The ETPA for predicting technology success with learning disabled students: lessons from a multimedia study

Abstract

Multimedia technology has presented teachers with an interesting dilemma: the richness of information in multimedia courseware cannot be adequately accessed and processed by an students. The learning disabled student, in particular, lacks some of the metacognitive skills that support their navigation through informational multimedia. In order to construct a supportive environment for the learning disabled student, however, the teacher needs to know what predisposition the student has towards the specific technology. This article describes the manner in which the Educational Technology Predisposition Assessment (ETPA) was modified for a middle school audience and how that modification could be extended for an audience of learning disabled students.