This field experiment begins to build a theoretical framework for exploring the effects of media characteristics on subjects' understanding and integration of information. Students in two eighth-grade science classes wrote term papers with one class using a print encyclopedia and the other an electronic encyclopedia to conduct their research. A…

A study was conducted to compare the relative effectiveness of interactive video (IV) and linear video (LV) as delivery modes for the acquisition of basic photography skills in an independent learning environment at the college level. It was postulated that a self-instructional, self-paced approach would be beneficial because of the wide diversity…

A quantitative or meta-analytic review was conducted of studies comparing computer-based education (CBE) to conventional instruction in precollege classrooms. Seventy-four studies were included in the review; sources included earlier reviews by Hartley, Burns, and authors from the University of Michigan, and the ERIC and Comprehensive Dissertation…

This study conducted at Texas A&M University compares two types of training approaches using ERIC SilverPlatter (ERIC SP). Education students received either: (1) a one hour training session on basic search commands and strategies, or (2) a four page instructional handout that described basic search commands, Boolean logic, and special…

This study investigated the potential individual and combinatorial effects of learning strategy training and ability on children's acquisition of new concepts, and considered whether use of the generation of examples strategy would transfer to new concept lessons once the training had been completed. Subjects were 178 sixth grade students who were…

This report describes a procedure for developing multimedia instructions that are "optimized" according to certain criteria, and in particular, compares the effect on performance in building from memory using: (1) interactive videodisc-based assembly instructions or (2) passive videotape instructions. It was found that the group…

Factors contributing to the uniqueness of educational software are analyzed from contextual and textual perspectives. Contextual (or external) technological, economic, and social factors are examined briefly, and are identified as the dominant factors in the future evolution of educational software. Feedback and interactiveness, two significant…

This in-depth review of the literature synthesizes articles and abstracts identified as education-oriented microcomputer research studies published since 1979. A brief, historic overview of educational computing is followed by a review of the Becker (1983) survey, which concerned the distribution of microcomputers in education in the United…

This critical review and evaluation of the literature covers the field of computer assisted instruction (CAI) and reading from its inception to the present day. Seventeen research studies are discussed as well as four surveys of previous research in this field. Major issues addressed include the effectiveness of CAI and computer managed…

Flight simulators, computer-based instruction (including both computer-assisted and computer-managed instruction), and maintenance training simulators are as effective, when used for training, as aircraft, conventional classroom instruction, and actual equipment, respectively. Data from about 100 studies are reported to support this finding. These…

This study examined the effectiveness of computer assisted instruction (CAI) in improving the mathematics achievement and academic self-confidence of black students in an Education Entrance Examination (EEE) seminar at a predominantly black college in South Carolina. Subjects were 49 students participating in the seminar, 43% black males and 47%…

Inconsistencies in the use of terminology to describe instructional treatments, confounding of discovery and expository methods with other aspects of instruction, and inconsistencies in defining independent and dependent variables within and between studies have all contributed to the lack of definitive conclusions about the effectiveness of…

Self-instructional booklets simulating computer-assisted instruction (CAI) were used to teach four basic concepts in science to first graders in three treatment groups which received different types of feedback--hints, correct answers, and right or wrong. A control group received neither instruction nor feedback. A multiple-choice test was…

To assess the instructional effectiveness and user acceptance of a computer-controlled videodisc program designed to teach medical students to recognize and assess motor dysfunction in infants, an experimental group of third year medical students (N=65) were instructed using the videodisc program; a corresponding control group (N=70) did not use…

One of the important components of the elaboration theory (Reigeluth, 1979) is the synthesizer, which provides information to relate and integrate a set of concepts and which can appear in different formats. This study investigated the effectiveness of three formats of post-instruction synthesizer on student recall of definitions of concepts and…