Direct measures of digital information processing and communication skills in primary education: Using item response theory for the development and validation of an ICT competence scale

In the past decade, several studies have measured ICT competences from the perspective of ICT self-efficacy. Such indirect measurements tend to have validity problems, as they depend on the pupils' ability to judge their own ICT competences. This study outlines the development of a performance-based digital test and the validation of a direct measure of ICT competence through the use of item response theory (IRT). More specifically, the test and the developed measure focus on primary-school pupils' proficiency in digital information processing and communication. 56 Items were administered to 560 pupils at the end of their primary-school education (age between 10.79 and 13.85 years old). The items were controlled for dimensionality, model-data fit, local item dependence and monotonicity. The final measure contains 27 items that refer to retrieving and processing digital information, and communication with a computer. The results indicate that the instrument is particularly reliable for low and median ability levels. Further refinement and possible future use of the instrument is discussed.     

Unethical computer using behavior scale: A study of reliability and validity on Turkish university students

This study was carried out in a Turkish university with 216 undergraduate students of computer technology as respondents. The study aimed to develop a scale (UECUBS) to determine the unethical computer use behavior. A factor analysis of the related items revealed that the factors were can be divided under five headings; intellectual property, social impact, safety and quality, net integrity and information integrity.     

Too much computer and Internet use is bad for your grades, especially if you are young and poor: Results from the 2001 Brazilian SAEB

This work presents the analysis of the 2001 Brazilian Basic Education Evaluation System (SAEB) achievement exam. The SAEB tested 4th, 8th, and 11th grade students, in mathematics and reading (Portuguese). We classified the students into seven socioeconomic classes, and for each class, compared the test results according to frequency of computer use, computer ownership, Internet access at home, and whether the teachers used computers and Internet as pedagogical tools. Frequency of computer use had, in general, a negative effect on the test results, and the negative effect increased for younger and poorer students. Computer ownership had, in general, a small positive effect on the test results for older students, and no effect for 4th graders. Internet access had a negative effect for younger and poorer students, and a positive effect for 11th graders. Finally, whether the teacher used computers or Internet as pedagogical tools had no effect on the student’s test results for all social economic classes and grades.     

Computer attitudes of primary and secondary students in South Africa

This study investigated computer attitudes of 240 students from eight primary and secondary schools in South Africa. The student population of six of the eight schools that participated in the study can be characterised as middle or upper class. Two schools were from South African townships. All eight schools used computers for educational purposes, although the availability and use of the computers differed. The research question of the study was whether differences in computer attitude could be found between boys and girls, and to what extent these differences could be explained by student, school, and environment characteristics. In contrast to most studies on gender differences and computer attitudes, no gender differences in computer attitudes were found. However, this study showed differences in computer attitudes between students from the upper/middle class schools and students from the township schools. The latter showed a less positive attitude towards computers, but more interest in computer-related careers compared with the students in the upper/middle class schools. The study found that computer access and experience, which was significantly lower in the township schools, was also related to computer attitude.     

The effectiveness of the meaningful learning-based evaluation for different achieving students in a ubiquitous learning context

In recent years, fueled by the rise of mobile technology, ubiquitous learning has shown great potential in various disciplines, especially in context-aware environments. However, improper applications of this learning approach may also lead to inefficient learning and even reduced learning effectiveness. It is thus necessary to assess whether a ubiquitous learning project is able to achieve the aim of meaningful learning, so as to empower learners in scaffolding their knowledge students with different levels of achievement, especially low-achieving ones. This study aims to investigate the impact of a meaningful learning-based evaluation method on ubiquitous learning, in order to enhance the target system. A quasi-experiment is designed for this purpose, in which the post-evaluation and refined ubiquitous learning activities are adopted for the experimental group, in contrast to the control group, which works without the proposed evaluation method. The findings show that the evaluating ubiquitous learning using the meaningful learning paradigm can significantly enhance learning effectiveness, especially for low-achieving students, although the gains were not so significant for the high-achieving students, as seen in the posttest. Moreover, no significant differences in learning effectiveness were found between the experimental and control groups. The results of the posttest showed that the low-achieving students in the experimental group significantly outperformed those in the control group. This study suggests that the functions of a learning system may be need to be further enhanced to better suit the needs of low-achieving students, and that the use of a meaningful learning-based evaluation method is an effective way to find out what needs to be improved.     

