C. Anne Wade

A Meta-Analysis of Three Types of Interaction Treatments in Distance Education:

This meta-analysis of the experimental literature of distance education (DE) compares different types of interaction treatments (ITs) with other DE instructional treatments. ITs are the instructional and/or media conditions designed into DE courses, which are intended to facilitate student–student (SS), student–teacher (ST), or student–content (SC) interactions. Seventy-four DE versus DE studies that contained at least one IT are included in the meta-analysis, which yield 74 achievement effects. The effect size valences are structured so that the IT or the stronger IT (i.e., in the case of two ITs) serve as the experimental condition and the other treatment, the control condition. Effects are categorized as SS, ST, or SC. After adjustment for methodological quality, the overall weighted average effect size for achievement is 0.38 and is heterogeneous. Overall, the results support the importance of the three types of ITs and strength of ITs is found to be associated with increasing achievement outcomes. A strong association is found between strength and achievement for asynchronous DE courses compared to courses containing mediated synchronous or face-to-face interaction. The results are interpreted in terms of increased cognitive engagement that is presumed to be promoted by strengthening ITs in DE courses.

Strategies for Teaching Students to Think Critically A Meta-Analysis

Critical thinking (CT) is purposeful, self-regulatory judgment that results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanations of the considerations on which that judgment is based. This article summarizes the available empirical evidence on the impact of instruction on the development and enhancement of critical thinking skills and dispositions and student achievement. The review includes 341 effects sizes drawn from quasi- or true-experimental studies that used standardized measures of CT as outcome variables. The weighted random effects mean effect size (g+) was 0.30 (p < .001). The collection was heterogeneous (p < .001). Results demonstrate that there are effective strategies for teaching CT skills, both generic and content specific, and CT dispositions, at all educational levels and across all disciplinary areas. Notably, the opportunity for dialogue, the exposure of students to authentic or situated problems and examples, and mentoring had positive effects on CT skills.

The effects of technology use in postsecondary education

This meta-analysis is a study of the experimental literature of technology use in postsecondary education from 1990 up to 2010 exclusive of studies of online or distance education previously reviewed by Bernard et al. (2004). It reports the overall weighted average effects of technology use on achievement and attitude outcomes and explores moderator variables in an attempt to explain how technology treatments lead to positive or negative effects. Out of an initial pool of 11,957 study abstracts, 1105 were chosen for analysis, yielding 879 achievement and 181 attitude effect sizes after pre-experimental designs and studies with obvious methodological confounds were removed. The random effects weighted average effect size for achievement was g+ = 0.27, k = 879, p < .05, and for attitude outcomes it was g+ = 0.20, k = 181, p < .05. The collection of achievement outcomes was divided into two sub-collections, according to the amount of technology integration in the control condition. These were no technology in the control condition (k = 479) and some technology in the control condition (k = 400). Random effects multiple meta-regression analysis was run on each sub-collection revealing three significant predictors (subject matter, degree of difference in technology use between the treatment and the control and pedagogical uses of technology). The set of predictors for each sub-collection was both significant and homogeneous. Differences were found among the levels of all three moderators, but particularly in favor of cognitive support applications. There were no significant predictors for attitude outcomes.

Ubiquitous technology integration in Canadian public schools: Year one study

The current investigation was an exploration of the first year of a multi-year project designed to provide every Grade 3 to Grade 11 student throughout an English school board in Quebec with a laptop computer. Data were collected from 403 elementary and 270 secondary students from the experimental school board and also from 330 students in the control school board. In addition, questionnaire data were collected from 60 elementary school teachers and 51 secondary school teachers. Finally, interviews were conducted with 72 students and 20 teachers. Potentially the most interesting finding was the difference in achievement scores between the experimental and control boards. Secondary students from the experimental board had higher scores on the CAT-3 reading test and indicated making six times more frequent use of computer technology in their English classes, suggesting a possible treatment effect. In contrast, math scores were higher at the control board where neither board indicated high levels of computer use. Nevertheless, these findings must be interpreted with some caution until the threats to validity of selection bias are more clearly overcome.

