Using a case study approach, this investigation focused on the nature of the relationship between computer related expenditures and student achievement in mathematics, with consideration given to the mediating factors influencing the relationship. Some of these factors included the types of computers and software being used, the objectives of computer instruction, teacher preparation in the use of the computer as an instructional tool, the amount of time individual students had access to a computer during the school year, and the socioeconomic status of pupils. Two of the twenty-five largest school districts in Texas were selected as the subjects for this study. Numerical data were collected from existing documents including general ledgers, bid tabulations, test score tables, and records showing the numbers of students participating in the free and reduced price lunch programs. Specific information regarding the implementations of the instructional programs was gathered through observations and 2 interviews with principals/ teachers, and students in four— teen junior high schools in each of the two school district. The districts exhibited more differences than similarities in the approaches to using computers for instruction in mathematics. One district, for about two hundred dollars per student, purchased a prepared, copyrighted, and patented program consisting of mini-computers and sixteen terminal remote labs used exclusively for the remediation of students two or more years behind in achievement in mathematics. The other district purchased microcomputers at a cost of about ten dollars per student and introduced a three to six weeks unit on computer programming into the eighth grade mathematics curriculum. Although neither district demonstrated clear patterns of increased achievement, tendencies did emerge which would suggest some linkage between concentration of the program and achievement. Other factors emerging from the fortythree taped interviews indicated that achievement test scores of students should not be the only measure of the worth of the computer-assisted instructional programs used in these school districts.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc332018 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Carle, Marlene Lovelace |
| Contributors | Kemerer, Frank R., McCallon, Earl L., Demaris, E. Joe, Anderson, Gary Weldon |
| Publisher | North Texas State University |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | viii, 253 leaves: ill., Text |
| Rights | Public, Carle, Marlene Lovelace, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. |
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