Done by:Marwa Al IbrahimYoumna Al Yafai

Ghada al Shanfari

Comparative and non Comparative studies analysis

a Comparative study: Blending classroom instruction with online homework: A study of student perceptions of computer-assisted L2

learning

The purpose of the study: investigate the effect of using an online

workbook on the attitudes and performance of second language Spanish learners toward this pedagogical tool over two consecutive semesters.

Con..The Participants:

245 second language Spanish learners between 18 and 25 years old.

The participants were enrolled in multiple sections of two following undergraduate Spanish courses

Con..The instruments used:

A Language background questionnaire and language proficiency test

Language assessment tests (quantitative measures)

Survey on student perceptions (qualitative measure)

Con..The results:

Indication of significant increase in grammar scores.

positive findings of student perceptions about the online workbook, in terms of accessibility to the material, user-friendliness and instant feedback.

Also, most students like the usefulness of the online workbook for language learning, particularly in the areas of grammar and vocabulary acquisition.

the survey revealed a negative aspects of the use of the online workbook, which is the amount of time needed to complete the online exercises.

AdvantagesIt focus on both students’ attitudes in

blended instructional learning and the improvement of students’ performance and learning outcomes.

the researchers ruled out any sources of bias and sample contamination by using the Language background questionnaire and language proficiency test.

DisadvantagesIt toke a long period of time (three

semesters) to complete the treatment which makes the study threaten of losing participants due to illness, travel and death…etc which can negatively effect the study results.

References SAGARRA, NURIA & ZAPATA, GABRIELA C. European Association for

Computer Assisted Language Learning, Printed in the United Kingdom, http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FREC%2FREC20_02%2FS0958344008000621a.pdf&code=1d4353e3899c6ff128e851f47f408cbf

Blind Scores in a Graduate Test: Conventional Compared with Web-based Outcomes

Problem: While the published literature suggests that there is little or no difference in the outcomes of student results when online learning is compared with conventional classroom instruction.

Purpose and question:

Are there any differences between the outcomes of student results when online learning and conventional classroom instruction?

Instrument

The study is applying midterm exam to assess the grades of the learners to compare two graduate school environments-one in a conventional setting and the other in a web-based "virtual classroom).The two classes were taught by the same instructor who delivered the same content to both groups.

The "blind" study was performed at Stevens Institute of Technology, a technical and business university that provides undergraduate and graduate education to approximately 4,000 students at its Hoboken, NJ main campus and at some 30 other sites in New Jersey and six other states.

Advantages & DisadvantagesAdvantagesEliminate instructor bias: the instructor grade the

midterm examinations from both classes without knowing from which class the exams originated.

no evidence of any kind that categorically proves that technology does not impact learning in some way, positively or negatively.

Disadvantages the way of teaching in both types of learning may

faced some differences and can effect students achievement .

FINDINGS

The test results for each group are shown in Figure 1. The Web Campus class had seven students whose test grades ranged from 57 to 94 (out of 100 points). The on-campus class, with 12 students, received midterm grades ranging from 35 to 87

Figure 1

From a quick inspection of the raw data, it is not immediately clear which class did better. The distribution of the grades in Figure 2, however, shows that while the means of two samples are close, the on-campus class has a bimodal distribution with some students scoring high and some low.

Figure 2

Web Campus

On Campus

#of Students

7 12

Mean 74 68.7

Deviation 13.9 16.5

Table 1. Statistical Comparison of Data from Midterm Exams.

We then took a closer look by examining the statistics. This data is shown in Table 1. The average score for the online class was 5 points (5%) higher than for the on campus class. The online class scores also had less variation. The standard deviation for the online class was 13.9, compared to 16.5 for the on-campus class.

REFERENCES

Russell, Thomas E., The No Significant Difference Phenomenon, North Carolina University, 1999. Available: http://nova.teleeducation.nb.ca/nosignificantdifference/

Brock, Gerald W., Telecommunication Policy for the Information Age: From Monopoly to Competition, Harvard University Press, 1998.

http://www.aln.org/publications/magazine/v4n2/fallah.asp