Fethi A. Inan

DO ONE-TO-ONE INITIATIVES BRIDGE THE WAY TO 21st CENTURY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS?

This article presents findings from an investigation of the overall effectiveness of Michigans Freedom to Learn (FTL) One-to-One initiative. The major goal of the FTL initiative was to help students to gain 21st century knowledge and skills while increasing their learning and achievement through the integration of over 20,000 laptop computers with comprehensive teacher professional development. This study used a mixed-methods descriptive and quasi-experimental design. Data were collected with validated observation and survey instruments. The findings reveal greater use of research-based best practices in FTL classrooms and greater teacher confidence to integrate technology as compared to normative data. FTL students performed as well as control students yet demonstrated greater 21st century knowledge and skills.

Modality and cueing in multimedia learning: Examining cognitive and perceptual explanations for the modality effect

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of modality (written text vs. spoken text) and visual cueing (low cueing vs. high cueing) on the learning and mental effort of participants studying a computer-based static diagram at their own pace. Participants were randomly assigned to four versions of the computer-based materials formed into a 2x2 factorial design by crossing modality with cueing. The results revealed a reverse modality effect, wherein participants studying written text outperformed those studying spoken text on tests of free recall, matching, comprehension, and spatial recall, but not mental effort. Information cueing did not significantly affect either performance or mental effort. These findings are discussed in the context of two popular explanations of the modality effect: the cognitive resources explanation and the perceptual resources explanation. The results were best explained from a perceptual resources viewpoint.

A Case Study: The Role of Student-Generated Vidcasts in K–12 Language Learner Academic Language and Content Acquisition

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the integration of vidcasts as student-generated products in English as a second language (ESL) classrooms. We collected qualitative data through observations, student artifacts, and semistructured interviews from 16 reading students at a public middle school located in the southwestern United States. Study findings indicate that collaboration on development of vidcasts contributes to student linguistic development by promoting negotiation of meaning, and this activity further enriches learning when students rotate roles and responsibilities. This study also found that students needed to participate in several production and feedback cycles to develop audience awareness. Therefore, products of student thinking should mimic tools used by real-world experts. Finally, students highly value creative freedom and, when given the opportunity, draw from a variety of skills and talents to create unique representations of learning.

The effects of verbally redundant information on student learning: An instance of reverse redundancy

Abstract This study aimed to examine the effects of redundant on-screen text on student learning outcomes (i.e. comprehension, matching, spatial labeling, and diagram reconstruction) when learning from multimedia instruction. An interactive, learner-controlled multimedia material was developed to teach the points of articulation used to describe human speech sounds. Participants included 137 undergraduate students from a large southwestern university in the U.S. who were randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions: (1) an audio only treatment where audio descriptions of each point of articulation were provided, (2) an audio with text label treatment where audio descriptions of each point of articulation plus redundant text labels were provided. The results showed that having redundant on-screen text with spoken information was helpful for student learning. Overall, results confirm an instance of the reverse redundancy effect when instructional material is complex; redundant on-screen text is short; and learners have control over the pace of instruction.

The reverse modality effect: Examining student learning from interactive computer‐based instruction

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of modality on learning from multimedia instruction. This study utilized a factorial between-subject design to examine the effects of modality on student learning outcomes, study patterns and mental effort. An interactive computer-presented diagram was developed to teach the places of articulation in human speech. A total of 151 undergraduate students at a large southwestern university in USA participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two modality conditions (ie, written text and spoken text). Data were obtained through surveys, student logs and knowledge tests. Findings revealed a reverse modality effect, wherein participants who studied with written text outperformed those who studied with spoken text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparison of algorithmic and multiple-representation integrated instruction for teaching fractions, decimals, and percent

ABSTRACT This study examined the effects of two teaching treatments [multiple-representation instruction (MR) and traditional algorithmic instruction (TA)] on students’ performance on mathematics problems that integrated fractions, decimals, and percent. Using a 2 × 2 crossover design, the effect of the teaching treatments and their sequences on student performance were compared. Students in the MR/TA treatment sequence group received instruction in which multiple representations were integrated followed by traditional algorithmic instruction, and students in the TA/MR treatment sequence group received treatments in the reverse order. Participants included 89 seventh-grade students enrolled in a pre-algebra course in an urban middle school in the Midwestern United States. Results indicated gains in performance from both teaching treatments (MR and TA), however, statistically significant higher performance was found with the traditional algorithmic treatment. In terms of the order of teaching treatments, no significant performance difference was found.