Discussion of the instructional effectiveness of educational software focuses on a study of undergraduates that investigated the effectiveness of a problem-solving program designed to assist students in solving nonlinear optimization problems. Results are reported that indicate manual procedures resulted in greater learning than use of the…

Describes a study that was conducted to determine whether paired/cooperative computer-assisted instruction (CAI) was as effective as individual instruction. Treatment of experimental and control groups is explained, and the effects of pairings based on cognitive style--i.e., field dependence and field independence--on achievement and student…

Describes results of a meta-analysis that was performed to synthesize existing research on the effects of computer programing on cognitive outcomes. Effect size is used to evaluate studies that used experimental and control groups to assess the relationship between computer programing and cognitive skills, and outcome measures are discussed. (79…

This study examined cognitive processes and outcomes associated with student knowledge base development. Sixty-nine students from two grade 8 classes were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a knowledge base development (KBD) group, a problem-solving software group, and a control group. Those in the KBD group received relevant instruction…

The interaction of adult learning styles and the media, methods of instruction, and group functioning in a distance learning class using audiographics and computer-mediated communication was studied and compared with similar interaction in non-equivalent traditional classes. One graduate class in theory and practice of distance education, taught…

This research experiment studied the effect of humor versus non-humor on learning and retention of a computer-based instructional (CBI) lesson on tick identification. The experiment also surveyed the subjects' enjoyment of the lesson material, their personal experiences with ticks, and their concerns about ticks and tick-borne diseases.…

This research examined the impact of the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) project on seventh grade students in the year following their ACOT participation in sixth grade. Subjects were 24 former ACOT students and 29 matched control students, all of whom had attended sixth grade at the same school. All subjects were minority students…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of three levels of learner control (no control, moderate control, and high control) on the achievement and continuing motivation of Hispanic students. Two weeks prior to the experimental part of the study, 101 seventh and eighth grade Hispanics were pre-assessed along an internal-external…

This research project was designed to explore ways of making computer text presentations more readable as a way of compensating for the constraints that computers impose on the display of text as compared with print-on-paper displays, e.g., limited screen resolution and display area. Forty-eight undergraduate teacher education majors enrolled in…

This investigation of the effect of typing skill on using a word processor for composition hypothesized that students who had learned keyboarding skills would: (1) write longer essays when using a word processor; (2) revise their essays more when using a word processor; (3) feel more positive about typing when using a word processor than students…

The purpose of this experimental study was to determine the effects of interactive video versus traditional lecture on cognitive learning and affective behaviors of undergraduate nursing students. It was hypothesized that there would be no significant differences in the cognitive achievement scores of students taught by an interactive videodisk…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of animated instruction and levels of practice on application learning in a computer-based instructional (CBI) science lesson. A total of 119 fourth and fifth grade students participated in an introductory lesson covering Newton's Laws of Motion. Three levels of visual elaboration (static…

A critical process in developing lessons for computer-based instruction (CBI) is to determine the manner in which information will be displayed on the screen, taking care not to ignore the computer's special display capabilities. The underlying assumption of this study was that reducing the density of text presentation would be effective for…

Two self-contained fourth grade classrooms were compared during a 1-year study conducted in a small rural community in Indiana. Pre-test measures consisted of the previous year's third grade scores on the Cognitive Abilities test and a self-developed inventory of attitude toward school and computers. The control group (n=28) received instruction…

The Corrective Feedback Paradigm (CFP), a computer-based instruction model, addresses the problem of inefficient sequencing of items in a set to be learned by suggesting the use of an increasing ratio review schedule for presenting drill items. With this system, items answered correctly are either removed from the list entirely or replaced at the…