![]() Randomization was across teachers within the same schools. Department of Education and Mathematica Policy Research ( 2007 2009) evaluated six reading and four math software products for students in elementary, middle, and high school. The authors argue that computers may not be as effective as traditional classroom instruction. Despite the construction of the experiment, which favors gains in reading and language skills, they find little to no positive effects across a range of standardized tests that should be correlated with reading and language skills. The instruction these students missed was not necessarily in reading and language, so treated students received supplemental instruction in this subject area as a result. The intervention pulled students out of their otherwise scheduled classes to receive 90–100 min of individualized CAI. They conducted a randomized study that exploited within-school, within-grade variation at four schools that serve a high fraction of nonnative English speakers in the northeastern United States. Rouse and Krueger's (2004) evaluation of “Fast ForWord,” a language and reading program, is one of the earliest examples of evaluating a specific CAI using an RCT. This could be due to the fact that the instruction that is being substituted for is not as of high quality in these countries. Interestingly, evidence of positive effects appears to be the strongest in developing countries. Studies in this area differ significantly in the extent to which CAI is a substitute or a supplement to traditional instruction. The evidence from economic studies is mixed and suggests that the characteristics of the intervention are important. Kulik and Kulik (1991) and Liao (1992) summarize the early education literature, which generally suggests positive effects. CAI frequently targets a specific subject area that is tested before and after the software is introduced. CAI lends itself to evaluation using RCTs because access to software can be offered at the student or classroom level. 14 Frequently these programs are individualized or self-paced in order to accommodate differences in student ability or speed. Fairlie, in Handbook of the Economics of Education, 2016 2.3.2 Computer-Assisted InstructionĬAI is the use of specific software programs on computers in the classroom.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |