Computer Literacy Course Research Articles

Teaching Educational Computing With Analogies

The effects of teaching with analogies on students’ conceptual understanding and explanations of educational computing, including the theoretical structures of analogical comparisons, are examined with three groups of preservice teachers in a computer literacy course. They received varied exposure to analogies: (a) detailed development, (b) undeveloped analogies, and (c) no analogies. Through written tests and personal interviews, results indicate that teaching with analogies can have a positive impact on students’ understanding and their ability to explain computing, providing that analogies are fully developed.

Teaching instructional design in a computer literacy course

Knowledge of instructional design principles can help teachers integrate technology such as computers into their classroom instruction. This article describes a required computer literacy course for preservice teachers which was redesigned to include substantial components to teach instructional design. Also described are the results of a study conducted to examine the effectiveness of the instructional design training. End-of-course measures indicated that the preservice teachers learned the essential principles of instructional design and believed that the instruction would help them develop better lesson plans for effective use of computers in their classroom instruction.

Discovery through experimentation

Secondary schools now offer computer graphics courses which meld the disciplines of the arts and sciences. Students are demanding more than the required computer literacy courses and are challenging their teachers to incorporate graphics into their specific area(s) of interest. Many courses are offered through their art departments and with specialized courses in science and math. Cooperative learning is beneficial since facilities, equipment and resources are major impediments. Students sharing computers and teaching one another have become commonplace.This panel of secondary school educators will share their experiences with curriculum, research, administrative support and examples of student work. Each panel member brings to this endeavor enthusiasm and personal pride in their research and individual school programs.

Locus of control and computer attitudes as determinants of the computer literacy of student teachers

The computer literacy of a group of 106 student teachers enrolled in an introductory computer literacy course was measured and correlated with measures of their computer attitudes, locus of control for academic achievement, gender, age, word processing and computer experience. Computer literacy was found to be correlated, at the P < 0.05 level, with positive attitudes towards computers, and at the P < 0.01 level, with the interest attitude subscale. Computer literacy was also correlated, at the P < 0.05 level, with previous computer experience, and at the P < 0.01 level, with previous word processing experience. Computer literacy was negatively correlated, at the P < 0.05 level, with the ability subscale of the locus of control scale but was otherwise uncorrelated with the locus of control measures. Age and gender had no correlation with computer literacy.

Determinants of student teacher computer literacy achievement

The achievement of 98 student teachers enrolled in an introductory computer literacy course for novices was measured and correlated with measures of their computer attitudes, locus of control for academic achievement, gender, age, prior word processing and computer experience, and entry-level computer literacy. Computer literacy achievement was found to be correlated, at the P < 0.05 level, with prior programming experience and with entry-level computer literacy, and at the P < 0.01 level, with the perceived locus of control for academic achievement with internally oriented students out-performing their externally oriented peers. Entry level computer literacy showed no correlation with an internal perception of locus of control for achievement. Therefore, it appeared that the achievement levels of the internally oriented students resulted entirely from their efforts during the course and not from a base of prior knowledge. Age and gender had no correlation with computer literacy achievement.

Computer literacy achievement based on prior education and training

The purpose of this study was to examine the achievement of students enrolled in a college level computer literacy course. Students were grouped as those having prior secondary computer classes, those having prior personal computer experience, and those having neither prior computer courses or prior computer experience. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures were used to examine the effects of prior computer experience and computer education on the students' computer literacy scores. The study indicates that high school courses and computer experience are irrelevant to the amount of knowledge the student will gain during the course.

Misconceptions of Computing Concepts Among Preservice Teachers

AbstractThis exploratory study examined the development and attainment of computing concepts of preservice teachers during a computer literacy course and the kinds of definitions used in explanation. The specific concepts were command, data, file, language, and program, all fundamental to most computing tasks of teachers. Subjects’ misconceptions were revealed through a pre/post test, personal interviews, and hands-on tasks. They relied on the use of examples and attributes in explanation with virtually no analogies. However, most subjects, with the user-friendly computing environment, were able to perform most computing tasks in spite of confusion and misconceptions. Research is suggested to examine computing misconceptions and the relationship between instructional techniques and the development of computing concepts.

Locus of control and student teacher computer attitudes

The attitudes towards computers and the perception of locus of control over factors which determine academic success were measured for a group of 106 pre-service teachers enrolled in an introductory computer literacy course. All subjects were computer novices. Positive computer attitudes were found to be correlated with an externally-oriented perception of locus of control. The external attribution of luck was most highly correlated with positive computer attitudes. Among internally-oriented subjects, those who felt that effort primarily determined academic success displayed the most negative attitudes towards computers. Locus of control was found to account for more variation in computer attitudes than were the factors of student age, gender, computer experience and word processing experience.

Computer Literacy: The Employment Myths

This article contends that enthusiasm for "computer literacy" programs in education is misplaced. Focusing on recent expenence in Britain, it argues that computer literacy courses are indefensible in terms of vocational needs, skill requirements, social mobility opportunities, access to power, and the needs of employers. It charges that concern for hands-on computer instruction actually disguises the most important features of the "information society." Keywords: computer literacy, education, employment, skills, power, social mobility.

