This study examined the effects of computer-assisted testing on text anxiety, achievement and student attitudes toward a course. One hundred students from an undergraduate educational psychology class were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first group of students was assigned to take all of their unit examinations using computer-assisted testing (CAT). For those in the CAT group, examinations were presented on microcomputers. The second group of students took the same examinations using regular paper and pencil testing procedures (RT). With the exception of testing methods, an attempt was made to keep all other factors relating to course administration consistent for both groups. Pre and posttest measures of the students' levels of test anxiety were obtained during the course, using the Achievement Anxiety Test (AAT). Both debilitating and facilitating anxiety scores were used from the AAT. Achievement was assessed using a comprehensive final examination at the end of the course. Student attitudes toward the course were measured using a course evaluation form. It was hypothesized that assignment to CAT would result in higher scores on the facilitating anxiety scales and lower scores on the debilitating anxiety scale. The study also postulated that students exposed to CAT would demonstrate higher levels of performance on the final achievement test. Finally, it was theorized that students in the CAT group would rate the course more positively than the students exposed to regular testing procedures. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance procedures. The results of the analysis indicated that there were no significant differences between the CAT and RT groups in terms of test anxiety, achievement, or attitudes toward the course. In comparing traditional and computer-assisted testing, the present study suggests that it may be possible to obtain the ease of test administration, feedback, item analysis, and record keeping provided by a computer, without affecting student testing behaviors or test norms.

A key aspect of how we understand the world revolves around an ability to manipulate our surroundings to experiment. From the scientific method through theories of child development, the ability to experiment is deemed critical; however, few studies have been performed to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different experimental strategies. This dissertation investigated the effectiveness of several different experimental strategies when learning about an unknown system. An empirical study was performed using binary functions as hypotheses and using computer programs to model several different experimental strategies. These strategies were derived from our definition of a normative experiment selector, which described how an idealized experimenter should select experiments. A detailed program of study was performed on these computer programs to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the experimental strategies they implemented. The number of experiments needed to determine a target theory from an initial set of hypotheses was measured. Two key discoveries were made. First, we discovered that simple experimental strategies were the most effective. For example, the most effective strategy we discovered was experimental relevance selecting any experiment guaranteeing elimination of at least a single hypothesis from the set being considered. Complex strategies to determine the optimal experiment to perform were very costly for a slight performance gain. Second, we discovered that only two factors had any major effect on performance: the number of experimental outcomes and the number of initial hypotheses considered. The number of experiments available to the experiment selector had little or no effect. Our best situations were where: (a) only a small number of hypotheses were possible, (b) each experiment had a large number of outcomes, and (c) relevant experiments were easy to determine and perform. / Graduation date: 1991

Job aids are instruments used on the job to improve human performance by enhancing the knowledge and/or skills of performers. Conventional job aids are usually printed on paper; examples include checklists, recipes, and decision tables. Expert systems are computerized job aids which interact with novices to help solve problems normally reserved for human experts. Because expert systems emulate human intelligence, they are sometimes called intelligent job aids. The purpose of this study was to extend the body of knowledge concerning conventional and intelligent job aids. The intent was to learn what major differences and similarities exist in the design, development, and application of conventional and intelligent job aids. If meaningful differences in the application were found, an additional aim was to determine why they existed. Job aids were developed to assist technicians in diagnosing problems with Robert Bosch electronic fuel injection systems found on certain John Deere diesel engines. The job aids were validated and then field tested by 42 John Deere technicians. Subjects used both job aids to solve problems with a mock fuel system. The diagnoses were video-taped for later evaluation, and subjects proffered their opinions about the job aids through questionnaires and in interviews. For this project, the intelligent job aid contained more textual and graphical content and required significantly more time and resources to develop. In terms of accuracy and efficiency, the job aids were comparable. Most users preferred the intelligent job aid though it required more time to learn to use than the conventional job aid. The age, education, or experience of the users did not influence their opinions of the job aids. However, the order in which the job aids were used did affect opinions; subjects that used the conventional job aid prior to the intelligent job aid were more likely to prefer the intelligent job aid. Implications for job aid project selection, design, and application are provided. / Graduation date: 1991

The purpose of this dissertation study was to investigate a specific computer-assisted instructional software, Study Hall 101, in fifth-grade science. The study was conducted on an urban, elementary school campus in a northeastern school district in Texas. A mixed-methods approach was utilized in an attempt to understand two teachers’ perceptions about its use in fifth-grade science and evaluate its impact on fifth-grade students’ attitudes toward science. The first inquiry employed a qualitative research design in an attempt to understand teachers’ perceptions towards the use of Study Hall 101. Data collection methods used in this study included interviews, focus groups, and electronic-mail (e-mail) responses to open-ended sentence stems. Four favorable themes emerged from teachers’ responses: (1) students' attitudes toward science, (2) students’ participation in science class discussions, (3) content individualization, and (4) students’ engagement. Teachers’ frustrations also emerged into themes: (1) time constraints, (2) technology glitches, and (3) specific design elements. The second inquiry employed a quantitative research design in an attempt to investigate the impact of Study Hall 101 on seventy fifth-grade students’ attitudes toward science after an eight-week period. The Modified Attitudes Toward Science Inventory (mATSI) was used for data collection and was administered to students on two occasions, before and after treatment. Results indicated no statistically significant change in fifth-grade students’ overall attitudes toward science as a result of its use; however, two statistically significant findings did occur when data were analyzed across attribute variables of gender, ethnicity, and economic status, as well as specific domains within the mATSI. First, the use of Study Hall 101 was associated with males’ and females’ attitudes in opposite ways in regard to one domain of the mATSI: self-concept toward science. Second, students in the control group experienced a decline in another attitude domain of the mATSI: desire to do science. The results of this study contribute to the field of K-12 education as we search for effective educational tools to reach diverse student populations. This study concludes that teachers’ perceptions of this software are favorable and that its use in fifth-grade science should be considered as a tool to engage students in their own learning process.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Lehigh University, 2000. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-152).

Thesis (PhD(Computer-Assisted Education))--Universiteit van Pretoria, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Open University. BLDSC no. DX222119.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2008. / Adviser: Barbara A. Fritzsche. Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-150).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 98 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 84-87).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.