This study investigated the effects of computer and print text density on learning, and the nature and effects of learner preference for different density levels in both print and computer presentation modes. Subjects were 48 undergraduate teacher education majors, who were assigned at random to six treatment groups in which a statistics lesson…

Proposes directions to help researchers balance instructional technology goals with the performance of well-designed and scientifically sound studies. Issues concerning the external validity of studies, use of media replications, and learner control as a means of adapting instructional strategies to individuals are emphasized, and designs for…

The various methods of adaptive instruction can provide college faculty with options for tailoring educational experiences according to the learning situation. In conventional, lecture-type instruction, the pace and difficulty level is the same for all students, allowing for no individualization. By encouraging the students to take responsibility…

Description of a microcomputer-based instructional strategy used to adapt computer assisted instruction (CAI) to individual learners' needs highlights its use with elementary school arithmetic classes to solve work problems. Experiments with a control group that received conventional problems are described, and applications for undergraduate…

Two programs for providing distance tutoring for at-risk elementary school children were implemented and evaluated in successive years. Each program employed 10 graduate education students as tutors for approximately 25 sixth-grade children, i.e., 2-3 tutees per student. Tutoring exercises were oriented around writing and language skills…

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…

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…

Three adaptive models encompassing variations of instructional support, incentives, and context of presentations were developed and validated through eight separate studies which compared the teaching of statistics under computer-managed instruction or teacher-managed systems. Results indicate instructional support adaptations were effective, but…

The development and evaluation of several microcomputer-based strategies designed to facilitate learning how to solve mathematics word problems by personalizing examples in accord with individuals' background and interests are described in this paper. The first of two studies conducted with fifth and sixth grade students to evaluate these…

Describes study of undergraduate teacher education majors which was designed to examine the function of text density level (high, low, or learner controlled) and various learner characteristics in learning from expository text in computer based instruction (CBI). Selection of print media versus CBI is discussed, pretests and posttests are…

Describes study designed to investigate the effectiveness of personalizing verbal math problems on division of fractions for fifth and sixth grades using microcomputer-generated lessons. Treatment and control group results are analyzed, and results support the hypothesis that the personalized context group was superior in problem solving and had…

Designed to develop a more practical model for adapting context to learner interests, this study used computer-based instruction to make alternative contexts for statistics problems--sports, business, education, or no-context--available for selection by individual learners. The subjects were 227 undergraduate students enrolled in required…