Examining psychometric characteristics of the computer anxiety scale

The psychometric characteristics of the 20-item computer anxiety scale (CAS) were examined in a Nigerian sample of 181 preservice teachers (62 men and 119 women). Results indicated a two-factor solution, consistent with those from other studies. The two factors accounted for 41.6% of the total variance in the solution. The internal consistency reliability for the entire scale (.89) was considered conceptually meaningful. This result suggests that computer anxiety construct, as measured by CAS, appears to be culturally and contextually invariant.     

Empirical user studies inform the design of an e-notetaking and information assimilation system for students in higher education

The research presented in this paper reaches towards a better theoretical understanding of how students in higher education currently take notes, how this process is evolving in the digital age to include information assimilation, and the kinds of support students need to be successful with their changing academic tasks. To gain insight into these questions, we triangulated three major and distinct user studies. First we interviewed 70 university students from various disciplines across campus, and we administered questionnaires to these same students, receiving back a total of 68. Our second study was based on participant observation whereby we “shadowed” 32 university students for 2–3 h each as they went about their normal academic business around campus. Lastly, we conducted a broader-based questionnaire with 280 students from a wider campus demographic than our first survey. We sought a diverse population for our research, and were able to include students from the disciplines of Business, English, Computer Science, Chemistry, Psychology, Pharmacy and Biology in one or more of the studies. We discovered how closely students are connected to technology and how they are adapting to changing expectations, current issues they have completing their academic tasks, how they view traditional notetaking versus electronic notetaking, and evidence that they are engaging more and more in the process of information assimilation. From these results, we conclude that students in higher education might accomplish certain tasks more effectively and efficiently with a well-designed software system that provides access to a centralized set of notes from different locations on campus and beyond. After identifying functional requirements for the system we envision, we preview our initial low-fidelity prototypes, and discuss feedback we gathered on these designs from a set of user focus groups.     

Evaluating a CALL software on the learning of English prepositions

This study assessed the effectiveness of using a CALL lesson (Computer Assisted Language Learning) over a conventional lesson to facilitate learning of English prepositions at Bario, Malaysia. CALL was developed by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia as support material to enhance learning of English prepositions. Both the conventional and the CALL lessons were matched with the same content except for the medium in which the lesson was being delivered. Students were provided with computers to go through the CALL lesson in a self-regulated manner; while a teacher taught the conventional lesson in a classroom. Test results indicate that students who received the conventional lesson outperformed those who went through the CALL lesson. The Relative Condition Efficiency measurement also showed that the conventional group learned more efficiently than the CALL group. The findings are interpreted from the perspective of cognitive load required in processing the presentation mode of the learning materials.     

Computer usage and the validity of self-assessed computer competence among first-year business students

This study evaluates the reliability of self-assessment as a measure of computer competence. This evaluation is carried out in response to recent research which has employed self-reported ratings as the sole indicator of students’ computer competence. To evaluate the reliability of self-assessed computer competence, the scores achieved by students in self-assessed computer competence tests are compared with scores achieved in objective tests. The results reveal a statistically significantly over-estimation of computer competence among the students surveyed. Furthermore, reported pre-university computer experience in terms of home and school use and formal IT education does not affect this result. The findings call into question the validity of using self-assessment as a measure of computer competence. More generally, the study also provides an up-to-date picture of self-reported computer usage and IT experience among pre-university students from New Zealand and South-east Asia and contrasts these findings with those from previous research.     

Development and validation of a computer attitude measure for young students (CAMYS)

An important aspect in successfully implementing instructional technology in educational settings is user acceptance, which is greatly influenced by users’ attitudes towards computers. Today, computers have become an integral part of instruction at all levels of education and it is important for educators and policy makers to understand how various factors interact with the user’s characteristics to influence the teaching and learning process involving the use of computers. Over the years, many scales have been developed to measure computer attitudes of secondary students and adults. Few have been develop to be used for students in the primary schools. The aim of this study is to develop and validate a computer attitude measure for young students (CAMYS). The revised 12-item CAMYS was piloted with 256 students aged 10–12 with a mean of 11.9 years (SD = 0.31). Several statistical analyses were performed to assess the reliability and validity of the measure. The measure, together with suggestions for administration and scoring are included.     

