Volume 1 (2002)https://hdl.handle.net/10428/12492024-03-28T20:04:29Z2024-03-28T20:04:29ZThe Effects of Teaching Style on CreativityLeathers, Fran W.https://hdl.handle.net/10428/12642013-07-18T05:00:11Z2002-01-01T00:00:00ZThe Effects of Teaching Style on Creativity
Leathers, Fran W.
In an attempt to associate student creativity and the use of interactive software, an action research project was designed and implemented in an elementary school. The action research compared the effect of using two types of instruction, Discovery Learning and Direct Teacher Instruction, when teaching 5th grade students to use MicroWorlds software in order to create a multimedia presentation. Creativity assessment instruments were used to measure creativity levels of participants both pre-project and post-project. Projects themselves were also evaluated. Of the 36 gifted fifth graders who participated, there were thirteen in the Discovery Group, fourteen in the Direct-Instruction Group, and nine in a group who had no exposure to MicroWorlds software. The presentations of the Direct-Instruction Group were judged by the researcher and two other gifted education teachers to be more creative than the other two groups; however, the instruments employed to compare students' overall creative ability at the beginning and the end of the project did not show significant change despite the instructional style. Unexpected findings exclusively related to the Discovery Group included an increase in learner confidence, growth in learner independence, and a heightened sense of enjoyment related to discovering how to operate the software.
2002-01-01T00:00:00ZCybercounseling: Characteristics and Barriers for Use in School Counseling ProgramsLaw, Michael B.https://hdl.handle.net/10428/12632013-07-18T05:00:11Z2002-01-01T00:00:00ZCybercounseling: Characteristics and Barriers for Use in School Counseling Programs
Law, Michael B.
With the impact of technology, the time has come to address alternative ways to providing counseling by integrating technology and using the Internet as an avenue of counseling. This electronic form of counseling is called cybercounseling. The purpose of this study was to explore counselor knowledge, opinions, ethical concerns, legal concerns, and recommendations for implementation of cybercounseling in the schools and to test a site to see if parents would use the site as a means of counseling and communication with the school counselor. The researcher polled attitudes of practicing school counselors to see what their attitudes were concerning the implementation of cybercounseling in the school setting. The researcher gained insight in how to implement this form of counseling in schools. A pilot website was implemented and advertised to parents soliciting usage from parents and students at a rural, elementary school in Southwest Georgia. The researcher found that little is known about this new innovation and that a number of concerns expressed by the respondents should be explored before the diffusion of this innovation is adopted. Suggestions to aid in narrowing the gap of how to implement this innovation and overcome some evident barriers were offered by certified professional school counselors. The interactive website proved that parents and students would use it if one is made available to them.
2002-01-01T00:00:00ZEffects of Technology on Parental InvolvementHendley, Sheila L.https://hdl.handle.net/10428/12622013-07-18T05:00:08Z2002-01-01T00:00:00ZEffects of Technology on Parental Involvement
Hendley, Sheila L.
A study that included forty-eight participants from a small rural middle school was conducted to determine the effects of technology on parent and guardian attitudes about their involvement in school. Interventions included a school web page and weekly school newsletters. Pretest/Posttest research design was implemented and both interventions were evaluated. Three profiles -importance, productivity and comfort were studied. Posttest participants who utilized a school web page had more positive attitudes for all three profiles than either pretest participants or newsletter recipients. Changes in types of technology use as well as frequency of technology use were reported. Newsletter recipients reported improved attitudes about the productivity of their involvement but attitudes regarding comfort and importance declined.
2002-01-01T00:00:00ZUsing System Dynamics Computer Modeling Software to Teach Cause-Effect Relationships in Reading SelectionsEckleberry, Virgil V.https://hdl.handle.net/10428/12612013-07-18T05:00:07Z2002-01-01T00:00:00ZUsing System Dynamics Computer Modeling Software to Teach Cause-Effect Relationships in Reading Selections
Eckleberry, Virgil V.
The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of system dynamics computer modeling software would affect student ability to recognize cause-effect relationships in reading selections. Pre- and posttests were administered to measure changes in reading comprehension and a pre- and post-intervention Likert Scale survey was administered to determine changes in student attitudes relating to the use of computer software in reading instruction. A performance rubric was also used to gauge progress specifically related to using system dynamics computer modeling techniques for identifying cause-effect relationships in reading selections. The setting was an inner city gifted center and the participants were fourth and fifth-graders who attend the center one day per week. System dynamics strategies were used to examine reading selections and, as the culminating activity, STELLAª computer modeling software was used to model diagrams of the causal relationships within stories. Because of the one-group pretest-posttest design, no conclusive results could be obtained, however, it was concluded, based on observations and data, that the ability of students to recognize cause-effect relationships in selected readings improved as a result of the intervention.
2002-01-01T00:00:00Z