Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe application of contemporary theories of learning to vocational computer training courses( 1997)There have been many recent advances in the study of theories of learning. The results of these advances are often not applied to conventional vocational training courses. This lack of change seems to be particularly prevalent in the field of vocational training involving the use of computers. The present study examines the application of two components of these contemporary theories of learning, metaphor and automatization, to Computer Resourced Instruction in a vocational setting. The (adult) participants in the study were taught how to use the spreadsheet program Excel. A standard pretest-treatment-posttest method was used. Gains in learning were compared using ANOVA and correlation procedures. This analysis indicated that the application of the metaphor as a teaching device but not automatization led to improved learning. The lack of facilitation by automatization is explained in terms of course content and teaching constraints. The effectiveness of each of these devices for the design and delivery of Computer Resourced Instruction in the future are discussed. In particular, greater use of the full capabilities of technology in the design stage, and of the existing knowledge of the course participants to make learning easier, faster, and more enjoyable, are examined.
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ItemLaptop computers: changes in teachers' practice( 1998)This thesis tracks the chain of events which led to the introduction of a laptop computer program at an independent boys' school. Initially it examined the implementation of the program and its effects on teachers and students. To explain these patterns, the study then examined the way the school prepared itself to implement the use of laptops. In seeking to understand the reasons underlying the preparation for implementation strategies, the study then examined the key adoption decisions taken by the school. Thus, the thesis traces a set of interrelated phases of implementation, adoption and use. The study should be regarded as an evaluation because the findings presented here have been reported to the school. One aim was to 'lay out' what had happened up to a particular point in time, June 1997. Laying out the findings, or providing an illuminative analysis was a means chosen by which the school could come to grips with what had happened to this time. In addition, the study provides a more formative element through the synthesis of literature designed as a basis for improving the existing curriculum. The literature is linked to the findings of the empirical part of the study throughout the thesis. Having access to the findings of what has occurred so far, and the relevant literature, was seen as a way by which the evaluation can influence the future laptop program of the school.
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ItemTeachers concerns in the implementation of laptop computers: four case studies( 1995)This study examines the concerns four teachers experience when confronted with technological innovation: the introduction of the laptop computer into their classroom. It attempts to define the factors which inhibit or encourage the move from an emphasis on personal concerns to ones which focus on the student as learner and finally lead to the teacher reflecting on their own practices and being able to share new knowledge with others. Through interview; observation and discussion this study explores these teachers' feelings and reactions to what is happening in their classrooms. The study is located in the social action of the teachers in their schools. It has chosen to emphasise the institutional factors in particular rather than looking to social uses the computer has been put to in classroom.