Effectiveness of Graphic Organizers in Computer-Based Instruction with Dominant Spanish-Speaking and Dominant English-Speaking Students

Abstract

AbstractStudents’ academic achievement scores have been found to improve with the use of graphic organizers. Researchers suggest this may be due to the way graphic organizers depict concepts and relationships among concepts. Unfortunately, most previous research on graphic organizers has been confined to English speakers in secondary and higher education. To expand our knowledge on graphic organizers and increased learning, this study examines the effectiveness of graphic organizers when used by fourth-grade students engaged in computer-based instruction. The study also examines whether the learners’ dominant language (Spanish and English) influences the effectiveness of graphic organizers. A one-way analysis of variance was used to analyze immediate and delayed gain in academic achievement scores of all students. Statistically and educationally significant differences were found in scores favoring students who used graphic organizers over those who used lists of topics. A two-way analysis of variance ide...