This review describes a meta-analysis of findings from 50 controlled evaluations of intelligent computer tutoring systems. The median effect of intelligent tutoring in the 50 evaluations was to raise test scores 0.66 standard deviations over conventional levels, or from the 50th to the 75th percentile. However, the amount of improvement found in…

The early and recent history of meta-analysis is outlined. After providing a definition of meta-analysis and listing its major characteristics, developments in statistics and research are described that influenced the formulation of modern meta-analytic methods. Major meta-analytic methods currently in use are described. Statistical and other…

Meta-analysis does not solve all the problems encountered in qualitative research reviews, but it holds out some hope for increasing the reliability and dependability of a reviewer's conclusions. Several developments in meta-analysis are cause for optimism. First, different meta-analysts are doing work in the same areas, leading to increased…

Several developments in the use of the new method of meta-analysis give cause for optimism. First, different meta-analysts are doing work in the same areas, leading to increased confidence in meta-analytic results. Second, meta-analysts are beginning to include raw data in their reports, which helps readers pinpoint the exact studies that lead to…

An overview of meta-analysis in education is provided. Methodology is discussed and substantive findings from meta-analytic studies are reviewed for six major areas of educational research: (1) instructional systems; (2) instructional design; (3) curricular innovation; (4) teacher education and evaluation; (5) class and school organization; and…

The assumptions and consequences of applying conventional and newer statistical methods to meta-analytic data sets are reviewed. The application of the two approaches to a meta-analytic data set described by L. V. Hedges (1984) illustrates the differences. Hedges analyzed six studies of the effects of open education on student cooperation. The…

Statistical methodologists have sometimes criticized the use of conventional statistics in meta-analysis, and in recent years a number of them have advocated the use of a special new statistical methodology for research synthesis. An examination of recent books describing this methodology shows that it is seriously limited in its applicability to…

Three major educational revolutions have been the advent of writing, the use of books as teaching tools, and the shift in educational responsibility from the home to the school. The fourth revolution, which is based on the use of electronic technology in teaching, began with programmed teaching machines, individualized instruction, and the…

The 101 computer-based education (CBE) studies considered for use in this meta-analysis came from three major sources: references in an earlier meta-analytic review of CBE at the college level (J. Kulik, et al., 1980); a computer search of the Comprehensive Dissertation Abstracts and ERIC databases; and utilization of the bibliographies contained…

This meta analysis of 101 studies of computer-based education in colleges highlights examination performance, student attitudes toward instruction and computers, the relationship of publication source to study outcome, and time needed for instruction. One hundred twenty-one references are listed. (Author/LRW)

This metaanalysis of 32 comparative studies shows that computer-based education has generally had positive effects on the achievement of elementary school pupils. However, these effects are different for off-line computer managed instruction and interactive computer assisted instruction (CAI); interactive CAI produces greater increases in student…