Charles Crook

Computers in the zone of proximal development: implications for evaluation

Abstract It is argued that the effective evaluation of computer-based interventions must be grounded in a strong theory relating cognitive development to instructional practice. Cultural psychology furnishes theory of this kind. Two themes from within that tradition, both relating to instruction, are described. They each invite closer attention to the socially-organized context in which computer experiences are arranged. At present, both practice and its evaluation is hampered by too much faith in the potency of events concentrated in the interaction between an individual pupil and her computer. The management and evaluation of computer experiences would benefit from focussing on the broader context of classroom discourse in which such experiences may be situated.

Young children's skill in using a mouse to control a graphical computer interface

Abstract Preschoolers and children within the first 3 years of formal education are compared in respect of their performance on four tasks that embody basic skills underlying mouse-based control of a graphical computer interface. The children had not used such an interface before and were compared after a small number of introductory and practice sessions. Results from one preschool child studied over a longer period are included. The childrens performance is set against that of their own novice teachers and a group of experts. Age differences are found on all tasks but the absolute level of control is impressive for all children involved. Younger children are mainly disadvantaged by difficulties in repositioning the instrument on the working surface while keeping the screen pointer fixed. No gender-correlated differences were found at any age. It is suggested that the results encourage the exploitation of graphical interfaces within the design of early educational software.

Educational Practice Within Two Local Computer Networks

This paper considers the promise of local area networks for education. Two issues are discussed. Firstly, the distinctive forms of educational practice that networks afford. This discussion is reinforced with case study observations from a primary school and a university department. Secondly, consideration is given to the theoretical bases for innovations in practice that emerge in networked environments.

Computers for preschool children: The role of direct manipulation interfaces

It is argued that the potential of computers in preschool settings is undermined by the cumbersome methods required for interaction with them. Computer interfaces based on direct manipulation are described and their strengths and shortcomings for use in early education are discussed. An example of an application for young children that employs this style of interface is described. The example is used to illustrate how this style of program may offer resources that allow us to better respect important principles relating to the productive use of computers with young children.

Self‐selection of Simple Computer Activities by Infant School Pupils

Abstract Many activities from the infant class curriculum may be enhanced by realising them in the interactive context of a computer environment. This raises the question of whether young children can make choices among such activities that would reflect an awareness of their difficulty and a motivation to master them. In this research, infant class pupils were provided with software that offered unconstrained opportunities to select a range of related activities and the level of difficulty at which they would be tackled. Choices and response times were automatically recorded over a period of three weeks. These choices remained stable throughout that time and were biased towards the easiest options. There was some improvement in performance although little evidence of choice strategies that could be effective in driving such improvement. There was no evidence of sex differences in frequency of using the computer.