In a study designed to see how students accommodated a new technology, 27 eighth graders used a microcomputer in a middle school science class to access a commercial videotex service containing an electronic encyclopedia as part of an assignment to write a theme. Field observations of computer use and student interviews were used to collect data.…

This study of microcomputer use to access an online encyclopedia revealed attitudes of eighth-graders towards computer technology and videotex. Electronic searching is compared to searching with traditional library print materials for a science course, the role of computer printouts is discussed, and research methods including observation and…