University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

A case study in adult education: Strategies to teach computer concepts and procedures

Petry, Josephine Anne

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/21593

Description

Title
A case study in adult education: Strategies to teach computer concepts and procedures
Author(s)
Petry, Josephine Anne
Issue Date
1991
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Kozoll, Charles
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ed.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Education, Adult and Continuing
  • Education, Technology of
  • Education, Curriculum and Instruction
Language
eng
Abstract
  • This was a case study of the instruction in an introductory computer class for adults who were beginning users. This was a typical community education course. The participants were diverse in age, educational background, and occupation. They attended this class to gain basic computer skills and knowledge.
  • The study focused on the instructor. The purpose was to identify the strategies that the instructor used when she presented computer concepts and procedures to students. Two assumptions of the study were (a) people do not have the background knowledge to easily learn computer information on their own, and (b) instruction can potentially be improved when instructors use strategies to structure information when they teach.
  • A qualitative design was used in this study. Observation, interview, and survey were the data gathering methods. Through content analysis, a mix of strategies was identified. The combination of instructional strategies included the cognitive strategies and other techniques that the instructor used when she taught. In addition, themes were identified as ways in which the instructor used strategies to build understanding of computer concepts and procedures. The ways that the instructor used strategies to (a) help people acquire new knowledge structures, or schema, and (b) help people develop a mental model of how a computer works were discussed.
  • The implications for practice were speculative. They included suggestions for how cognitive strategies and other techniques could be used in instruction. One of the purposes of qualitative research is to generate hypotheses. The suggestions for further research are based on speculations about (a) which strategies might be investigated further, and (b) how they might contribute to better instruction as people begin to learn to use a computer.
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/21593
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1991 Petry, Josephine Anne

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses - Education
Dissertations and Theses from the College of Education