ERIC Number: ED326184
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1990
Pages: 40
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow: 1989 Evaluation Study.
Baker, Eva L.; And Others
This report discusses in detail the 1988-89 evaluation study developed by the University of California at Los Angeles Center for Technology Assessment and the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) administration for the purpose of determining the impact of the ACOT project on students, teachers, and parents. Both student achievement in writing and student attitudes toward computers were measured, together with teacher attitudes about curricular practices, student's achievement, and occupational stress, and attitudes of parents about the impact of ACOT on their children. Measurement instruments on attitudes were primarily questionnaires. A norm-referenced achievement test in basic skills and educational development was used to establish a basis for comparison, and a study of written composition was used to rate writing achievement. Results indicate that: (1) there is inconclusive evidence for ACOT contributing to students' achievement at a level beyond that of conventional instruction; (2) the ACOT project neither undermines student interest and motivation, nor enhances affective aspects of their school experience; (3) in spite of the amount of variability among those who responded, it can be determined that ACOT teachers experience considerable personal and professional impact; and (4) response bias among parents limits the ability to infer ACOT effects on parents' views or home activities. Overall satisfaction with the children's progress was reported, and computers appeared to be increasingly integrated with home activities. It is concluded that assessment of ACOT requires new documentation and evaluation tools capable of measuring the complexities of ACOT effects. (DB)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Achievement Tests, Attitude Measures, Computer Assisted Instruction, Educational Assessment, Elementary Secondary Education, Instructional Effectiveness, Microcomputers, Parent Attitudes, Program Evaluation, Questionnaires, Student Teacher Attitudes, Writing Achievement
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Apple Computer, Inc., Cupertino, CA.
Authoring Institution: California Univ., Los Angeles. Center for Technology Assessment.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A