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EVALUATION OF THE MICROCOMPUTER AS A FACILITATOR OF INDIRECT LEARNING FOR THE KINDERGARTEN CHILD

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Date Issued:
1982
Summary:
Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to determine if the microcomputer is a facilitator of indirect learning for the kindergarten child. Procedures. To evaluate the ability of the microcomputer to act as a facilitator of learning for the kindergarten child, a research study was conducted at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Seventy children in the kindergarten program participated in some way in the program. The pilot group aided in testing the programs and verifying the product. The other children were divided by the Table of Random Numbers into the control group, which followed a traditional program for learning to count shapes and pattern shapes, and the experimental group, which used the microcomputer talking program for learning to count shapes and patterning shapes. For research purposes, the same teacher directed both programs. All the children were pre-tested in the areas of shapes counting and shapes patterning using the observational method. At this point the students became a part of either the control or experimental groups. When the lessons were complete in the experimental and control groups, the kindergarteners were post-tested by the observational method. At the end of the research period, an analysis of covariance was used to determine if there was a significant difference between the control and experimental groups. Findings of the Study. There was no significant difference between the scores of those students in the control and experimental groups. It should be noted that there was a "ceiling effect" on the shapes counting test. The pre-test indicated that this group of kindergarteners had a good prior knowledge of counting for their developmental age. Conclusions. It can be concluded that the microcomputer was as beneficial a learning tool as small group instruction in this study. According to the Review of Literature, emerging properties of the microcomputer show interesting prospects for computer programming. Young children can benefit from the patterns of logical thinking which computer programming fosters. Recommendations. In future research, concentration should be emphasized in appropriate computer programming language for young children and the most beneficial combination of computer assisted learning and computer programming.
Title: AN EVALUATION OF THE MICROCOMPUTER AS A FACILITATOR OF INDIRECT LEARNING FOR THE KINDERGARTEN CHILD.
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Name(s): VON STEIN, JANET HIGGINBOTHAM
Florida Atlantic University, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1982
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 132 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to determine if the microcomputer is a facilitator of indirect learning for the kindergarten child. Procedures. To evaluate the ability of the microcomputer to act as a facilitator of learning for the kindergarten child, a research study was conducted at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Seventy children in the kindergarten program participated in some way in the program. The pilot group aided in testing the programs and verifying the product. The other children were divided by the Table of Random Numbers into the control group, which followed a traditional program for learning to count shapes and pattern shapes, and the experimental group, which used the microcomputer talking program for learning to count shapes and patterning shapes. For research purposes, the same teacher directed both programs. All the children were pre-tested in the areas of shapes counting and shapes patterning using the observational method. At this point the students became a part of either the control or experimental groups. When the lessons were complete in the experimental and control groups, the kindergarteners were post-tested by the observational method. At the end of the research period, an analysis of covariance was used to determine if there was a significant difference between the control and experimental groups. Findings of the Study. There was no significant difference between the scores of those students in the control and experimental groups. It should be noted that there was a "ceiling effect" on the shapes counting test. The pre-test indicated that this group of kindergarteners had a good prior knowledge of counting for their developmental age. Conclusions. It can be concluded that the microcomputer was as beneficial a learning tool as small group instruction in this study. According to the Review of Literature, emerging properties of the microcomputer show interesting prospects for computer programming. Young children can benefit from the patterns of logical thinking which computer programming fosters. Recommendations. In future research, concentration should be emphasized in appropriate computer programming language for young children and the most beneficial combination of computer assisted learning and computer programming.
Identifier: 11795 (digitool), FADT11795 (IID), fau:8722 (fedora)
Note(s): Thesis (Educat.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1982.
Subject(s): Kindergarten
Computer-assisted instruction
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11795
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.