Journal of Educational Computing Research

The purpose of this study was to investigate how text formats affect readers' recall and feeling of disorientation based on their working memory capacities and past experience with hypertext. A post-test only experiment was conducted. A new hybrid hypertext, expanding hypertext, was proposed and tested with 201 college students. Among the participants who were low in hypertext experience, those who read the expanding hypertext reported the least disorientation whereas those who read the paged hypertext reported the most disorientation. Of the participants with more hypertext experience, those who read the paged hypertext reported the least disorientation while those who read the scrolling text reported the most disorientation. Of the participants who were low in working memory capacity, those who read the scrolling text produced higher recall scores than those who read the paged hypertext. The text formats appeared to influence how much time the participants spent reading the texts and in turn affected the participants' recall scores.

Most educators increasingly regard ill-structured problem solving as an important objective of learning and have sought various means to achieve it. In this article, we describe a learning environment to help pre-service teachers in Singapore solve ill-structured problems. There are four key dimensions in our learning environment: tutor-led face-to-face tutorial, face-to-face discussion among participants, asynchronous online discussion, and a reflection log. The goal of this study was to investigate the roles of asynchronous online discussion and reflection logs in supporting ill-structured problem solving. Findings indicated that the use of asynchronous online discussion in an Asian context appears to mainly support two types of ill-structured problem solving processes, “Articulate the problem space” and “Generate possible problem solutions,” while the reflection log seems to facilitate the processes of “Assessing the viability of alternative solutions” and “Monitor the problem space and solution options.” The pre-service teachers' perceptions on using the asynchronous online discussion and reflection log were also reported.

One of the psychological states that can be monitored and influenced during learning in order to improve its various aspects is the state of anxiety, and one possible index of this state is frontal EEG beta. However, frontal EEG beta has also been associated with mental activities. This may imply that frontal EEG beta would not be a reliable index of anxiety in situations, such as learning, where significant mental activities can be involved. The present study investigated the relationship between frontal EEG beta and anxiety during computer-based learning. The frontal EEG beta and anxiety levels of four groups of 15 students were measured during learning conditions that comprised any of combinations of anxiety reduction and mental activities, anxiety reduction alone, or no treatment. The groups that combined anxiety reduction with mental activities showed significant increase in frontal EEG beta even though they recorded significant reduction in subjective anxiety. This may suggest that frontal EEG beta is not a reliable index of anxiety during computer-based learning.

This study investigated the statistical and practical significance of context effects for items randomized within testlets for administration during a series of computerized non-adaptive tests. One hundred and twenty-five items from four primary school reading tests were studied. Logistic regression analyses identified from one to four items for each test as having statistically significant differences in item difficulty when administered in different positions in the testlet. Subsequent evaluation indicated that the effect sizes for most of these items were in the small category, and no consistent characteristic was identified to support a causative factor for these items. In addition, the few items flagged at each grade and their small effect sizes would argue against any effect on students' total scores. These results not only extended the study of context effects to primary school grades and computerized tests, but also supported testlets as useful to balance psychometric and practical testing needs. Further research into context effects due to item randomization within testlets should increase the number of items per testlet and the content areas studied.

Direct observation of student study behavior is possible when students use computer-based learning materials. Data recorded on the self-directed studying of more than 100,000 students using a Web-based tool to prepare for U.S. college admissions tests reveal several non-optimal behaviors. Students had a tendency to begin studying within days of the test, to neglect math and science preparation, and to prefer vocabulary drills and short answer verbal questions over questions on reading passages. High school students studying for college admissions showed a different pattern from older students studying for graduate school. A randomized experiment carried out online addressed the possible confound between student preference and Web site design. The data represent the largest sample of admissions test takers ever studied, while also representing the most fine-grained observation of high stakes study behavior ever reported. The relevance of these data for evaluating the causal effect of commercial coaching operations is discussed.

This review article takes a critical look at three books, Watch IT: The Risks and Promises of InformationTechnologies for Education by Nicholas C. Burbules and Thomas A. Callister, Jr. (2000), Philosophical Tools for Technological Culture: Putting Pragmatism to Work by Larry A. Hickman (2001), and On the Internet by Hubert L. Dreyfus (2001), that discuss the philosophy of Instructional Technology (IT) with the intent of gauging their usefulness to IT researchers, educators, and practitioners. I first describe each book individually, I then make a case for paying attention to the philosophy of IT, and lastly I compare and contrast the three books. I conclude that those involved with IT will be motivated to reflect on and critically analyze their field as a result of reading these three books, a useful though demanding exercise.