The work described started in primary schools in three Welsh counties in September 1981. The project strove to: (1) evaluate currently available commercially produced software and (2) provide a practical introduction to computer use in junior and infant schools. The work involved approximately 2,000 students and 80 teachers. (MP)

Describes a preliminary investigation in which students were taught BASIC programing using deliberately bugged programs, with program descriptions and photographs of screen as it should look if programs were running correctly. Includes educational issues involved, constraints of the investigation, sample programs, subjective/statistical analyses,…

Reviews findings from change process research connecting current issues in the microcomputer movement. Concludes with a call for descriptive studies emphasizing development of hypotheses and theory building, particularly in further research and development efforts around software and implementation issues. (MP)

A Microcomputer-Implemented Design Aid and Simulator (MIDAS) has been developed and used as an interactive learning system by electrical engineering students at the freshman and sophomore level. Evaluation of the system indicates that a great potential exists in the area of dedicated, inexpensive, interactive learning systems. User acceptance has…

Highlights a study which indicates that although elementary schools play a key role in the way children use home computers, the machines may stir up conflict between schools and parents. In addition, it was found that microcomputers reinforce the existing family structure rather than altering it in any fundamental way. (JN)

Two reports have been issued related to a survey of school uses of microcomputers. Summarizes several major findings, indicating that they are contrary to what many people think is happening in schools. Source for additional information and newsletter from the project conducting the survey is included. (JN)

Seven graduate students in a seminar on classroom computing received instruction in LOGO programming. Programming protocols were collected periodically and examined for errors and misconceptions; in-depth interviews were conducted in order to understand specific misconceptions better. As novice students transit from instruction to experience in…

Surveyed the entire middle school population of a rural-suburban school district to determine the general attitudes of students toward computers. Findings are reported for differences in general attitudes toward computers between boys and girls, seventh and eighth-graders, and those who had computers and those who did not. (JN)

Examined effects of beginning computer programing instruction, sex, and home computers on the attitudes of fifth-grade students (N=49). Results of this pilot study showed higher attitudes following instruction and no differences between the sexes or between those who had computers and those who did not. (JN)

Abstracts from eight papers presented at the June 1982 National Educational Computing Consortium (NECC '82) conference in Kansas City, Missouri are provided. It is noted copies of the conference proceedings may be purchased from the Department of Computer Science, University of Iowa. The papers examine a variety of educational aspects. (MP)

An elective unit was developed for a course (Math 20) which would teach students to program solutions to typical exercises. Development of the unit took place in a large senior high school in Alberta. The elective is 15 hours long, with the first five hours devoted to learning programming fundamentals and the final ten hours to programming…

The Mathematics Teacher Development Program was an effort to develop the skills of classroom teachers in the use of handheld calculators and microcomputer systems. It was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and Loyola University, and it consisted of an academic portion and an intense 3-week, full-time summer session. The focus of this…

Prepared as an address for educator groups, this paper provides a theoretical perspective for thinking about problems and prospects for integrating microcomputer uses in school activities. Six major aspects of the perspective are defined: (1) the computer as general-purpose symbolic device; (2) the importance of developmental studies of children's…

Discusses: educational needs of today's technological society; educational opportunities made possible by computers and other information technologies; research needed to realize such opportunities (including research on cognitive processes, social issues, use of computers as intellectual tools and tutors, and other areas); educational research…

Presents a summary of responses to a brief survey of physiology chairpersons (N=117) on use of computer-based education (CBE) materials in physiology and an overview of discussions that occurred at a workshop focusing on this topic. Indicates that the popular use of materials is for simulations of physiological systems. (JN)