Computer-based collaborative concept mapping : motivating Indian secondary students to learn science : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand

This is a study of the design, development, implementation and evaluation of a teaching and learning intervention. The overarching aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of the intervention ‘Computer-based Collaborative Concept Mapping’ (CCCM) on Indian secondary students’ conceptual learning and motivation towards science learning. CCCM was designed based on constructivist and cognitive theories of learning and reinforced by recent motivation theories. The study followed a Design-based research (DBR) methodology. CCCM was implemented in two selected Indian secondary grade 9 classrooms. A quasi-experimental Solomon Four-Group research design was adopted to carry out the teaching experiment and mixed methods of data collection were used to generate and collect data from 241 secondary students and the two science teachers. The intervention was designed and piloted to check the feasibility for further implementation. The actual implementation of CCCM followed the pilot testing for 10 weeks. Students studied science concepts in small groups using the computer software Inspiration. Students constructed concept maps on various topics after discussing the concepts in their groups. The achievement test ATS9 was designed and administered as a pre-post-test to examine the conceptual learning and science achievement. Students’ responses were analysed to examine their individual conceptual learning whereas group concept maps were analysed to assess group learning. The motivation questionnaire SMTSL was also administered as a pre-post-test to investigate students’ initial and final motivation to learn science. At the end of the teaching experiment, the science teachers and two groups of students were interviewed. Analyses of the quantitative data suggested a statistically significant enhancement of science achievement, conceptual learning and motivation towards science learning. The qualitative data findings revealed positive attitudes of students and teachers towards the CCCM use. Students and teachers believed that CCCM use could promote conceptual learning and motivate students to learn science. Both students and teachers preferred CCCM over on-going traditional didactic methods of teaching-learning. Some enablers and barriers identified by teachers and students in the Indian science classroom context are also explored and discussed. A framework for enhancing secondary school students’ motivation towards science learning and conceptual learning is proposed based on the findings. The findings of the study also contribute to addressing the prevailing learning crisis in Indian secondary school science classrooms by offering CCCM an active and participatory instructional strategy as envisioned by the Indian National Curriculum Framework 2005

Design of a processor to support the teaching of computer systems

Teaching computer systems, including computer architecture, assembly language programming and operating system implementation, is a challenging occupation. At the University of Waikato this is made doubly true because we require all computer science and information systems students study this material at second year. The challenges of teaching difficult material to a wide range of students have driven us to find ways of making the material more accessible. The corner stone of our strategy for delivering this material is the design and implementation of a custom CPU that meets the needs of teaching. This paper describes our motivation and these needs. We present the CPU and board design and describe the implementation of the CPU in an FPGA. The paper also includes some reflections on the use of a real CPU rather than a simulation environment. We conclude with a discussion of how the CPU can be used for advanced classes in computer architecture and a description of the current status of the project

Effect of Social Networking Sites on Students’ Engagement and Motivation in Computer Science in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The use of Social Networking Sites (SNS) in the classroom is not a new phenomenon in educational research. Several researchers have investigated the use of SNS and its effect on students. This study investigated the use of Edmodo and Facebook as SNS for engaging senior secondary Computer Science students in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The study adopted quasi experimental design. Eighty (80) S.S.II Computer Science students were purposively sampled and used for the study. Two research questions were answered, and two hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. The Instruments used for data collection were titled “Computer Science Achievement Test” (CSAT) and “Students’ Engagement and Motivation toward Facebook and Edmodo Questionnaire” (SEMFEQ). CSAT pre-test and post-test was made up of 40 multiple choice questions while SEMFEQ was made up of two parts (A and B) and part B was made up of two sections (A and B of 25 items each). Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer research questions and independent t-test was used for the hypotheses. Cronbach Alpha was used to compute the internal consistency of SEMFEQ and a reliability coefficient of 0.88 was obtained. The findings revealed of the two dependent variables in this study; engagement and motivation that the first independent variable, Facebook had a higher significant effect on senior secondary Computer Science students than Edmodo, the second independent variable. Recommendations made based on the findings amongst others include incorporating these platforms to support classroom instruction

