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COMPARISON OF COMPUTER-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS FOR IMPROVING ESTIMATES OF MIXTURES PROBLEMS

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Date Issued:
1984
Summary:
The present study evaluates the effectiveness of three instructional methods, labeled Examples, Graph, and Discovery, for improving students' estimates of mixture problems. The problems involved mixing various quantities of acid and water solutions. The student's task was to estimate the percentage of acid in the resultant mixture. Although none of the three methods caused a significant change in estimation accuracy, the results were in the predicted direction, suggesting that the methods may become more effective with improvements. The results also revealed a significant difference between males' and females' overall performances. Further analysis suggested that this difference may reflect differential understanding of the underlying concepts on which the problems were based. Suggestions for improving the present instructional methods are made, as well as alternative approaches for improving students' estimates.
Title: A COMPARISON OF COMPUTER-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS FOR IMPROVING ESTIMATES OF MIXTURES PROBLEMS.
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Name(s): Evans, Arthur C.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1984
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 59 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The present study evaluates the effectiveness of three instructional methods, labeled Examples, Graph, and Discovery, for improving students' estimates of mixture problems. The problems involved mixing various quantities of acid and water solutions. The student's task was to estimate the percentage of acid in the resultant mixture. Although none of the three methods caused a significant change in estimation accuracy, the results were in the predicted direction, suggesting that the methods may become more effective with improvements. The results also revealed a significant difference between males' and females' overall performances. Further analysis suggested that this difference may reflect differential understanding of the underlying concepts on which the problems were based. Suggestions for improving the present instructional methods are made, as well as alternative approaches for improving students' estimates.
Identifier: 14203 (digitool), FADT14203 (IID), fau:11014 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1984.
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Subject(s): Computer-assisted instruction
Estimation theory--Computer programs
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14203
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.