This study compared the effectiveness, cost and efficiency of four formative evaluation conditions: (a) revision based on learner data (RLD), (b) revision based on expert data (RED), (c) revision based on both learner and expert data (RBD), and (d) revision without data (RND). Two more conditions were present in the study: materials in draft (MID) and no treatment (NT). The NT condition consisted of students who were tested without exposure to the instructional materials. The instruction that was formatively evaluated was a six-page article describing the relationship between diet and cancer. The article was written by chemistry professors for an "undergraduate chemistry course for non-science students". Undergraduates (n = 187) provided the effectiveness data. They randomly received one of the four formatively evaluated versions of the article, read the article, answered questions on an objective test, and indicated their confidence with respect to their responses. Professional revisors (n = 8) provided cost data. Each revisor provided cost estimates for all formative evaluation conditions. Efficiency was provided by combining effectiveness with cost data. Effectiveness differences were found between the MID and RLD, and the MID and RBD. The mean test scores, as well as the mean confidence-weighed test scores, of both RLD and RBD were significantly higher than those of the MID. Cost differences indicated three levels of cost. RND was the least costly formative evaluation condition. RLD and RED were equivalent in cost and more costly than RND. RBD was the most costly formative evaluation condition. With respect to efficiency, RLD was recommended. RLD was the least costly condition that was significantly more effective than MID. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Despite the emphasis that is placed on collecting learner data in formative evaluation, there has been little research to support its use in the revision of instructional materials. In addition, although the literature suggests that different revisers making changes to the same instructional materials will yield different revisions, little research has been conducted to confirm this. The present study addressed these two issues by having four instructional designers, acting as revisers, make revisions to a draft version of an instructional presentation while thinking aloud. A coding scheme was applied to the think-aloud protocols. Revisions were sorted using a product attribute categorization system consisting of three main categories central to evaluating instructional materials. The results suggest that revisers do give a considerable amount of attention to learner data when revising materials. In addition, there was a great deal of uniformity among the revisions that were generated by the different revisers.

The literature on formative evaluation advocates the use of both subject matter and learner experts to review instructional materials, yet there has been little research to support this recommendation. The present study investigates the distinguishing characteristics of these two expert reviewers, in particular the type and amount of oral feedback they produced and the cognitive processes they engaged in. The think-aloud method was employed to obtain feedback about a six page instructional unit from eight experts; four subject matter and four learner experts. Comments from the experts were transcribed, segmented and coded according to three coding systems. Results indicated that the two groups produced similar data. In addition, the findings showed that both groups referred to similar domains of knowledge, evoked or constructed similar plans and identified their task as detecting problems. These findings contradict the use of both types of experts during formative evaluation. Some practical recommendations for practitioners are offered.

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M.Ed. (Media Studies) / Despite the availability I variety and virtually limitless properties of the different types of educational materials and equipment, it would appear that there are still many teachers who are opposed to the use of educational media. For the purposes of this study it was necessary to investigate the reasons why teachers do not use educational materials and equipment during their lessons. A literature study was done to investigate the factors which could contribute to resistance I the areas where resistance could appear and resistance of teachers to the use of media in their classrooms. An empirical study was conducted into the possible reasons for resistance to media usage at East Rand high schools. Research yielded the following results: The majority of teachers are willing to discuss media related matters with colleagues and superiors. Teachers are willing to experiment with a variety of media. The majority are willing to change their methods and use the ideas of others in their own classrooms.

"In this study an experiment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the S.R.A. Reading Laboratory as compared with other instructional materials used in remedial reading classes for tenth grade pupils at Hillsborough High School, Tampa, Florida, in the school year 1957-58. The S.R.A. Reading Laboratory is a kit of reading materials designed to help pupils improve in reading skills by providing highly interesting factual prose selections of varying degrees of difficulty. Essence of the Reading Laboratory plan is provision for each pupil to read selections of the right degree of difficulty for him. Suitable comprehension and word-study exercises follow each reading activity. Pupils check and evaluate their own work and keep a graphic record of their progress in individual student record books. Each pupil advances to a higher reading level when he is ready"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1958." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Dwight L. Burton, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references.

This research explored 19 higher education faculty members' perceptions of satisfaction with their online teaching work, identified elements that enhance or inhibit these higher education faculty members' online teaching satisfaction, and provided a theoretical framework, higher education faculty online teaching satisfaction a conceptual model, to understand the relationship among these elements. The study participants represented eight different university campuses, three academic disciplines, and 10 online programs. Data was collected from multiple sources including an online background questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and public documents. Data was analyzed using the procedures for developing constructivist grounded theory proposed by Charmaz (2006). The researcher posits that the individual context component in this conceptual model affects, and is affected by the work context component as follows, online teaching work-related experiences are subjectively interpreted by individuals and groups of individuals, i.e., work-related perceptions, which affect, and are affected by individual(s) socially constructed and subjective interpretations of their online teaching work, i.e., individual(s) interpretations of work circumstances. The work-related perceptions and individual interpretations of the online teaching work circumstances reciprocally interact with each other, affecting and being affected by the first two components, individual context and work context, which also reciprocally interact and affect, and are affected by the faculty member(s) affective and cognitive evaluations of their online teaching work. These affective and cognitive evaluations result in a continuum of online teaching satisfaction. The resulting continuum of online teaching satisfaction can reciprocally affect, and be affected by any or all of the previously mentioned components of the conceptual model of this research.

Significant changes to the British Columbia's educational system have been caused by new curriculums that are based on a resource-based learning and teaching model. The Ministry of Education evaluates learning resources and allocates funding to support the acquisition of learning resources at the district and school level. Learning resources selected for classroom use are to support the Principles of Learning: • learning requires the active participation of the student; • people learn in a variety of ways and at different rates; • learning is both an individual and a group process. The Ministry recommends that schools have a Learning Resource Committee to develop a school vision for learning resources, evaluate current school resources, establish selection priorities, evaluate resources and make recommendations for purchase, and identify learning resource management systems. A survey of Vancouver elementary and secondary schools indicates that 41% of the schools have Learning Resource Committees, but that their activities rarely include all the recommendations of the Ministry. The survey shows that only 25% of the Committees have an established procedure for selecting learning resources. This study includes an analysis of Learning Resources Committees at two secondary and one elementary school where interviews were done with administrators, teacher-librarians, teachers and staff assistants provide a picture of how learning resources are selected and managed and their impact on resource-based learning and teaching. This study found that systems for selecting and managing learning resources are in the developmental stage as teachers move from primarily print formats to a broad range of print and non-print learning resources.