The price of teacher attrition is high, not only financially, but also in terms of human and institutional costs. The inability to retain beginning teachers contributes significantly to teacher shortages. This study investigates the effect of the preparation program on teacher attrition. Attrition rates of elementary teacher graduates from two…

We report the results of a controlled evaluation of an interactive on-line tutoring system for high school math achievement test problem solving. High school students (N = 202) completed a math pre-test and were then assigned by teachers to receive interactive on-line multimedia tutoring or their regular classroom instruction. The on-line tutored…

Hypertext researchers and designers contend that the hypertext information structures may reflect the semantic structures of human memory. Further, they believe that mapping the semantic structure of an expert onto hypertext information structure and explicitly illustrating that structure in the hypertext will result in improved comprehension…

Learner preferences for varying screen density levels were examined using multiple screen designs (high external validity) and single screen designs (high internal validity). Subjects were 23 graduate and 23 undergraduate student volunteers. When viewing multiple screens for each design in Study I, they indicated the highest preference for medium…

The role pictures and graphics can play in making Telidon, a Canadian home information retrieval videotex service, a viable communications medium is discussed. This report concentrates on contributions of theories of perception and cognition to knowledge of how different kinds of visual images can most effectively be used on Telidon. The issues of…

The purpose of this study was to measure and analyze viewers' electroencephalographic reactions to motion and still pictures, and to increase knowledge on the differential impact of the two modes on brain wave production. Since beta brain wave indicates focused attention, an additional purpose was to determine whether the two media differed…

Seventy-one college students were taught probability and statistics for one month by one of three methods: MP, manipulative-pictorial; P, pictorial; and S, symbolic. Analysis of variance yielded significant differences (p.05) between treatment groups for selected subtests of an achievement test and generally favored MP and P over S.

Three members of the Ohio State University Astronomy department developed an audiovisual program in Astronomy to provide a format for more active student participation than is possible in large lecture sessions. The program consists of 18 filmstrip/cassette modules and an integrated textbook which were utilized on an individual basis, allowing…

Research conducted over the past 80 years is examined to answer three questions on sensory modality as it relates to reading. In the 18 studies reviewed which relate to the superiority of one modality over another, there was no consensus regarding the relative effectiveness of modalities among adults. The evidence leans toward greater…

Effects of trait and state anxiety levels (low, medium, high), response mode (reading, constructed response), and program length (short, long) on performance for familiar and technical computer-assisted instruction materials were investigated. High trait anxiety was associated with high levels of state anxiety. Constructed response groups had…

A study was conducted of Tanzanian adolescent school children's responses to filmic elements. The design included a very large sample in a complicated factorial design, varying such factors as color, type of action, background and sound of the film, and the demographic characteristics of the subjects. Results showed that of these variables,…

With the advent of multi-screen capability in multi-media communication centers, it is possible to control the visual learning environment in a number of interesting ways. The basic assumption implicit in the concept of the multiple-image presentation is that it increases learning. A study tested the effect on learning of single- and…

An experiment compared the effectiveness of color and non-color (black-and-white) pictures in a paired associate learning task. The study also used individual eye movement quantifications as a predictor of preference for color and non-color pictures. Specifically, eye movement fixation patterns were used as indices of preference for color and…

This examination of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) covers early predictions concerning CAI, the variables that have been addressed by CAI research, guidance in identifying the effectiveness of CAI, and future directions for CAI in education. (MER)