Gender differences in computer attitudes and the choice of technology-related occupations in a sample of secondary students in Spain

The dearth of women in technology and ICT-related fields continues to be a topic of interest for both the scientific community and decision-makers. Research on attitudes towards computers proves that women display more negative computer attitudes than men and also make less intense use of technology and computers than their male counterparts. For this reason, the main aims of this study are threefold. Firstly, to analyze the existence of gender differences in three dimensions of computer attitudes in a group of 550 secondary students in Spain (mean of age = 15 years old; SD = 1.73). Secondly, to study the moderating influence of a group of contextual variables on those gender differences in computer attitudes. And thirdly, to examine the predictive role of computer attitudes on the intention to pursue technology-related occupations. Some of the analyses of variance carried out show more positive computer attitudes in boys than in girls. These differences are more salient among students coming from rural areas and the upper social class, who are also enrolled in the domain of technology in secondary education, and whose mothers have no occupation outside the home. Finally, simple logistic regressions were carried out in order to prove that all dimensions of computer attitudes predict the enrollment intentions to pursue technology-related occupations. Nonetheless, gender only moderates the relationship between the cognitive dimension of computer attitudes and the enrollment intentions to pursue technology-related occupations.     

What is important in electronic textbooks for students of different achievement levels?

This paper reports the findings of a study that explored which characteristics of electronic textbooks correlated with knowledge acquisition by learners of different achievement levels. The study was carried out on 35 units of electronic textbooks that were studied by 19 high-achieving and 19 low-achieving students in four Estonian schools. The low-achieving students profited from clear instructions, familiar icons, examples, and answering from the keyboard. The high-achieving students benefited from key-combinations, menus with different levels, the Internet, analogies and lower density of terms in the content of the material. In electronic textbooks, not only the content, but also the design of the software, should be different for learners with a different achievement level.     

An assessment of the influence of perceived enjoyment and attitude on the intention to use technology among pre-service teachers: A structural equation modeling approach

This study examined the influence of perceived enjoyment on pre-service teachers’ intention to use technology, in addition to re-appraising the role of attitude toward use in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM; Davis, Bagozzi, &; Warshaw, 1989). One hundred and fifty-three participants in Singapore completed a survey questionnaire measuring their responses to five constructs from a research model that was developed specifically for the study. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) showed that perceived enjoyment was a significant predictor of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intention to use technology. The findings of this study support the view of Davis et al. (1989) from over 30 years ago that attitude toward use contributes only modestly to the TAM.     

The influence of students and teachers characteristics on the efficacy of face-to-face and computer supported collaborative learning

In this paper we compared the efficacy of face-to-face and computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) in increasing academic knowledge and professional competences. We also explored how students’ personality characteristics and learning strategies and teachers’ characteristics were associated with better learning outcomes in online or face-to-face contexts. One hundred and seventy students participated in 10 community psychology seminars, five online and five face-to-face. Academic and professional learning increased for participants in both settings. Tutors’ characteristics did not influence students’ learning. Students who performed better in online and in face-to-face contexts differed in some psychological variables and in their learning strategies. Overall results show that asynchronous collaborative learning online can increase professional competences normally learnt only in small face-to-face educational settings, and that CSCL can be used to provide innovative educational opportunities that fit particular needs of students with low anxiety, high problem solving efficacy, who have time management problems in their learning strategies.     

Combining qualitative evaluation and social network analysis for the study of classroom social interactions

Studying and evaluating real experiences that promote active and collaborative learning is a crucial field in CSCL. Major issues that remain unsolved deal with the merging of qualitative and quantitative methods and data, especially in educational settings that involve both physical and computer-supported collaboration. In this paper we present a mixed evaluation method that combines traditional sources of data with computer logs, and integrates quantitative statistics, qualitative data analysis and social network analysis in an overall interpretative approach. Several computer tools have been developed to assist in this process, integrated with generic software for qualitative analysis. The evaluation method and tools have been incrementally applied and validated in the context of an educational and research project that has been going on during the last three years. The use of the method is illustrated in this paper by an example consisting of the evaluation of a particular category within this project. The proposed method and tools aim at giving an answer to the need of innovative techniques for the study of new forms of interaction emerging in CSCL; at increasing the efficiency of the traditionally demanding qualitative methods, so that they can be used by teachers in curriculum-based experiences; and at the definition of a set of guidelines for bridging different data sources and analysis perspectives.     

