ERIC Number: ED519042
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 156
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: ISBN-978-1-1242-2109-0
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Effects of Traditional versus Tactual/Kinesthetic versus Interactive-Whiteboard Instruction on Primary Students' Vocabulary Achievement- and Attitude-Test Scores
Masera, Ronald M.
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, St. John's University (New York), School of Education and Human Services
This researcher examined the effects of Traditional versus Tactual/Kinesthetic versus Interactive Whiteboard instruction on short- and long-term word-recall and attitude-test scores of primary students. The sample included 87 children, 45 kindergarten and 42 first-grade students. Participants were 41 males and 46 females from a suburban elementary school in eastern Long Island, NY. "Elementary Learning Style Assessment" (ELSA) (Dunn, Rundle & Burke, 2007) was administered to determine students' learning-style preferences. Using a repeated-measures-counter-balanced design, three subdivided groups were taught sight words in three different instructional methods. Students were taught 45 words, 15 per treatment, and received: pre-tests before each instructional unit, short-term posttests immediately following instruction, and long-term posttests six weeks later. The "Comparative Value Scale" (CVS) (O'Connell, 1999) was administered to determine attitudinal differences. Student achievement was determined by gain-scores derived by subtracting the pre-test scores from both the short- and long-term posttests. The data showed significantly higher short- and long-term word-recall scores when students were instructed through Tactual/Kinesthetic instructional methods over the Traditional (p less than 0.05) or Interactive Whiteboard (p less than 0.001) approaches In addition, students enjoyed learning with Tactual/Kinesthetic resources more than the other methods (p less than 0.001). A correlation analysis indicated that students who were less tactile and those who were analytic processors achieved statistically better with Traditional methods in both the short- and long-term. Amongst lower-achieving students, those with kinesthetic preferences scored significantly better (p less than 0.05) on short-term posttests in the Tactual/Kinesthetic treatment. In addition, less tactile, low-achieving students performed statistically better with Traditional methods (p = 0.01). These findings support that one reading approach may not be appropriate for all students. In this study the Interactive Whiteboard approach was least effective. The researcher acknowledges that shared access and turn taking using Interactive Whiteboards may have undermined student learning gains, as compared to the other treatments. It appears clear, however, that especially for low-achieving students, when instructional presentation is congruent with students' preferred learning modality the greatest achievement gains occur. Overall, students achieved their highest test scores and expressed the most positive attitudes with the Tactual/Kinesthetic resources that engaged the children actively, through Tactual/Kinesthetic activities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Cognitive Style, Achievement Gains, Sight Vocabulary, Academic Achievement, Correlation, Teaching Methods, Educational Technology, Elementary School Students, Suburban Schools, Vocabulary Development, Pretests Posttests, Instructional Effectiveness, Recall (Psychology), Word Recognition, Kinesthetic Methods, Tactual Perception
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Grade 1; Kindergarten
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A