Discusses the results of an ongoing research study to measure college students' microcomputer literacy before taking a microcomputer course. A brief review of the literature on computer literacy is provided, a comparative analysis of results is given, and a microcomputer literacy index is described that measures literacy and ranks students.…

Undergraduates in a computer literacy class were pretested on analogical reasoning skills. One section then received LOGO programing instruction, and the other section received nonprograming instruction on computer uses in education. Posttest results indicated that analogical reasoning skills development is a consequence of LOGO programing and…

Pretests measuring critical thinking ability and mental alertness were administered to 72 first-year college students at the beginning of an introductory computer programing course. Posttests administered at the end of the semester showed significant improvement in both areas, indicating that instruction in programing improves students' critical…

Describes an investigation which assessed predictive value of Iowa Test of Educational Development, Science Research Associates Inc.'s Computer Programming Aptitude Battery, and Wolfe Programming Aptitude Test for predicting secondary school students' success in computer science courses, to develop a prediction model, and to estimate mastery…

The purpose of this study was to compare experimentally the relative effectiveness of two instructional media--a computer-based display unit and a programed-text booklet--for presenting selected instructional units of a common program for teaching FORTRAN IV. In conducting the study a common program for teaching FORTRAN was prepared and presented…

Describes a study designed to determine if college students' success in writing computer programs is related to level of cognitive development as described by Piaget, verbal ability, and mathematics reasoning. Regression analysis showed that level of cognitive development, when combined with verbal reasoning, is linearly predictive of programming…

The compilation of a dictionary for automatic translation from Russian to English is described in detail. Emphasis is placed on: (1) morphological and functional classifications of Russian words, (2) dictionary compilation, (3) the structure of signs, (4) automatic information-processing machines, (5) from the automatic dictionary to the automatic…

Reviews a study of 117 students at the University of Saskatchewan which examined the relationship between high school computer experience and university achievement in introductory computer science. The pretests used are described, findings are analyzed, and student withdrawal patterns are discussed. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study that was conducted to investigate the influence of home computer ownership and use on the achievement of second- and fifth-grade students in a programing curriculum. The use of LOGO and BASIC programing curricula is discussed, and results are compared to those from an earlier study. (20 references) (LRW)

This pretest/posttest study measured the change in computer literacy and attitudes toward computers among 36 preservice teachers enrolled in an introductory computer training course that was focused on developing programing skills. Independent variables included age, gender, locus of control, final grade in the course, and prior experience in word…

Discusses strategies for teaching elementary computer programing and describes a study that used two instructional strategies in a computer-based training program designed to teach turtle graphics programing techniques to novice undergraduate students. Learning activities that emphasized either the completion of existing programs or the generation…