To explore the usefulness of a new instrument, the Computer Attitude Scale, its subsidies (Computer Anxiety, Computer Confidence, Computer Liking) were subjected to two validation studies. The firs...

Abstract This research is an investigation of the relationship between computer assisted instruction (CAI) and students' performance. A diagnostic model is constructed from evaluative computer-collected data. Scores are generated by a diagnostic function during the use of CAI. It is concluded that built-in continuous analysis and communication, to users and management, of performance data can lead to improved performance and better design.

This study examined the relationship between high school computer experience and university achievement in introductory computer science. Achievement was analyzed in terms of both the amount of high school computer science instruction and the degree of emphasis on structured programming in high school. A sample of 117 students in an introductory computer science course was pretested and all subsequent course examination scores were monitored. Neither amount of computer science nor emphasis on structured programming in high school had any measurable effect on university examination achievement. Students with less high school experience were more likely to withdraw from the university course.

This is a report of a study of the attitudes of 37 adult educators regarding various educational innovations. Research methods included questionnaires and interviews; validation procedures were instituted for interview protocols and questionnaire results. Major conclusions were that while instructors accept the potential value of some educational innovations, they tend to resist them when policies are vague, training is ineffective (or lacking), or when consultation is perceived as inadequate. These reactions are especially common in relation to educational technologies. Recommendations include acknowledgement and use of in-house instructor expertise, careful attention to communication and consultation, and appointment of a credible individual to act as coordinator of curriculum change efforts.

Abstract This study investigated the achievement and cognitive requirements of achievement among students learning computer programming in individual and small group settings. Fifty-five students aged 11 to 14 learned a half-day unit on microcomputer BASIC with one or two students to a computer. Programming outcomes measured here included knowledge of commands, knowledge of syntax, ability to interpret programs, and ability to generate programs. No difference on any programming outcome appeared between individual and group settings. The cognitive prerequisites of learning computer programming, however, differed between learning settings and across computer programming outcomes. Quantitative and verbal ability were the best predictors of programming outcomes in the individual setting. Nonverbal reasoning, spatial ability, and age were additional potent predictors of learning in the group setting.

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) has proved effective in many classroom situations. In this study, seven single case experiments were conducted with first graders who were experiencing difficulty remembering their spelling words, to determine whether CAI could improve spelling accuracy. Results were encouraging.

Abstract This article describes the successful, low cost program for the infusion of computer competencies into the curriculum of the School of Education, University of Alaska, Anchorage. All students in the School of Education are required to become computer competent prior to graduation from any of the School's certification programs. Procedures used to develop competencies include laboratory exercises and units in the regular courses of the School's curriculum.

Abstract The study, conducted at the North Texas State University Nursery School, examined the way preschool children interact with the computer. For three consecutive weeks, a log was kept of each child's use of the computer, including the time pf day and the length of each session. Results indicate that most preschool children approach and use the computer with their friends. Furthermore, the introduction of the computer into this environment did not disrupt pre-existing social patterns.

Abstract American school districts find themselves being pressured by parents to buy microcomputers for their classrooms. The schools are responding, but frequently underestimate amount of training teachers and administrators need to become competent with the new technology. In the Houston Independent School District, all microcomputer hardware and software purchases are coordinated through a Department of Technology. No campus may receive computers until a written Microcomputer Implementation Plan has been approved. The document requires campus technology users to anticipate student needs, which personnel are to be trained, and how the technology will affect the existing curriculum. Houston's technology training program is based on several tenets: Personnel who actually will use the computers are trained first, training is mandatory for teachers and administrators, approximately 70% of training is “hands-on,” the training is competency-based, and each year a special cadre of “teacher technologists” receive 296 hours of training to make them campus technology experts.Keywords:: trainingcomputer literacyteachers Additional informationNotes on contributorsPatricia SturdivantPatricia Sturdivant is the Associate Superintendent for Technology at the Houston Independent School District. Before joining the district, Ms. Sturdivant coordinated a computer-assisted instruction program at a regional service center in Houston, which serves 54 school districts. She has also taught on the university and public school levels.