MICROCOMPUTER COURSEWARE FOR THE LEARNING DISABLED: PRODUCTION AND EVALUATION GUIDELINES
- Author:
- LEE, WILLIAM WALTER
- Physical Description:
- 128 pages
- Additional Creators:
- Pennsylvania State University
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- Summary:
- The purpose of this study was to establish empirically derived guidelines for the production and evaluation of microcomputer courseware for learning disabled school-age children. A total of 60 elementary and secondary learning disability teachers participated in the four-step study.
Teachers developed an instrument for the study containing 16 components of microcomputer courseware recommended by writers in the field of learning disabilities, ranked the components to discriminate essential from nonessential components and established interrater agreement on a single piece of courseware. Teachers also determined the interaction of essential components and those most frequently used in courseware.
Content validity for the research instrument was established at .80 using teachers as judges of the clarity of each statement and its accompanying evaluation criteria. Analysis of variance established interrater agreement at .93 for one piece of courseware. The Friedman test differentiated essential from nonessential items for inclusion in courseware. Chisquare analysis revealed that the essential components established by the study were not the components most often found in presently produced courseware.
Findings indicate that teachers consider seven components essential for inclusion in courseware: (1) Directions for operating the program must not interfere with comprehension, (2) A variety of presentations of the same concept must be included in the courseware, (3) The screen must be uncluttered, (4) Minimal keyboard skills are required to operate the program, (5) Both praise and corrective feedback must be provided, (6) Students must be able to review concepts, and (7) The program must control for incidental learning. The components chosen by teachers indicate that tutorial rather than drill and practice courseware is needed to benefit learning disabled students. - Other Subject(s):
- Dissertation Note:
- Ph.D. The Pennsylvania State University 1986.
- Note:
- Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-07, Section: A, page: 2542.
- Part Of:
- Dissertation Abstracts International
47-07A
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