To examine the role of teachers' conceptual representations of the Internet and World Wide Web, a survey and 10 case studies were conducted among pre- and in-service teachers enrolled in university courses. Results reveal diverse, plausible representations, not related to level of expertise. Experts were found to have a "representational toolkit"…

Analyzes computer-based simulations of workplaces to determine potential problems that might impede their use in school-to-work programs. Simulations were classified according to type and critiqued regarding common usage problems. Concludes that simulations can play an important role in school-to-work transition programs, even if not specifically…

Examines the introduction of electronic mail into three elementary schools. A contingency model of technology adoption by organizations was used to develop the instruments and interpret results. Findings indicated that a majority of the contingency factors (expectations, influence of peers and administrators, training, technical support, and…

Investigates the effect of selected personal, school, and district factors on K-3 teachers' confidence in their ability to implement computer-based instruction before and after an infusion of Information Technology (IT). Increased IT resources changed the strength and structure of teachers' confidence. The strongest predictors of confidence were…

A new fuzzy student modeling method with two intelligent agents, a diagnosis agent and a learning agent, are suggested by this article for several aspects of student modeling in Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Also integrated are fuzzy theories and Fuzzy-Hasse diagrams for student modeling. (Author/AEF)

Reviews several mechanisms to support navigation in hypertext following a brief discussion of the phenomena of disorientation in hyperspace. Categorizes ways to support navigation in terms of the following: solutions regarding the tools to support navigation; solutions regarding interface and navigation metaphors; and solutions regarding hardware…

Anchored instruction calls for the establishment of a macrocontext to "anchor" instruction within a realistic situation. Evidence is provided that video anchors encourage students to adopt certain contrived goals over their more naturalistic goals. Suggests that goals that enable the problem solver to detect the "raison d'etre" of information…

Uses interactive overviews (IOs), a type of advance organizer, to explore the effect of interaction between organizer structure and prior knowledge on novices' ability to meet learning goals. Participants were assigned to learn about ecosystems with a hypermedia program. Results indicated that the ecosystem IO aided learners in meeting an…

Surveys 117 English teachers to determine their current essay grading practices and their preferences for receiving and using computer ratings. Almost all of the teachers reported that they would use computer ratings to provide feedback to students. However, many reported that they would do less marking on student essays that are rated by computer…

Videotaped observations were made of seventh and eleventh grade students using an instructional hypermedia system. Three profiles of hypermedia navigation emerged with each style characterized by distinct information processing strategies. Analysis of the characteristics of learners revealed that students within each profile group had similar…

Expert users of the Internet were studied to identify the strategies they used to locate specific information. Participants' searching actions were recorded, including counts of each movement from Web page to Web page and within Web pages. Three patterns appeared: keyword searching, hierarchical searching, and meandering. Implications for the…

An after-school computer club was developed in which language-minority children learned to master a series of educational computer games through reading instructions, interacting with peers, and interacting with adult mentors. Results show how an informal educational environment can foster generalizable problem-solving skills that transfer to…

A path-modeling approach is adopted to examine interrelationships between factors influencing computing behavior and computer course performance. Factors considered are gender, personality, intellect and computer attitudes, ownership, and experience. Intrinsic motivation is suggested as a major factor which can explain many variables' relationship…

Reports research findings of an experimental design in which cooperative-learning strategies were applied to closed-lab instruction of computing concepts. SimCPU, a software package specially designed for closed-lab usage was used by 171 high school students of four classes. Results showed that collaboration enhanced learning and that blending…

Outlines important issues to consider when analyzing navigation in hypertext. Identifies internal and external factors of learning and information seeking with hypertext, and presents a summary of related research. Addresses different criteria for analyzing navigation patterns and focuses on the shortcomings of present studies. (AEF)