The new generation of computer literacy

A tremendous mismatch is developing between two of the most critical components of any computer literacy course: the textbooks and the students. We are encountering a “new generation” of students (literally as well as figuratively!) who are much better acquainted with computer usage than their earlier counterparts. Yet many textbooks with increasing emphasis in those same computer tools continue to appear. There are signs of a coming change in that a few authors and publishers apparently are becoming aware of the need for innovations in texts for non-scientists. These textbooks open the door for a new orientation to principles in the teaching of computer literacy.

A STUDY OF THE ATTITUDES OF FEMALE ADULTS TOWARD COMPUTERS

This study investigated the attitudes of female adult subjects toward computers. The population consisted of 63 subjects, most of whom were enrolled in allied health curricula. The instrument used was the Computer Attitude Scale. It was found that computer anxiety existed only to a moderate degree. Subjects who had taken a computer literacy course expressed on some items, a more positive attitude toward microcomputers. No evidence was found of a significant relationship between age and their attitude toward computers.

Integrating Spreadsheets into the Mathematics Classroom

Spreadsheets have become an integral part of computer literacy and business courses, allowing students to see the power of such utility software and use it to solve problems. But, the spreadsheet can also be an extremely effective tool in the mathematics classroom. There the spreadsheet can be used to help solve many real-world problems and, at the same time, promote students' understanding of important mathematical concepts and principles.

A successful computer approach to the computer literacy course

Much emphasis has been placed on the core curriculum for the computer science major and this topic has been the focus of reports by the ACM and prominent educators (1, 4). Little attention seems to have been given, until recently, to the needs of the student not wishing to major in computer science but desiring an introduction to the discipline and an exposure to some common applications of the computer. This could be handled by two courses, computer science for the non-major and computer literacy. However, limited resources prevent the offering of two such courses at our college and a single course meeting both needs, introduction to the discipline and computer literacy, has evolved. We shall refer to this course as the computer literacy course.

Why a college course in computer literacy?

Why a college course in computer literacy?

Programming

This study investigated the impact that varying levels of programming had on teachers participating in computer literacy training coursework. Two groups who had received different amounts of programming content in their introductory computer literacy course were compared on their cognitive and affective computer literacy outcomes. One group spent 90-100% of class time programming in BASIC. The second group spent 25-35% of class activities programming in BASIC. Using the MECC computer literacy assessment instrument, significant differences were found between the two groups for total affect, enjoyment, and educational computer support. The findings reinforce that educators like to study and learn about applications other than programming, and that an overall positive attitude concerning educational computing is enhanced by computer literacy training models emphasizing several application areas.

A microcomputer oriented computer literacy course

The development of a computer literacy course at the University of Georgia is described. Demographic information regarding students taking the class is provided. The course consists of two main parts: 1) microcomputer lab sessions devoted to working with word processing, spreadsheet, and data base software and to programming in BASIC; and 2) readings in a course text and viewing of telecourse tapes. Course content and testing procedures are described in detail. How the course is changing with time and experience is also discussed.

Development and Evaluation of a Computer Literacy Course for Preservice Teachers in Singapore

The problem was to identify topics and concepts for a computer literacy course for preservice teachers in Singapore, to develop curriculum materials, and to evaluate the course in terms of achievement, attitudes towards computers, and reactions to the course by the participants. The syllabus was designed and curriculum materials were developed for the course. The results of the study showed that the course had been effective in raising the computer literacy achievement of the preservice teachers but not attitudes towards computers. Reactions to the course were favourable and hands-on experience on the computer was considered the most effective aspect of the course.

Cognitive Level and Achievement in Computer Literacy

Abstract This study measured to what degree achievement in a computer literacy course related to each of the following variables: general cognitive level, computer aptitude and prior experience using computers, and inherent stress. Subjects were 60 students enrolled in an undergraduate business course designed to teach the use of software packages. Achievement was measured by three course exams. Achievement early in the course was moderately related to measures of computer aptitude and cognitive level, but by the end of the course prior experience using computers emerged as the most important variable. Despite the logical and empirical connections drawn between general cognitive abilities and the ability to learn how to use computers, general abilities may be only marginally relevant to the task of learning to use software.

Goals for and lessons from a computer literacy course

The primary component of most computer literacy courses has been learning to use a computer. However, a detailed treatment of societal issues, including the view of humans as machines, is equally important. Some difficulties of implementing a literacy course are also discussed.

Designing and Implementing a Computer Literacy Course in a Graduate Clinical/Counseling Psychology Program

This article describes the development and implementation of a computer literacy course in a graduate clinical/counseling psychology program. The rationale, objectives, and outline of the course are discussed. The activities and software programs used in teaching the course are also mentioned. Computer literacy objectives for other courses are summarized and suggestions are included for others interested in developing a similar course.