Flipping Laboratory Sessions in a Computer Science Course: An Experience Report

Contribution: This article presents an experience report on the application of flipped classroom (FC) to the laboratory sessions (henceforth lab sessions) of an undergraduate computer science course. Background: Hands-on work in computer science lab sessions is typically preceded by technical instructions on how to install, configure, and use the software and hardware tools needed during the lab. In the course under study, this initial explanation took between 14% and 50% of the lab time, reducing drastically the time available for actual practice. It was also observed that students missing any of the labs had trouble catching up. Intended Outcomes: The application of FC is expected to increase the time for hands-on activities, and improve students' performance and motivation. This improvement is expected to be more noticeable in those students who are unable to attend all lab sessions. Application Design: The study compares the application of FC and a traditional methodology. It encompasses two academic courses and involves 434 students and six lecturers. Findings: The FC is suitable for lab sessions in computer science. Among other results, flipping the labs resulted in 24 more minutes of practical and collaborative work on average at each lab session. It was observed a significant improvement in the motivation of students, with 9 out of every 10 students preferring it over traditional methodologies. Also, the FC made it much easier for students to catch up after missing a lab, making the final grades less dependent on lab attendance

Correlation Between The Use Of Games And Students' Motivation In Learning English

This research aims at analyzing correlation between the use of games and students' motivation. Quantitative method with correlation research design was used in this research. Its population consists of 65 students taken as research sample. Total sampling technique was applied in this research. Two independent variables correlated were the use of games as variable X and students' motivation as variable Y. Questionnaires used to collect data consisted of 40 items, in which 20 items related to the use of games and another 20 items concerning with students' motivation. The data were analyzed by applying computer program of SPSS (statistical package for social science) 18. Findings of the research indicate that the coefficient correlation (rxy) is 0.571, with the degree of freedom df = N-2 and the level of significance 0.05 or 5%. Value of r-table 0.244 indicates that the value of rxyis higher than rt (0.571 > 0.244). Thereby, alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted and null hypothesis (Ho) is rejected, so there is a significant correlation between the implementation of games and motivation of students at second semester of grade VIII. It means that the more often teachers use games the higher students motivation in learning English

Computer forensics methodology and praxis.

This thesis lays the groundwork for creation of a graduate-level computer forensics course. It begins with an introduction explaining how computing has invaded modern life and explains what computer forensics is and its necessity. The thesis then argues why universities need to be at the forefront of educating students in the science of computer forensics as opposed to proprietary education courses and the benefits to law enforcement agencies of having a computer scientist perform forensic analyses. It continues to detail what computer forensics is and is not. The thesis then addresses legal issues and the motivation for the topic. Following this section is a review of current literature pertaining to the topic. The last half of the thesis lays a groundwork for design of a computer forensics course at the graduate level by detailing a methodology to implement which contains associated laboratory praxis for the students to follow

Effect of interactive computer simulations on academic performance and learning motivation of Rwandan students in Atomic Physics

Physics course is seen by both teachers and students as difficult when it comes to teaching and learning. Thus, there is a need to think of and integrate new and innovative ways of teaching which guarantee students an improved physics conceptual understanding. This study investigated the effect of interactive computer simulations on the academic performance and learning motivation of students. It used a quasi-experimental design with a quantitative approach. The participants were 163 senior five Rwandan students (80 students in a control group and 83 students in an experimental group). The investigation was done on students’ learning in atomic physics using physics education technology (PhET) simulations for the experimental group and conventional teaching methods for the control group. An atomic physics achievement test as a pre/post-test and a questionnaire related to motivation were designed and examined for reliability and validity. Data were analyzed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. On both test scores and learning motivation, the results show that the experimental group performed better than the control group with noticeable statistically significant differences. This research recommended that the integration of interactive computer simulations can be helpful in teaching and learning physics in Rwanda and future research may focus on the effectiveness of these simulations in the teaching and learning of other science disciplines like Chemistry and Biology

The Effect of Implementing Media Computer Based Instruction (Simulation Model) Towards Student’s Autonomy in Science Learning

Students’ autonomy toward teacher during the learning activities leads one-way learning. Consequently, students have less autonomy in the learning activities. Therefore, this research adressed to implement the media computer based instruction (simulation model) in improving the students’ autonomy in a science learning. The total participants in this research were 79 of the 4th grade students from a purposively primary schools during the first semester of 2018. They were divided into two groups, namely the experimental group (n=55) and the control group (n=24). The research used a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental method with a nonequivalent control group design. The students’ autonomy data were collected by using the observation sheet for each of post-test and pre-test which consisted of five aspects i.e. motivation, initiative, confidence, discipline, and responsibility. The independent sample t-test was used statistically to compare the average score of the students’ autonomy during the pre-test and post-test. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS 11.0 statistics program. The findings of the research indicated that computer based instruction (simulation model) affects the students’ autonomy significantly in the science learning. Thus, the researcher believes in the further study, the computer based instructions (simulation model) can be intergrated with the model or method in the learning activity to improve the students’ autonomy in learning science