Record Details
Effects of individualized examples and personalized contexts in computer-based adaptive teaching of algebra word problems
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Effects of individualized examples and personalized contexts in computer-based adaptive teaching of algebra word problems |
| Names |
Lwo, Lwun-syin
(creator) Niess, Margaret L. (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 1992-03-18 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 1992 |
| Abstract | The purpose of the present investigation was to develop an adaptive teaching model for an interactive computer-assisted instruction (CAT) program and to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of individualized examples or individualized examples in personalized contexts. Translating word problems into equations provided the context for the CAT investigation. Four classes from two middle schools in Oregon constituted the population from which subjects were selected. Subjects completed a biographical questionnaire and a pretest prior to treatment. During the 45-minute treatment, subjects received a CAT lesson and practice problems following each example. On the day following the treatment, a posttest and a reaction questionnaire were administered to measure the main effects of these approaches. Three parallel CAT versions were developed as treatments for algebra word problem translations: 1) abstract, 2) individualized, and 3) individualized/personalized. In the abstract version, example and practice problems were presented without the involvement of specific learner interests or experiences. In the individualized version, example and practice problems were selected and constructed based upon learner interests and experiences. In the individualized/personalized version, example and practice problems were selected and constructed based upon learner interests and experiences, in addition to which personal biographical information was embedded into the contexts of problems. With respect to learning outcomes, the three different examples and contexts produced equivalent performances, with no significant posttest performance differences. Effects for individualized examples and personalized contexts for interactive CAT were not significant. The treatment effects for the practice performance were significant. Individualized and individualized/personalized groups answered significantly more practice problems correctly than the abstract group. Differences between the individualized and the individualized/personalized groups were not significant. For the reactions to the treatments, two out of eight items elicited significantly different responses. When asked whether "the word problems were interesting," subjects in the individualized/personalized group were more in agreement than the individualized and abstract groups. When asked whether "the word problems helped him/her understand the problem-solving situations," subjects in the individualized/ personalized group were more in agreement than subjects in either the abstract or the individualized groups. For the open-ended questions, subjects stated that they were more serious and task-oriented when using the interactive CAl program. |
| Genre | Thesis |
| Topic | Algebra -- Computer-assisted instruction |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/9173 |
