This study evaluated a computerised program
for training spelling in 8-to13-year-olds with receptive
language impairments. The training program involved children
typing words corresponding to pictured items whose names
were spoken. If the child made an error or requested help,
the program gave phonological and orthographic cues to build
up the word's spelling. Eleven children received this training
with ordinary speech, and eleven had the same program but
with speech modified to lengthen and amplify dynamic portions
of the signal. Nine children were in an untrained control
group. Trained children completed between 6 and 29 training
sessions each of 15 minutes, at a rate of 3 to 5 sessions
per week, with an average of over 1000 trials. Children
were assessed before and after training. Trained children
learned an average of 1.4 novel spellings per session. The
trend was for children presented with modified speech to
do less well than those trained with ordinary speech, regardless
of whether they had auditory temporal processing impairments.
Trained groups did not differ from the untrained control
group in terms of gains made on standardised tests of spelling
or word and nonword reading. This study confirms the difficulty
of training literacy skills in children with severe language
impairments. Individual words may be learned, but more general
knowledge of rule-based phonological skills is harder to
acquire.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Blackwell
Publishing: www.blackwell-synergy.com
The paper reports a study designed to inform the development
of an information and communication technology strategy for the pre-school
years of education. The main methods of collecting evidence were observations
at seven pre-school settings and interviews with at least two practitioners
and a number of children at each site. Practitioners generally referred
to children "playing with the computer". We describe some of the problems
to be found in the emphasis on free play in nurseries and play groups
when this means children are using computers as complete novices. There
were few examples of peer support; adults rarely intervened or offered
guidance and the most common form of intervention was reactive supervision.
Interaction with a computer was therefore a limited experience for most
children, but we provide examples of guided interaction that suggest
a way forward for professional development.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Blackwell Publishing:
www.blackwellpublishing.co.uk
This paper examines how secondary teachers of the core
subjects of English, mathematics, and science have begun to integrate
information and communication technology (ICT) into mainstream classroom
practice in English schools. It draws on an analysis of 18 focus-group
interviews with subject departments in these fields. Evident commitment
to incorporating ICT was tempered by a cautious, critical approach,
and by the influence of external constraints. Teacher accounts emphasized
both the use of ICT to enhance and extend existing classroom practice,
and change in terms of emerging forms of activity which complemented
or modified practice. A gradual process of pedagogical evolution was
apparent; teachers were developing and trialling new strategies specifically
for mediating ICT-supported learning. In particular, these overcame
the potentially obstructive role of some forms of ICT by focusing pupils'
attention onto underlying learning objectives.
Abstract reproduced with permission of the Taylor and
Francis Group: www.tandf.co.uk
There has been much recent research examining online learning
in universities, but two questions seem to have been largely overlooked
in this context: (1) Which students voluntarily utilise web-based learning;
and (2) Does this use influence their academic achievement? The current
study aimed to determine whether the approaches to studying, ability,
age, and gender of 110 undergraduates in the second year of a psychology
degree predicted the extent to which they utilised online learning using
Web Course Tools (WebCT) in support of a core Biological Psychology
unit. Data were obtained from WebCT's student tracking system, Entwistle
and Ramsden's 18-item Approaches to Studying Inventory (1983) and academic
records. Multiple linear regressions and discriminant function analysis
were used to examine whether individual differences predicted WebCT
use, while analysis of covariance determined whether web use influenced
academic achievement. The number of hits, length of access, and use
of the bulletin board was predicted by age, with older students using
WebCT more. These factors were also influenced by ability and achievement
orientation. The degree of participation in self-assessment was not
predicted by student variables, but, of those that repeated an online
quiz, improvement was more likely in those with lower achievement orientation.
Only bulletin board use influenced achievement, with those posting messages
outperforming those not using, or passively using bulletin boards. However,
because individual differences will determine the extent to which students
utilise this facility, it is suggested that future research should focus
on developing online learning environments that incorporate activities
with both a beneficial influence on learning and appeal to a wide student
population.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Blackwell Publishing:
www.blackwellpublishing.co.uk
Provision of computers in universities for self-study
is taken for granted and is seen as a "must have" educational resource,
yet it is very expensive to fund. Students report that they use the
Internet as their first stop in approaching research tasks. Learning
theorists posit the important role of social interaction in contributing
to learning. The use of collaborative methodologies such as group work
also illustrate the importance, and perceived beneficial role of, learning
with others. However, in general, student access to computers for self-study
in UK Higher Education is provided through large rooms furnished with
serried ranks of computers, which do not allow or encourage computer-based
collaborative working. This study addresses this mismatch between approaches
to learning and the way universities make computers available to learners.
The University of Wolverhampton provides a social learning space with
24 computers on four fishbone-shaped tables, in a room without any restrictions
on talking, eating, or drinking. It was provided so as to encourage
learners to work collaboratively and to be able to integrate the use
of a computer whilst doing so. This paper reports the initial findings
of a study into its use, through questionnaires, observational data,
and interviews. Has the provision of a computer-based collaborative
learning space positively affected approaches to computer-based self-study?
The results of this study inform how best Higher Education institutions
might provide computer access to learners so as to encourage collaborative
working and positively affect student approaches to their learning.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Blackwell Publishing:
www.blackwellpublishing.co.uk
Against the background of Michael KAmil and
Sam Intrator's landmark reviews of research about new technologies
and literacy development, this article maps recent research
concerned specifically with the 0-8 years age group. Drawing
on databases of research conducted in North America, Britain
and Australasia, it affirms that the early childhood dimension
is even more radically under-researched than other age ranges
with respect to new technologies and literacy development.
The authors develop an analytic framework comprising four
quadrants to categorize the various studies conducted in
the early childhood age range, and assign these to their
appropriate quadrants. This reveals a lopsided distribution
of the meagre corpus of studies available. The article provides
a map of the field against which early childhood educators
can judge 'at a glance' fow far their persoanl areas of
interest are served by existing research. It simultaneously
pinpoints areas where new research is needed to fill important
gaps.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Sage
Publications Ltd: www.sagepub.co.uk
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