Influence of gender,program of study and PC experience on unethical computer using behaviors of Turkish undergraduate students

This study administered the unethical computer using behavior scale (UECUBS) developed by [Namlu, A.G., & Odabasi, F. (2007). Unethical computer using behavior scale: A study of reliability and validity on Turkish university students. Computers and Education, 48, 205–215.] to investigate whether gender, program of study and PC experience have an impact on ethical judgments of undergraduate students regarding information and communication technologies (ICTs). The sample consisted of 559 undergraduates from the Education Faculty of the most populated state university in Turkey. The results of 5 (program of study) × 2 (gender) × 2 (PC experience) between-groups analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated no significant differences among different programs of study and between high and low experienced PC users. The analysis showed significant differences between males and females. A significant interaction between the program of study and gender was found, which indicated that the difference between males and females did not follow a similar pattern across different programs of study. More specifically, females’ ethical judgments were consistent across different fields while males’ judgments varied according to the field of study.     

高校计算机基础教学的现状分析

本文分析了高校计算机基础教育教学的现状及存在的问题,同时结合教学经验,提出了一些解决方法与途径.     

What do successful computer science students know? An integrative analysis using card sort measures and content analysis to evaluate graduating students' knowledge of programming concepts

Abstract: This paper describes a multi‐institutional study that used a repeated single‐criterion card sort to investigate graduating computer science students' knowledge of programming concepts. The study seeks to improve computer science instruction by gaining insight into how graduating students retain and assimilate introductory programming knowledge into their broader understanding of the discipline. A total of 291 card sorts was elicited from 65 undergraduate students in their final year of study at eight colleges and universities throughout the USA. To fully exploit the rich qualitative and quantitative aspects of the card sort data, an integrative analysis process was used that combined content analysis with two measures, normalized minimum spanning tree and edit distance, both developed specifically to analyze card sort data.     

Assessing the effects of different multimedia materials on emotions and learning performance for visual and verbal style learners

Multimedia materials are now increasingly used in curricula. However, individual preferences for multimedia materials based on visual and verbal cognitive styles may affect learners' emotions and performance. Therefore, in-depth studies that investigate how different multimedia materials affect learning performance and the emotions of learners with visual and verbal cognitive styles are needed. Additionally, many education scholars have argued that emotions directly affect learning performance. Therefore, a further study that confirms the relationships between learners' emotions and performance for learners with visual and verbal cognitive styles will provide useful knowledge in terms of designing an emotion-based adaptive multimedia learning system for supporting personalized learning. To investigate these issues, the study applies the Style of Processing (SOP) scale to identify verbalizers and visualizers. Moreover, the emotion assessment instrument emWave, which was developed by HeartMath, is applied to assess variations in emotional states for verbalizers and visualizers during learning processes. Three different multimedia materials, static text and image-based multimedia material, video-based multimedia material, and animated interactive multimedia material, were presented to verbalizers and visualizers to investigate how different multimedia materials affect individual learning performance and emotion, and to identify relationships between learning performance and emotion. Experimental results show that video-based multimedia material generates the best learning performance and most positive emotion for verbalizers. Moreover, dynamic multimedia materials containing video and animation are more appropriate for visualizers than static multimedia materials containing text and image. Finally, a partial correlation exists between negative emotion and learning performance; that is, negative emotion and pretest scores considered together and negative emotion alone can predict learning performance of visualizers who use video-based multimedia material for learning.     

Computer adaptive practice of Maths ability using a new item response model for on the fly ability and difficulty estimation

In this paper we present a model for computerized adaptive practice and monitoring. This model is used in the Maths Garden, a web-based monitoring system, which includes a challenging web environment for children to practice arithmetic. Using a new item response model based on the Elo (1978) rating system and an explicit scoring rule, estimates of the ability of persons and the difficulty of items are updated with every answered item, allowing for on the fly item calibration. In the scoring rule both accuracy and response time are accounted for. Items are sampled with a mean success probability of .75, making the tasks challenging yet not too difficult. In a period of ten months our sample of 3648 children completed over 3.5 million arithmetic problems. The children completed about 33% of these problems outside school hours. Results show better measurement precision, high validity and reliability, high pupil satisfaction, and many interesting options for monitoring progress, diagnosing errors and analyzing development.