Comparative and non-comparative evaluation in educational technology

(Impact of Online Instruction on Teachers’ Learning And Attitudes toward Technology

Integration)

By:

Yuliang LIU, Ph.DSouthern Illinois University

USA2005

Compression items

Non Comparative

study

comparative study

Type of the study

Non Comparative studyLearners perception and

performance, comparative study…

the purpose

The purpose of the study is to

explore the ways in which the

students and the teacher responded

to the texts they read and discussed

together in two environments

the purpose of this study is to

explore

the potential impact of online

instruction in a graduate course

affects K-12 teachers’ attitudes

towards technology integration in

schools and learning performance in

the United States.

The problem of the study

this study looks to articulate the

various ways that these response

environments are utilized by the

students and teachers.

This syudy seeks to examine the

potintial impacts of online

instruction on teacher’s learning and

attitude toward Technology

Integration

Compression items

Non Comparative

study

comparative study

Research Questions

•In what ways does the teacher

facilitate student responses?

•How do the students respond to

texts and to each other?

•What is the potential impact of

online instruction in a graduate

course affects K-12 teachers’

attitudes towards technology

integration in schools and learning

performance in the United States?

Participants

•Fifth-grade students and their

teacher

The Students:

The classroom had a total of 20

participants

The Teacher:

Mr. Tyler Springs, the teacher of the

class, was also a participant engaged

in the study

Nineteen participants in both the

experimental group (Online

section) and control group

(traditional section) were pre-tested

and post-tested with the Stages of

Concerns (SoC) Questionnaire.

They are divided in these two

groups as ( 14 participant in the

experimental group) and ( 5

in the control group)

Compression items

Non Comparative

study

comparative study

Instruments

1. Observation: observed in both

face-to-face group conversations

and in an on-line threaded

discussion environment

2. Conversations and Interviews:

with the teacher, ( informal )

3. Observational Field Notes :

notes that included a summary

of the daily events, particular

items of interest, and any

changes that occurred in the

schedule of classroom events.

)SoC (Questionnaire, assesses

7 stages of concern,

divided into internal and

external concerns. The

first four internal

(awareness, informal,

personal, and

management). The last

three stages are external

including consequence,

collaboration, and

refocusing. The

questionnaire consists of

35 items that participants

rate using an eight-point

Likert scale that ranges

from ‘not true of me now’

(0) to ‘very true of me’

(7). High numbers

indicate high concern and

low numbers, low

concern.

Compression items

Non Comparative

study

comparative study

instruments• Document Analysis: Hand-

written documents created by the

students during class.

◦ Pre-test: administered in

paper-and pencil format

in both sections to

measure the initial state

of K-12 teachers’

attitudes.

◦ Post-test: administered

during the final week in

both sections to measure

the developmental state of

the K-12 teachers’

attitudes affected by

online instruction over

the semester

Compression items

Non Comparative

study

comparative study

The results.

1. The research found that in the

on-line, computer mediated

environment the students led

the conversation, posing

questions and responding to

each other without teacher

intervention.

2. data illustrated that some students

enjoyed the threaded discussion

environment more than other

students. All students engaged

at turns at talk in both

environments, though the

students only took significant

responsibility for posing

questions in the on-line

environment

1. Results indicate that online

instruction can be a viable

alternative and can be as

important as traditional

instruction for higher education.

2. Online instruction significantly

promoted online learner’s

concern only in personal stage.

3. No significant differences were

found in other six stages of SoC

questionnaire between the two

groups.

4. No significant differences were

found in students’ final course

grades between two groups.

Compression items

Non Comparative study

comparative study

Advantages

This study hopes to help teachers’

growing understandings of how to

support student conversations and

reading comprehension.

◦ Results have implications for

international educators and

educational researchers since

there is an increasing demand of

online instruction in educational

and other settings all over the

world.

◦ promises contributions to the

current literature in the area of

online instruction and distance

education.

◦ It uses the SoC instrument,

which can measure, over time, a

continuum of attitudes an

individual may develop during a

certain period time.

Compressio

n items

Non

Comparative

study

comparative

study

Disadvantage

s

1. it did not incorporate the

study of other authors and

other genres of literature.

2. the two groups read two

different books. This was a

limitation as comparisons

across the two groups were

challenging.

1. both experimental and control

groups are not balanced in

terms of the number of

participants in the present

study,

2. in the traditional section, the

instructor also did PowerPoint

presentations; students also

accessed/printed the

instructor’s chapter notes

from WebCT before the class

in the present study.

Non comparative study:Title : Examining the experience of reader-response in an on-line

environment: a study of a middle school classroomAuthor: Arnold, Jacqualine Marshall Degree: Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Teaching and Learning,

2006. Advisor: Patricia L ScharerResource : http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?acc_num=osu1164637393