A STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND COMPARISON OF TWO INSTRUCTIONAL UNITS ON THE USE OF SELECTION SOURCES

KENNETH ALLEN BOYD, Purdue University

Abstract

Since this study was comprised of both a developmental phase and an experimental phase, it had two purposes. One was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the modular instruction approach, when used in the development of materials. The other purpose was to compare the effectiveness of two media formats in regard to achievement, time, and attitude. The developmental phase consisted of developing two units of instructional materials using the modular instruction approach developed by James D. Russell. Included in his six-step model were: exact specification of objectives, writing of criterion items, analysis of learner characteristics/specification of entry behavior, sequencing of instruction/selection of media, student tryout, and evaluation. The effectiveness of the materials was measured through mean gain scores and mean modified gain scores. The instructional materials were found to be effective: so it was concluded that the method of developing the materials was also effective. The experimental phase considered a comparison of the two units of instruction that were developed for the developmental phase. Both units covered the same material, selection sources used in the schools, but utilized a different media format. One format consisted of slides, while the other used a direct observation experience where the subjects actually handled the sources. Both formats used identical content narrative for the accompanying audio tape. An attempt was made to control all other factors. These two formats were compared on the basis of achievement, time, and attitude. The 106 subjects were taken from a college course entitled Media for Children, and were randomly assigned to one of the two groups. t-Tests were used to compare the mean scores of both groups. A "Campbell & Stanley Pretest-Posttest Control Group" was used for achievement, while a "Campbell & Stanley Posttest-Only Control Group" was used for time and attitude. It was concluded that there was no significant difference in regard to achievement and attitude, but time did show a significant difference with the slide group requiring less time.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

Educational technology

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