Our understanding of how the world works is shaped through countless interactions with things in it. These interactions are our first exposure to science. Through them, we learn that heavy things are hard to push and books do not fall through tables. Our interactions are also shaped by the rules of the groups to which we belong (e.g., families, religious organizations, athletic teams). These rules lead us to accept that some things cannot or should not be done, limiting our interactions with the world. At the same time, these rules change our appreciation for what we do experience. Prior research has focused largely on the separate influences of either physical interactions or social interactions, leaving (relatively) unexplored their combined effects. In this dissertation, I describe how adults understand science related to their long-term participation in a recreational road bicycling group. The cyclists demonstrated a rich understanding of gearing and air resistance that paralleled, on a practical level, the explanations taught in school. This understanding was shaped by the cyclists’ years of physical experience interpreted in light of their individual goals for participating. For the cyclists in this study, knowing the science helped them be more efficient and faster riders. In the end, this study supports the idea that productive and valuable learning takes place in many settings and that it is important to account for the relationship between the social and physical aspects of learning when designing instructional experiences.

This study aimed to explore the impact of pedagogical agents in computer-based listening instruction on EFL students' listening anxiety levels and listening comprehension skills. A total of 66 Korean college students received computer-based listening instruction. Students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: American agent condition, Korean agent condition, or no-agent condition. Additional data sources were included in the experimental design in order to investigate students' learning experience more thoroughly. Results indicated that there were no statistical differences in listening anxiety levels and listening comprehension skills between students who worked with the agent and students who worked without the agent. In addition, there was no statistical difference in listening anxiety levels between students who worked with the Korean agent and students who worked with the American agent. However, survey findings indicated a few differences between the agent condition and the no-agent condition when students were asked to describe their learning experiences. Students from both groups enjoyed the lesson overall; however, their comments revealed some differences. Students in the agent condition regarded the agent as an important contribution to their enjoyable learning experience, and specifically chose the presence of the agent as the reason they would want to work with the program again, while students in the no-agent condition mainly enjoyed the useful functions integrated into the computer-based lesson, and indicated they would work with the program again because it was interesting and helpful. Although there were no statistical differences between the groups, these results seem to illuminate that the guidance provided by the pedagogical agent during the lesson positively affected students' learning experiences, which is in line with previous study findings. The findings from the survey can also provide suggestions regarding what aspects of pedagogical agents should be kept or improved for language learning. More data would strengthen the impact of the results. However, these findings offer practical and theoretical implications for using pedagogical agents in foreign language education.

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the emerging field of electronic distance education CEDE) so as to improve and enhance the delivery of educational programs utilizing EDE. The study was conducted at Utah State University, using an EDE-method (COM-NET) as the research setting. Thirty-seven instructors taught 45 courses over the COM-NET system from Fall quarter, 1985 through Summer quarter, 1986. The design of this study was based upon simple correlation coefficient matrices and the subsequent prediction models of multiple regression analysis. Contextual data were gathered from a solicited instructor self-reporting instrument. The objective was to identify potential relationships between teaching styles and instructional utilities employed on student satisfaction and student performance in an EDE-based learning system. Teaching style data were gathered using the Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD). Instructional utilities data were gathered using the Instructional Utilities Inventory (IUI). Student satisfaction was measured using the USU course evaluation form and student performance assessments were made by using mean grades for those courses taught via COM-NET during the time period of concern in this study. The Abstract/Random teaching style had an effect on student satisfaction. Discovery techniques had an effect on student performance. The Abstract/Random and the Abstract/Sequential teaching styles utilized abstract devices. Instructors were generally enthusiastic about their COM-NET teaching experience. The need for improved on-campus administrative awareness and support in terms of released time and money were identified as measures to improve the system. Instructional flexibility was stressed as important. The COM-NET students performed as well as on-campus students, due in part to their maturity and experiences. It was concluded that instructional presentations have a significant effect on student outcomes. Given the emerging EDE methods more study is necessary to determine precise instructional procedures which result in improved student performances when learning via an EDE system.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the mathematics anxiety treatment messages in a computer-based environment on ninth-grade students' mathematics anxiety and mathematics learning. The study also examined whether the impact of the treatment messages would be differentiated by learner's gender and by learner's prior mathematics anxiety levels (High vs. Medium vs. Low). Participants were 161 ninth-grade students, who took a required introductory algebra class in a public high school neighboring Utah State University. The learning environment was integrated with a pedagogical agent (animated human-like character) as a tutor. This study employed a pretest and posttest experimental design. Participants' mathematics anxiety was measured at the beginning and at the end of the intervention; participants' mathematics learning was measured before and after each lesson (four lessons in total). The participants were randomly assigned to work with either an agent presenting mathematics anxiety treatment messages (TR) or an agent without presenting the treatment messages (NoTR). Because of student attrition, only 128 students were included for data analysis. The results suggested that mathematics anxiety treatment messages provided by a pedagogical agent had no impact on student mathematics anxiety and mathematics learning. Second, there were no main or interaction effects of the treatment messages and learners' gender on mathematics anxiety and mathematics learning. Third, there were significant interaction effects between treatment messages and learner's prior mathematics anxiety levels only on current mathematics anxiety (p < .05). High-anxious students in the TR condition decreased their anxiety more than those in the NoTR condition. Medium-anxious students in the TR condition increased their anxiety whereas those in the NoTR condition decreased their anxiety. Low-anxious students in the TR condition did not change their anxiety whereas those in the NoTR condition increased their anxiety.