An Extended Systematic Review of Canadian Policy Documents on e-Learning: What We’re Doing and Not Doing

This systematic review builds upon the work of Authors (2006) and McGreal and Anderson (2007). It seeks to provide a synthesis and discussion of publicly available government policy documents with regard to e-learning in Canada. There is general consensus, both in public opinion and in the research literature, that the educational practices associated with rapidly advancing computer information technologies are gaining popularity and are expected to be increasingly effective in enhancing learning. The purpose of this review is to uncover and describe areas of commonality and inconsistency in e-learning policy documents dated from 2000 to 2010, and to determine where discussions about e-learning are lacking. In total, 138 policy documents from Canadian provinces and territories and several federal agencies were retrieved and analyzed using prescriptive and emergent coding approaches. The review confirmed that Canadian policy makers view technology as offering potential benefits to learners, but also revealed a troubling lack of specific details, consistency and coordination in facilitating the development of e-learning to fulfill these optimistic expectations.

Using educational technology to develop early literacy skills in Sub-Saharan Africa

The research explores the impact of interactive, multimedia literacy software (ABRA) on the reading skills of early elementary students in Kenya. Twelve grade two English teachers and their students from six schools were randomly divided in half: an experimental group (N = 180) where ABRA was part of their English Language instruction and a control group (N = 174) where regular instruction was used. After the pre-test student data were collected, a three-day initial training and planning session were held for the experimental teachers on how to use ABRA to teach literacy. Every week each experimental class was bussed to a computer lab with full access to ABRA for one 90-min lesson. Teacher support included the alignment of ABRA lesson plans with the Kenyan English Language norms, weekly web conferences with the trainer, as well as technical and pedagogical help from staff at the lab site. After the 13-week intervention, significant and substantial gains in reading comprehension were found for ABRA students as measured by GRADE, a standardized test of literacy. In addition, ABRA students outperformed their peers in control classes on the core end-of-year subject exams including English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.

Introducing laptops to children: An examination of ubiquitous computing in Grade 3 reading, language, and mathematics

This study examines the achievement outcomes accompanying the implementation of a Grade 3 laptop or so-called ubiquitous computing program in a Quebec school district. CAT-3 reading, language, and mathematics batteries were administered at the end of Grade 2 and again at the end of Grade 3, after the first year of computer implementation. Overall gain was found in all three content areas, but was differential when compared with the norms of the CAT-3. Additionally, some evidence suggested a differential gain for lower and middle-level learners during the school year. Teachers were administered an instrument called the Technology Implementation Questionnaire (TIQ) that assessed the purposes and extent of technology integration. Negative correlations were found in reading achievement gain for items associated with the higher use of communicative, evaluative, and creative uses of computers. Open-ended teacher responses indicated the need for more professional support for instructional implementations of computing. Resume: Cette etude examine les performances accompagnant l’implantation d’un programme d’ordinateurs portables en 3 ieme annee du primaire, aussi appele programme d’ubiquite computationnelle, dans une ecole d’un district scolaire du Quebec. Des batteries de tests, CAT-3 en lecture, en langue et en mathematiques ont ete administrees a la fin de la deuxieme annee du primaire et une autre fois a la fin de la troisieme annee du primaire, apres un an d’implantation des ordinateurs. Un gain fut observe dans les trois matieres, mais etait differencie lorsque compare aux normes du CAT-3. De plus, un gain differencie fut mis en evidence pour les apprenants de niveau inferieur et moyen durant l’annee scolaire. Les enseignants ont rempli le Technology Implementation Questionnaire (TIQ) qui mesure le but et l’etendue de l’integration technologique. Des correlations negatives ont ete trouvees en gains au niveau de la lecture pour les items associes a l’utilisation de haut niveau des ordinateurs, en communication, en evaluation et en creation.

Using Interactive Software to Teach Foundational Mathematical Skills.

The pilot research presented here explores the classroom use of Emerging Literacy in Mathematics (ELM) software, a research-based bilingual interactive multimedia instructional tool, and its potential to develop emerging numeracy skills. At the time of the study, a central theme of early mathematics curricula, Number Concept, was fully developed. It was broken down into five mathematical concepts including counting, comparing, adding, subtracting and decomposing. Each of these was further subdivided yielding 22 online activities, each building in a level of complexity and abstraction. In total, 234 grade one students from 12 classes participated in the two-group post-test study that lasted about seven weeks and for which students in the experimental group used ELM for about 30 minutes weekly. The results for the final sample of 186 students showed that ELM students scored higher on the standardized math test (Canadian Achievement Test, 2008) and reported less boredom and lower anxiety as measured on the Academic Emotions Questionnaire than their peers in the control group. This short duration pilot study of one ELM theme holds great promise for ELM’s continued development.