Table 3
School and Classroom Environments
of Exemplary and Other Computer-Using Teachers
|
School and Classroom Environments |
Standadized differene (Effect Size) |
Exemplary Teach- ersa |
Other Teach- ersa |
MATHb |
S C Ibb |
E N G Lb |
E L E Mb |
|
Panel 1: Nature of the Student Body |
|
||||||
|
Public school |
+.54 |
100% |
78% |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
NOT in southern
states |
+.32 |
84% |
68% |
|
+ |
|
|
|
Percent of
students (teacher’s own class) with computers at home |
+.11 |
22% |
20% |
|
– |
|
|
|
School district
neither very poor nor majority black |
+.10 |
87% |
83% |
+ |
– |
|
|
|
School district
percent of families above poverty level |
+.00 |
86% |
86% |
|
– |
|
|
|
Socio-economic
status, school level (principal estimate) (index from 1 to 5) |
–.16 |
3.0 |
3.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
Student ability
(teacher’s class; teacher’s judgment) (index from 1 to 5) |
–.18 |
2.9 |
3.0 |
+ |
– |
|
|
|
Panel 2: School Experience and Expertise with Computers |
|
||||||
|
Number of teachers at the school who use computers (among math, science, English,
& grade 3-6 elementary teachers) |
+.85 |
13 |
7 |
|
+++ |
+++ |
+ |
|
Percentage of teachers at the school who use computers (among
math, science, English, & grade 3-6 elementary teachers) |
+.67 |
65% |
44% |
– |
+ |
++ |
++ |
|
Number of
teachers judged "expert" at using instructional programs |
+.49 |
4.7 |
2.5 |
|
|
++ |
+ |
|
Number of
teachers judged "expert" at programming |
+.45 |
1.1 |
0.6 |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
Percentage
of schools’ computers obtained during last two years |
+.36 |
43% |
33% |
+ |
|
|
|
|
Hours per day average computer is used (among those in computer laboratories) |
+.20 |
4.5 |
3.9 |
|
+ |
|
|
|
Number of
years computers have been used at the school for instruction |
+.17 |
7 |
6 |
|
|
|
+ |
|
Number of
teachers judged "expert" at using professional tool software |
+.12 |
2.8 |
2.3 |
|
|
+ |
|
|
Percent of
computers used by students every day |
–.01 |
65% |
65% |
|
|
+ |
|
|
Panel 3: School Policies and Practices Regarding Alternative Computer
Uses |
|
||||||
|
Percent of school computer time used for industrial
arts or business education (besides word processing) |
+.72 |
10% |
4% |
+ |
+++ |
|
|
|
Word processing
has been used at the school for class assignments for 3+ years |
+.64 |
60% |
30% |
|
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
Frequency
that computers are used for school paper, yearbook (index) |
+.63 |
2.5 |
1.9 |
+ |
|
|
+ |
|
School principal
has taken actions to assure equity in computer use |
+.58 |
25% |
8% |
|
+++ |
|
++ |
|
Teachers have
done “demo’s” using computers for 3+ years |
+.54 |
65% |
38% |
|
++ |
|
+ |
|
School has
provided computer education for 3+ years |
+.37 |
62% |
44% |
|
+ |
|
|
|
Percentage
of school computer time used for social studies, science, foreign language,
art, and music |
+.27 |
18% |
15% |
|
|
|
+ |
|
Principal's
computer priorities: writing assignments for various classes |
+.19 |
41% |
33% |
|
+ |
+ |
|
|
School has
policy that all students must have computer experience |
+.18 |
40% |
32% |
|
|
|
+ |
|
Percentage
of students getting computer education (selected grades) |
+.03 |
65% |
64% |
|
|
|
|
|
Principal's
computer priorities: math skills |
+.00 |
44% |
44% |
|
|
|
|
|
Top-down decision
making re computers (index) |
–.02 |
-8.5 |
-8.4 |
|
|
|
|
|
Principal's
computer priorities: word processing instruction |
–.04 |
38% |
39% |
|
– |
+ |
|
|
Principal's
computer priorities: Language arts skills |
–.09 |
34% |
38% |
|
|
|
|
|
Percent of
school computer time used for computer education (teaching how to use/program
computers) |
–.12 |
36% |
39% |
|
– |
– |
|
|
Principal's
computer priorities: Keyboarding Instruction |
–.14 |
26% |
32% |
|
|
|
|
|
Percent of
school computer time used for skills in math and English |
–.17 |
29% |
31% |
– |
|
|
|
|
School has
rules about game playing on computers |
–.19 |
22% |
30% |
|
|
|
|
|
Percent of
school computer time used for recreational games |
–.41 |
6% |
9% |
|
– |
|
– |
|
Panel 4: Computer Coordination and Staff Development |
|
||||||
|
Teacher used computer initially at suggestion of
district or school computer coordinator (rather than building administrator
or teacher or self-initiated) |
+.60 |
40% |
17% |
++ |
++ |
|
+ |
|
Computer coordinator
is district coordinator |
+.59 |
19% |
5% |
|
|
+ |
+ |
|
Computer coordinator
is full-time school coordinator (limited. teaching) |
+.58 |
18% |
5% |
|
+ |
|
++ |
|
District provides
staff development on using computer applications |
+.41 |
64% |
43% |
|
|
+ |
+ |
|
District provides
staff development on using computers in subjects |
+.35 |
51% |
35% |
- |
|
+ |
+ |
|
School provides
staff development on using computer applications |
+.31 |
34% |
21% |
|
++ |
|
|
|
Teachers have
borrowed computers for home use for 3+ years |
+.26 |
46% |
34% |
++ |
|
|
|
|
School provides
staff development on using computers in subjects |
+.07 |
23% |
20% |
– |
|
|
|
|
Nobody acts
as computer coordinator |
–.22 |
6% |
13% |
|
|
|
|
Panel 5: Resources Available
to Teachers and Teaching Requirements
|
|
||||||
|
Number of
disks with software available to teacher |
+.48 |
32 |
19 |
|
|
|
+ |
|
(small) Ratio
of students to computers school-wide |
+.45 |
17:1 |
24:1 |
|
++ |
+ |
|
|
(small) Class
size (teacher’s own class) |
+.43 |
17 |
21 |
|
|
+ |
|
|
(small) Ratio
of students to computers (teacher’s own class) |
+.29 |
4.1:1 |
6.3:1 |
– |
+ |
+ |
|
|
Percentage
of school computers that are 16-bit (IBM, Macintosh, etc. ) |
+.26 |
29% |
20% |
|
++ |
|
|
|
Number of
computers available to teacher’s own class |
+.08 |
10.7 |
9.7 |
|
++ |
|
|
|
Teacher uses
computer in own classroom (rather than lab) |
+.02 |
49% |
48% |
|
– |
|
|
aMean for those teachers’ environments; or percentage of teachers where for each
teacher, response is either “yes” or “no.” b+
and – indicate approximate magnitude of effect sizes (ES): + indicates
0.5 < ES < 1.0; ++ indicates 1.0 < ES < 1.5; and +++ indicates
ES ≥ 1.5. Minus signs indicate ES below zero to same amount.