates participated. Four treatment groups were formed by combining two types of structure (complete versus partial) with two types of format in generality…

A literature search identified 39 studies assessing modality preferences and modality teaching. The studies, involving 3,087 disabled and nondisabled elementary/secondary level subjects, were quantitatively synthesized. Subjects receiving differential instruction based on modality preferences exhibited only modest gains. (Author/JDD)

Briefly reviews current research on the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and microcomputers. The Hawthorne Effect and research results for elementary, secondary, and college level students are discussed, courseware requirements are described, and research studies showing positive and negative effects of CAI are listed. (LRW)

Ninth-grade learners used one of three versions of an interactive video lesson on basic economics theory, one based on knowledge strategy, one on context strategy, and a control version without embedded questions. Results indicated context strategy was as effective as knowledge strategy for teaching declarative knowledge and more effective for…

This study of the effectiveness of three instructional methods in teaching basic subject cataloging determined that microcomputer programed instruction differed significantly from television lecture and printed text in terms of each of three scores on pretest, posttest, and retest (overall achievement, achievement on factual knowledge, problem…

This study investigated the effectiveness of videotape as a medium for communicating skills in audiovisual instruction to education students at a university. Results indicate videotape mediated instruction can be better for developing skills in some practical aspects of audiovisual instruction than the lecture method. (MBR)

In this paper, the authors depict performance ethnography as having multiple ethical dimensions and multiple implications for the relationships between the evaluator and program participants. They have found performance ethnography to be essentially an intimate form of representation that has tremendous implications for the ownership of…

The effectiveness of learning paired associates from a computer-based drill strategy known as the progressive state drill was compared in this study with the effectiveness of having students use their own strategies with flashcards. Characteristics of the progressive state drill which make it a potentially effective drill and practice strategy for…