Effectiveness of Technology in Precollege Mathematics and Science Teaching

Abstract

The first major applications of scientific technology to education were made by psychologist B. F. Skinner three decades ago. In the years since, the emphasis in instructional technology has shifted from programmed instruction to individualized systems of teaching to computer-based instruction. These three approaches show different degrees of promise as aids in precollege mathematics and science classrooms. Programmed instruction and individualized instruction have had only limited success in raising student achievement or improving student attitudes in precollege education. Computer-based instruction, on the other hand, has raised student achievement significantly in numerous studies, dramatically affected the amount of time needed for teaching and learning, and greatly altered student attitudes toward the computer.