The Leadership Education Audio-visual Kit was completed by the Division of Christian Education of the National Churches of Christ in the United states of America in the Fall of 1950. Downey Avenue Christian Church was searching for a method to train teachers not only for the church school but also for the home. This Kit seemed to be the device needed. The problem: How may the Kit be used to challenge each person to teach wherever he has opportunity? To teach is easy but to teach in a manner that the person will grow toward Christ is difficult.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between general course satisfaction, learner-instructor interaction, and the learner-social media interaction scores of participants. This study used an online survey with 60 questions to gather the participants’ demographic data, learner-instructor interaction data, learner-social media interaction data, and general course satisfaction data. Data from the survey were examined through the use of independent sample ttests, one-way ANOVAs, and Pearson Correlations based on 10 participant demographic variables. Of the 10 demographic variables, age, GPA, athletic team participation, and work status were found to have a statically significant relationship with the three constructs. The findings indentified statistical significance between age, work status of participants, and the construct of learner-instructor interaction; between gender, athletic team participation, and the construct of social-media interaction; and between the age, GPA, work status, and the construct of general course satisfaction. Furthermore, learner-instructor interaction and learner-social media interaction had a statistically significant relationship with general course satisfaction. Overall, there was a strong positive correlation between both constructs of learner-instructor interaction and learner social media interaction with general course satisfaction.

The purpose of this thesis is to develop web-based modules for enhancing instruction of the geometry sections of the Virginia Standards of Learning in the seventh and eighth grades. While all of Virginia's seventh and eighth grade Standards of Learning strands are certainly worthy of these types of modules, geometry appeals to me most because of the vast amount of web-based resources that will be valuable when organized into modules. It is my hope that teachers of these grades will find this useful in their instruction of geometry.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between learning styles and student performance on a pre and post test, using an online case study, while also documenting their reactions to the case study. The case studies used in this research contained different storylines that showed multiple perspectives of case scenarios, giving students more choices to see what may happen in real school situations. Working with undergraduate students (N = 138) from the College of Education at a southeastern university, the researcher examined how students learned and responded to an online case study relative to their learning styles. Kolb's learning style inventory and a learner feedback survey questionnaire were administered respectively before and after the case study. Scores on Kolb's learning style inventory were used to classify the students' learning style preferences. A paired samples t-test was used to analyze the learners' knowledge test scores before and after the case study. The data revealed that the mean of students' post-test scores was significantly higher than the mean of their pre-test scores. Using descriptive methods, students' responses to the feedback questionnaire were analyzed. There was no difference shown between students with different learning style preferences, their overall reactions to the case study, and their reactions to certain elements (e.g., the content map, the assistants, and the navigation) included in the case study. Overall, most students' reactions to the case study were positive. Open-ended questions in the feedback questionnaire were analyzed and three assertions were generated. Of the optional features included within the case study, eighty two percent of students used the practice quizzes to self-check whether they understood the concepts and content covered in the cases. Students' post-test scores were congruent with their reactions to the online case study (with higher scoring students expressing more positive responses); and students' preferences regarding the use of online cases for study emerged in patterns relative to their career background. The study results showed that case studies can be used effectively in teacher education programs, while many learners (74%) favored using the case study and developed positive reactions through their case study experiences.

This quantitative research, carried out at the military environment at the Defense Language Institute investigated whether learning approaches could predict learners' language proficiency and learners' attitude towards technology-enhanced language learning (TELL). In addition, it also examined whether learners' demographic factors, such as age, educational backgrounds, prior experience in foreign language learning and in TELL as well as their ability to use PC and the World Wide Web could predict the above mentioned language proficiency and attitude. A cluster sampling method was adopted and data was collected in four Chinese departments at the institute. Both the learning approaches inventory ASSIST and the attitudes towards TELL survey were administered to 158 Chinese language learners. 137 valid responses were obtained. All data were input into SPSS for regression and correlation analyses. Conclusions of the study are as follows: 1. The surface and apathetic approach (p<.01) was a significant predictor for both learners' measured language proficiency and their self-perception of academic performance. 2. The strategic approach was a positive predictor for learners' attitudes towards TELL; whereas, surface and apathetic approach was a negative predictor for learners' attitudes towards TELL. 3. None of the learners' demographic variables could not predict either learners' language proficiency or their attitudes towards TELL. Implications for instructional design, curriculum development, teacher education, as well as relevant research issues were discussed.

Major Advisors: Suzanne Martin, Ph.D., Laura Blasi, Ph.D. Universities in the United States of America are faced with numerous challenges concerning quality assurance such as the quest for Continuous Quality Improvement. Implementation of technology has been a priority of many developing institutions of higher education. A large metropolitan institution of higher education has put into practice a technology based, on-line program quality assessment system, for its academic and administrative programs. This dissertation was a study of the changes reported over four years, 2001-2005, within ten initial teacher preparation undergraduate programs at the College of Education at this institution. Using a mixed method approach, this study addressed the following primary questions: 1. Since the system was introduced; a. Has the process of monitoring quality in the academic units changed? b. If changes have occurred in the program plans, how have they been documented and implemented? 2. What are the limitations/benefits of the system, as perceived by its users? This study is a case for its readers to understand the process of quality improvement as practiced in a college of education within a metropolitan university.