The changes brought about by society's move from an industrial to an information society has brought with it changes in the way that society operates - from the way we do business to the way we entertain ourselves and, increasingly, in the way we educate our children. That the society of tomorrow requires new skills to survive and operate had been, and continues to be, debated in a growing number of books and in the popular media. More and more educationists are calling for schools to 'restructure' so as to be able to provide the skills that this new society requires, especially those related to the management of information. The nature of these skills are discussed, together with the potential provided by information technology, particularly computers, to provide them. The current use of computers in schools is addressed, together with the apparent inability of schools to generate effective change from within using in-service training. The researcher suggests that this makes it imperative that teacher training institutions provide the next generation of teacher-trainees with a thorough understanding of the requirements of an information society and the tools that it uses. The research undertaken attempted to provide final year primary education teacher-trainees with one example of the way in which the electronic database can be used to change the teaching of history. By researching in the field and entering data into a data base, the teacher-trainees were able to look at information in new ways. By selecting and sorting data by different fields, they were able to act as ' true' historians - each interacting with the data in his or her own way to extract knowledge that is arguably unique for each participant. The data base was then used with a class of standard four pupils, with the researcher acting as participant observer. The reactions and responses of the pupils to the data was noted and these are discussed in the results . A non-participant observer, also a primary school history -teacher, provided input with respect to the validity of the learning experience and to act as a control. The research is described, together with the observations of the researcher, teacher-trainees and pupils involved. The observations of the non-participant observer are also discussed. Shortfalls and difficulties encountered are pointed out, and areas for further research suggested.

In the field of Biology there is a reasonable amount of software available for educational use but in the researcher's experience there are few teachers who take the computer into the classroom/laboratory, Teachers will make use of video machines and tape recorders quite happily, but a computer is a piece of apparatus which they are not prepared to use in the classroom/laboratory. This thesis is an attempt to devise an educational package, consisting of a Selection Form and an Evaluation Form, which can be used by teachers to select and evaluate educational software in the field of Biology. The forms were designed specifically for teachers to use in preparation of a computer lesson. The evaluation package also provides the teacher with a means of identifying whether the lesson has achieved its objectives or not. The teacher may also be provided with feedback about the lesson. The data is gathered by means of a questionnaire which the pupils complete. It would appear that teachers are uncertain as regards the purchase of software for their subject from the many catalogues that are available. The evaluation package implemented in this research can be regarded as the beginnings of a data base for the accumulation of information to assist teachers with details on which software to select. Evidence is provided in this thesis for the practical application of the Selection and Evaluation Forms, using Biology software.

The knowledge explosion of the last decade has left education in schools far behind. The emphasis in schools must change if they are to prepare students for their future lives. Tertiary institutions as well as commerce and industry need people who have well-developed cognitive skills. A further requirement is that the school leaver must have skills pertaining to information processing. The skills that are required are those which have been labelled higher order thinking skills. The work of Piaget, Thomas and Bloom have led to a better understanding of what these skills actually are. Resnick sees these skills as being: nonalgorithmic; complex; yielding multiple solutions; involving nuanced judgements; involving the application of multiple criteria; involving uncertainty; involving self-regulation of the thinking process; imposing meaning and being effortful. How these can be taught and the implication of doing so are considered by the researcher. The outcome of this consideration is that higher order - thinking entails communication skills, reasoning, problem solving and self management. The study takes the form of an investigation of a particular case: whether a Biology field trip could be used as a source of information, which could be handled by a computer, so that higher order thinking skills could be acquired by students. Students were instructed in the use of a Database Management System called PARADOX. The students then went on an excursion to a Rocky Shore habitat to collect data about the biotic and abiotic factors pertaining to that ecosystem. The students worked in groups sorting data and entering it into the database. Once all the data had been entered the students developed hypotheses and queried the database to obtain evidence to substantiate or disprove their hypotheses. Whilst this was in progress the researcher obtained data by means of observational field notes, tape recordings, evoked documents and interviews. The qualitative data was then arranged into classes to see if it showed that the students were using any of the higher order thinking skills. The results showed that the students did use the listed higher order thinking skills whilst working on the database.

The demand for innovative end users of information technology is increasing along with the proliferation of computer equipment within the workplace. This has resulted in increasing demands being made upon educational institutions responsible for the education of computer end users. The demands placed upon the teachers are particularly high. Large class groups and limited physical resources make the task especially difficult. One of the most time consuming, yet important, tasks is that of student evaluation. To effectively assess the practical work of information technology students requires intensive study of the storage media upon which the students'efforts have been saved. The purpose of this study was to assess the suitability of criterion-referenced testing techniques applied to the evaluation of end user computing students. Objective questions were administered to the students using Question Mark, a computer-managed test delivery system which enabled quick and efficient management of scoring and data manipulation for empirical analysis. The study was limited to the classroom situation and the assessment of primary spreadsheet skills. In order to operate within these boundaries, empirical techniques were used which enabled the timeous analysis of the students' test results. The findings of this study proved to be encouraging. Computer-mediated criterion-referenced testing techniques were found to be sufficiently reliable for classroom practice when used to assess primary spreadsheet skills. The validation of the assessment technique proved to be problematic because of the constraints imposed by normal classroom practice as well as the lack of an established methodology for evaluating spreadsheet skills. However, sufficient evidence was obtained to warrant further research aimed at assessing the use of computer-mediated criterion-referenced tests to evaluate information technology end user learning in situations beyond the boundaries of the classroom, such as a national certification examination.

Computers are a valuable tool for education. Studies have proven that the computer can assist in the development of a positive self-concept and a positive attitude toward school. Computers can increase student-teacher interaction and achievement by individualizing the learning process. The research clearly documents the dominance of males in the computer field. Home economics educators have the ability to assist individuals and families in using this tool to their best advantage. This research study included 224 students at Sir Charles Tupper School in Vancouver, B.C. The students were thirteen or fourteen years of age and in grade nine or ten. The study was conducted between September 1989 and February 1990. The purpose of this study was to determine if the integration of computers into home economics can encourage attitude changes and promote equitable computer use between male and female students. This study will test the assertion of previous research that indicates females are less interested in computers and less likely to use computers than males. Can females do as well as males and males as well as females when given the opportunity to study personally relevant material under the supervision of a female role model? Of the 224 students in the study, 185 were in the control group and 39 were in the treatment group. The treatment involved participation in the new course, Computers in the Home. This course studies the impact of computers on family life, and explores personal and home computer applications. The survey was designed to assess student attitudes toward the computer and how they may have changed as a result of the course. Student responses to the survey were analyzed using SPSS-X and Chi-Square analyses were performed to determine any significant differences. During the period of study, the enrollment patterns in both Computer Science and Computers in the Home refute the majority of research in that more females than males were enrolled in these computer classes. It was expected and postulated that students enrolled in Computers in the Home would have been exposed to a different experience than those not enrolled. Unfortunately, there was no significant difference between the attitudes of the students enrolled in the course and students not enrolled in Computers in the Home. Although empirical observation throughout the study period lead the researcher to believe there were differences, statistical analysis of the survey responses did not support this observation. Males overtly displayed their enjoyment—they were more adventurous, aggressive and curious. Female students were quieter and tended to be more covert toward this machine. Since no difference in attitude was found, this research study has shown that females are as interested and use computers as often as male students at Sir Charles Tupper School. Although females react differently toward computers, the general trend appears to be moving toward more equitable computer experiences for all. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

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The goal of this project is to create a piece of educational software that most anyone can use without prior instruction. The intended audience is secondary level students and up. The content of the software is in the form of a data bank on vertebrates and invertebrates of the Caribbean ocean.

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