Herbert J. Rieth

A Survey of Assistive Technology Applications in Schools and Recommendations for Practice.

The Analysis of Technology Assistance for Children (ATAC) project was undertaken in recognition of the severe limit in information on current practices in field applications of assistive technology. Specifically, the ATAC project focused on investigating three problem areas: (1) the status of assistive technology in educational and related settings with school-age children with disabilities; (2) the benefits and barriers associated with using assistive technology for these youngsters; and (3) the effects of assistive technology use. A major aspect of the project involved a general survey of assistive technology use in special education classrooms across three states: Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This article presents the results of this effort, and discusses the implications in regard to improving practices in the field.

A Description of the Impact of Multimedia Anchored Instruction on Classroom Interactions.

This preliminary study explores and describes the effects of a multimedia based anchored instruction intervention on student/teacher interactions in an eighth grade social studies classroom. Nineteen students enrolled in a general education 8th grade social studies class participated in the year long study, including ten general education students and nine students with mild disabilities. Overall, instruction became more interactive as observational and interview data indicated a twofold increase in the number of daily student/teacher interactions after the intervention was implemented. Concurrently, the quality of the interactions, as indicated by the number of interpretive questions asked by teachers, was found to be substantially higher than those occurring during the baseline phase of this study. Results show that, during the intervention period, less class time was spent in addressing management problems and task/direction issues.

Effects of Goal Structures and Performance Contingencies on the Math Performance of Adolescents with Learning Disabilities

This study assessed the effects of assigned versus self-selected goals and contingent versus noncontingent gameplay conditions, delivered during computer-assisted math computation drill-and-practice sessions. Participants were 20 high school pupils with learning disabilities who had active Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals that targeted the improvement of computational skills. Students were assigned randomly to goal conditions and, within goal conditions, to contingency groups. Math computation performance was measured pre-, mid-, and posttreatment. Analyses of variance indicated that students who selected their goals performed better than pupils with assigned goals. No differences existed between the contingency groups. Implications for practice are discussed.

An Analysis of the Impact of Anchored Instruction on Teaching and Learning Activities in Two Ninth-Grade Language Arts Classes

This study employed classroom observations and teacher and student interviews to examine the impact of anchored instruction on student and teacher behaviors in two inclusive ninth-grade language arts classes. Specifically, the investigators examined the effect of anchored instruction on (a) the length (long or short) and level (factual or interpretive) of questions asked by, and responses to student questions by, the classroom teacher; (b) the length and level of questions asked by, and responses made by, ninth-grade students; and (c) student participation in classroom instructional activities. Overall, the results of this study supported the use of anchored instruction as a promising intervention for high school students with high-incidence disabilities. The results indicated that as teachers increased the level and length of their questions, students reciprocated by providing higher level and longer responses to questions and asked longer and higher level questions. Students were observed to be more actively involved in classroom instructional activities, and they increased their school attendance. The data collected in this study support the idea that technology combined with effective instruction can yield positive results for students and teachers. However, although the data are promising, they are preliminary. They underscore the importance of conducting additional research examining the impact of anchored instruction and its component parts on the academic outcomes attained by middle and high school students with high-incidence disabilities.

An Analysis of the Impact of Microcomputers on the Secondary Special Education Classroom Ecology

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of microcomputers on the ecology of secondary special education classrooms. Observational data were collected in twenty-six secondary school special education classes located in an urban midwestern school system. The data indicated that despite the ready availability of computers, only approximately 60 percent of the teachers chose to use them for instruction and they were in use only 25.3 percent of the time. The infrequent use was attributed to the lack of appropriate software, logistical problems in scheduling the microcomputer, and lack of training and support for teachers. The use of microcomputers was found to be related to increased student active engagement and decreased off-task behaviors. Unfortunately, teachers who used computers spent less time engaged in direct instructional activities and did not integrate the computer-based instruction with the teacher-based instruction.

The Effects of Microcomputers on the Secondary Special Education Classroom Ecology.

This study was designed to investigate the impact of the microcomputer upon the curricular content, curricular format, student behavior, teacher behavior, and teacher focus employed in secondary special education resource room programs. These behaviors were compared in classes in which a microcomputer was used with classes in which no computer was used. Overall, the data suggested different effects associated with computer use The most important benefits appear to be increased active task engagement and increased individually focused instruction. In many key categories of teacher behavior, however, there were no significant differences between the computer-use and noncomputer-use classes. The data strongly suggest that teachers will need training and support if they are to integrate computers into their instructional programs.

Microcomputer Implementation In Secondary Special Education Programs: A Study Of Special Educators; Mildly Handicapped Adolescents; And Administrators' Perspectives:

The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation and utilization of microcomputers in secondary special education programs. Twenty-two high school special education teachers, 24 mildly handicapped adolescents, and 8 administrators from six high schools in an urban school district were interviewed. Results indicated that, despite the districts considerable investment in hardware, software, and technical assistance, almost half of the teachers were not using microcomputers. Teachers who had at least one computer in their classroom were significantly more likely to use computers and to have positive attitudes toward computers. However, the predominant uses of microcomputers were limited to mathematics, drill-and-practice, and games. Special educators, administrators, and students did not view microcomputers as having a significant impact on instructional practices and programs. Lack of access to microcomputers and dissatisfaction with existing software were cited as major barriers to more extensive and varied microcomputer use.

A Research Synthesis of the Literature on Multimedia Anchored Instruction in Preservice Teacher Education

More than 20 years have passed since the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt University first conceptualized and began to explore how to effectively operationalize cognitive learning theory in applied instructional settings, innovatively infusing their model with emerging technologies. Yet, to date a comprehensive review of findings on the multimedia anchored instruction (MAI) model has not been conducted. This synthesis of the literature isolates a small segment of that literature: intervention studies in which MAI was implemented with preservice teachers to increase knowledge, support revisions of beliefs discordant with effective teaching practice, develop skills, and foster transfer. Findings revealed that MAI is an effective service delivery model for meeting these preservice teacher education goals.

The Use of Portable Microcomputers to Collect Student and Teacher Behavior Data

This article describes the development and implementation of three applications of portable microcomputers (Projects STEEL, MICROS, and UPWARD) to collect, store, transmit, and analyze teacher and student observational data. It identifies the goals of each project and describes development of the observation systems and corresponding computer software. The article also discusses obstacles associated with using portable microcomputers to collect data and describes how, through a series of refinements and with the advent of a second generation of laptop computers, many of these obstacles have been eliminated, now enabling researchers and teachers to more extensively use portable microcomputers to conduct observation studies.

An Analysis of the Secondary Special Education Classroom Ecology with Implications for Teacher Training

This study was designed to describe the instructional ecology of secondary school resource room programs for mildly handicapped students. The data and implications for teacher preparation programs are discussed. The data indicate that teachers were required to teach a broad spectrum of curriculum areas, which suggests that preparation programs should provide training in a series of instructional content areas. Student engagement rates were high, though the instructional ecology observed in this study was less than optimal. Teachers provided much of the instruction, but depended substantially upon individual seatwork activities, with minimal teacher monitoring or feedback given to students. The instructional approaches seem to be more attuned to instructional approaches commonly associated with regular high school classrooms. Instructional practices associated with high achievement in other studies were not typically employed by special education teachers in this study. Other research suggests, however, that though teachers can learn to employ these practices, training programs must specifically prepare teachers to use them.