Effectiveness of alternative instructional media, a survey

THE SURVEY SUGGESTS THAT ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF TI ARE ALMOST EQUALLY EFFECTIVE, ALTHOUGH SEVERAL OF THE STUDIES REVIEWED INDICATE THAT DIFFERENT VARIABLES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, E.G., THE TEACHER"S VERBAL ABILITY AND CLASS SIZE. THE FEW STUDIES ON IR INDICATE THAT, SUPPLEMENTED WITH PRINTED MATERIAL, IT IS ABOUT AS EFFECTIVE AS TI. RESEARCH ON ITV INDICATES THAT IT IS AS EFFECTIVE, ON THE AVERAGE, FOR ALL GRADE LEVELS AND SUBJECT MATTERS. (THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ITV USED IN WAYS THAT EXPLOIT THE UNIQUE CAPABILITIES OF THE MEDIUM.) BOTH PI AND CAI ATTEMPT TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF TEACHING BY PROVIDING INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION, NONETHELESS, FINDINGS OF NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE DOMINATE THE RESEARCH LITERATURE IN THIS AREA. WHEN SMALL AMOUNTS OF CAI ARE USED TO SUPPLEMENT REGULAR CLASS INSTRUCTION, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT IT IMPROVES ACHIEVEMENT, PARTICULARLY FOR SLOWER STUDENTS. COSTS OF ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES SHOULD BE GIVEN SERIOUS CONSIDERATION IN PLANNING OR EVALUATING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. IN ADDITION TO THE COST CRITERION, THESE CONSIDERATIONS MUST BE MADE: (1) THE LONG-TERM SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SAVINGS IN TIME EXHIBITED IN SOME STUDIES USING PI OR CAI; (2) THE IMPACT OF THE TECHNOLOGIES ON THE LONG-TERM MOTIVATION OF STUDENTS, (3) LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF INDIVIDUALIZATION AND PRIVACY (CHARACTERISTIC OF SOME OF THE TECHNOLOGIES; AND (4) THE IMPACT OF MORE IMAGINATIVE USES OF THE MEDIA.