The problem investigated in this study was whether students who received computer-assisted reading instruction would display positive attitudes toward reading six or more months after the instruction was completed. A Likert attitude scale was administered to thirteen pre-adolescent and adolescent subjects to assess their attitudes toward reading six or more months after they had received computer-assisted instruction (CAI). In addition, a questionnaire was administered to the subjects' parents to determine their perception of the subjects' attitudes toward reading. Data obtained from the Likert scale indicated that the subjects' attitudes toward reading were neutral. An analysis of responses to the parent questionnaire revealed that the students' attitudes toward school-related reading were positive as a result of CAI. This study concluded that CAI had no apparent positive impact on the subjects' attitudes toward recreational reading.

This study evaluated 227 students attending 12 classes of the Apprentice Medical Services Specialist Resident Course. Six classes containing a total of 109 students took the Block One Tests in the traditional paper and pencil form. Another six classes containing a total of 118 students took the same Block One Tests on computers. A confidence level of .99 and level of signifi­cance of .01 was established. An independent samples t-test was conducted on the sample. Additionally, a one-way analysis of variance was performed between the classes administered the Block One Tests on computers. Several other frequencies and comparisons of Block One Test scores and other variables were accomplished. The variables examined included test versions, shifts, student age, student source, and education levels. The study found no significant difference between test administration modes. This study concluded that computer-administering tests identical to those typically administered in the traditional paper and pencil manner had no significant effect on achievement. It is important to note, however, that the conclusion may only be valid if the computer-administered test contains exactly the same test items, in the same order and format, with the same layout, structure, and choices as the traditional paper and pencil test. In other words, unless the tests are identical in every possible way except the actual test administration mode this conclusion may not be applicable.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand. Johannesburg, Hune 2017. / In this study, the affordances of a multimodal pedagogy for teaching the prescribed novel, Lord of the Flies, are investigated. The research site is a Grade 10 Visual Art classroom, with six learners serving as the core group. It involves a five-week teaching intervention, whereby participants are required to re-design or re-semiotise a particular scene from the novel into a comic book, or any multimodal narrative that includes both written and visual textual features. Participants’ works are analysed in terms of their modal features − size, shape, colour, contour, texture, written text and overall design − and their semiotic relationship to the original, print-based novel. Finally, the researcher determines which textrelated meanings or interpretations are gained, lost or transformed during this process of resemiotisation, and discusses the possible implications of these for classroom practice. This research may be described as classroom ethnography (Bloome, 2012) within the qualitative paradigm, offering an account of participants’ actions in a real-life, everyday context. Data is collected through ethnographic techniques such as field notes, diary entries, artefact collection and, most crucially, interviews which are conducted before and after the re-semiotisation process. To analyse this data, the researcher draws extensively from literature in the fields of multimodality and social semiotics, particularly the seminal works of Kress (1993; 2000; 2005), Newfield (2009; 2014) and The New London Group (1996). Emphasis is placed on how participants use semiotic resources − in this case, materials acquired in the classroom, from the internet or other domains − to re-shape written texts so that they become more meaningful and accessible for learning. Finally, the findings chapter presents the multimodal pedagogy as a useful outlet for learners’ “own desires, fantasies and interests in the semiotic chain” (Stein, 2003, p. 115). Since participants are positioned centrally within the semiotic space, they can become selfregulated and active agents of meaning making − discovering a canonical text’s themes, symbols, character relations or other sub-textual nuances in and through the visual mode. In the interests of continued research and application in the classroom, a label method is suggested to both track participants’ gains and losses in meaning − upon completion of the entire process − and to determine their level of engagement with the novel’s content. This involves presenting each learner’s artefacts visually, with several labels pointing to the features that speak back most clearly to the source text. Keywords: ● multimodal pedagogy ● social semiotics ● re-semiotisation ● chain of semiosis / meaning-making ● visual and written modes ● literature teaching and learning / LG2018

by Leung Kin Ping. / Bibliography: leaves 45-47 / Thesis (M.A.Ed.) -- Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1983

This qualitative study describes and interprets the interactions of participants in a community college writing class delivered by computer-mediated communication (CMC). The class represented a best practice model of learner-centered instruction in a CMC class. The description and the discussion are framed by five aspects of CMC instruction: (1) context; (2) technology; (3) communication; (4) learning; and (5) community. Offered via a computer bulletin board system (BBS), the class was an ongoing asynchronous electronic meeting. The participants actively accessed the class to interact and collaborate at all hours of the day and night and on almost every day of the term. The relational communication style adopted by the students reflected the formality, immediacy, and social presence of the instructor. Expressing the tone of friendly letters, most of the messages combined salutations, personal or social content, task-oriented content, closing comments and signatures. The mix of assignments and activities required students to act and interact individually, collaboratively and cooperatively. The students accepted the responsibility for interaction and initiated a majority of the messages. The instructor's communications were predominately responsive, facilitative, and coaching type messages. Assignments and activities that required interaction and information sharing stimulated the development of a sense of community for participants. The qualitative analysis and interpretation of the data generated two hypotheses: Hypothesis One Four elements of CMC instruction have critical impact on student participation, satisfaction, learning, and achievement: (1) the functionality and operational transparency of the technology; (2) the course design; (3) the instructor's attitude, style and expertise; and (4) the students autonomous choices about participation, interaction, and cooperation. Hypothesis Two In CMC instruction student participation, satisfaction, learning, and achievement are positively impacted when: (1) the technology is transparent and functions both reliably and conveniently; or (2) the course is specifically designed to take advantage of the CMC characteristics of time/place independence and interactivity to support learner-centered instructional strategies; or (3) the instructor's style is collegial and he/she operates as facilitator, model and coach; or (4) there is a reasonable level of flexibility to accommodate the autonomous choices students make about interaction and collaboration. / Graduation date: 1996

Herein are seven spelling lessons written for use on the computer. They are written specifically for use by foreign students and are intended to aid one student in spelling English words based on how they sound. Several rules, patterns, and guidelines are presented to the student who is then drilled on the information. The student is required to do quite a bit of writing to practice the rules, etc. which he is given. The lessons begin on a very basic and simple level and become increasingly more difficult as they progress. Each lesson requires between 15 to 30 minutes to complete.

This study describes common online facilitator strategies of seven expert online facilitators and compares these facilitators' decision-making processes to general strategies and characteristics of experts in other domains. Specifically, this study focuses on how expert online facilitators decide to communicate with discussion participants for the purposes of increasing participant knowledge and skills in college-level online courses. Seven expert online facilitators -- identified by authoritative figures -- detailed their decision-making and composition process. Common facilitation strategies emerged from the interview data and contextual information. These common strategies were compared with characteristics and strategies of experts in other domains. Analysis of the data indicates that the participating facilitators: (a) share common decision-making strategies, and (b) demonstrate characteristics that align to characteristics of experts in other domains. / text

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

A methodology was developed in this study for identifying the cognitive, pedagogical, and computational characteristics of computer-based learning environments. The characterization of the cognitive and pedagogical features was achieved by decomposing the learning environments into episodes which were composed of sequences of "views". Each "view" was described in terms of the different types of knowledge presented, the pedagogical strategies used to present the knowledge, and the forms and functions of user-computer interactions elicited. The computational characteristics were described in terms of modularity and other programming properties. The methodology was applied to characterizing the instructional programs produced by student teachers using Logo. / The results showed that this methodology can successfully identify the cognitive, pedagogical and computational characteristics of the learning environments. It can also clarify what can be learned in a microworld, especially the "powerful ideas" in Logo environments. In addition, the usability and constraints of learning environments in meeting the learners' cognitive needs during the learning process can be assessed.