There have been many practical obstacles for teachers to implement evidence-based educational technology, especially in STEM classrooms. By implementing learning principles related to Cognitive Load Theory, we developed an innovative Technology-Assisted Guided Learning (TAGL) approach and its web-based instructional tool, combining expertise from…

In this study, we explore how two different prompt types within an online computer-based inquiry learning environment enhance 392 7th grade students' explanations of evolution with three teachers. In the "elaborating" prompt condition, students are prompted to write explanations that support the accepted theory of evolution. In the…

Orchestrating inquiry-based science learning in the classroom is a complex undertaking. It requires fitting the culture of the classroom with the teacher's teaching and inquiry practices. To understand the interactions between these variables in relation to student learning, we conducted an investigation in two different classroom settings to…

Analyzes student discourse in 4 grade-12 lab groups working on microcomputer-based laboratories. Analysis reveals the role the computer plays in the group context and the ways that this context is shaped by the computer. Contains 22 references. (Author/JRH)

Teachers' failure to use the microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) more widely may be a result of not recognizing its capacity to transform laboratory activities. This research aimed to increase understanding of how MBL activities designed to be consistent with a constructivist theory of learning support or constrain student construction of…

Examines college students' perception of an interactive videodisc learning system as an alternative to the conventional laboratory for learning biology skills and concepts taught under classroom laboratory conditions. Reports that the videodisc instruction gave more experimental and procedural options and more efficient use of time than the…

Two focusing hypotheses were evaluated. First, do adjunct questions, focusing on science concepts and inserted after computer-animated sequences, selectively alter students' attentional processing and thus produce differential learning effects? Second, to these questions still provide enough metacognitive scaffolding to produce differential…

Discusses a study which focused on students' actual programming behavior. Descriptive data revealed that the high school students spent little time in planning their programs or writing their code. Their debugging behavior was characterized as a trial and error strategy. (ML)

Determined the effect of computer assisted instruction (CAI) materials on college students' attitudes toward computers and chemistry. Includes the finding that the attitude of women toward computers was improved by using CAI.

Describes a project where computer-assisted graphical data analyses were introduced to inner-city high school students with weak math and science backgrounds. Provides examples of performance of students on open-ended problem-solving tasks. (PR)

This study examined the impact of a biology course emphasizing computer simulation on student achievement and student attitudes toward science. The students in the experimental group were placed in a class limited to 16 students to have 2 students to each computer. (YP)

This study investigated what constitutes exploratory learning and what effects instructional support measures have on it. Among the conclusions were that students were reluctant to apply learning processes that are considered characteristic for exploratory learning. Students had problems with the process, especially with the process of generating…

Examines the effect of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on students' understanding of chemical formulas and mole concept, and their attitudes toward chemistry and CAI. Reports that students who used the CAI accompanied with lectures scored significantly higher and demonstrated significant improvement in attitudes compared to the control group…

Presents data indicating that learning can be enhanced when information is presented that illustrates how science information can be used to solve problems. The experiments showed positive results through use of video-based macro-contexts. (ML)

Reports on a study designed to investigate how the use of computer assisted instruction (CAI) tutorial programs, incorporating advance organizers and involving various sizes of groups of subjects, would affect achievement scores, retention scores, and rates of learning. (TW)