A Formative Experiment Investigating the Use of Multimedia Book Reviews to Increase Elementary Students' Independent Reading

Abstract

S Using the methodology of a formative experiment (Jacob, 1990), this study investigated how a computer‐based instructional intervention (creating multimedia reviews of books) might be implemented to achieve a valued pedagogical goal in literacy instruction (increasing the amount and diversity of elementary students' independent reading). Consistent with formative experiments, the following questions were addressed: (a) What factors in the educational environment enhance or inhibit the intervention's effectiveness in achieving the pedagogical goal? (b) How can the intervention and its implementation be modified during the experiment to achieve more effectively the pedagogical goal? (c) What unanticipated positive or negative effects does the intervention produce? (d) Has the educational environment changed as a result of the intervention? Diverse quantitative and qualitative data were gathered during 2 academic years in 4 fourth‐grade and 5 fifth‐grade classrooms in 3 schools. Major findings include that the success of the intervention was related to the mediating effects of using technology, changes in the interactions among students and teachers, the administrative climate of a school, teachers' perceptions of their technological expertise, and students' engagement in relation to their reading ability. Also discussed are what unanticipated effects were observed and the extent to which the respective classroom environments were changed by the intervention Mediante el uso de un experimento formativo (Jacob, 1990), este estudio investigó la forma en que una intervención pedagógica basada en la computadora (creando revisiones multimedia de libros) podría implementarse para alcanzar un objetivo pedagógico valioso en la enseñanza de la lectoescritura (aumentando la cantidad y diversidad de las lecturas independientes de estudiantes primarios). En coincidencia con los experimentos formativos, se formularon las siguientes preguntas: (a) ¿Qué factores del contexto educativo promueven o inhiben la efectividad de la intervención para lograr el objetivo pedagógico? (b) ¿Cómo pueden modificarse la intervención y su implementación durante el experimento para lograr más eficazmente el objetivo pedagógico? (c) ¿Qué efectos no anticipados positivos o negativos produce la intervención? (d) ¿Se ha modificado el contexto educativo como resultado de la intervención? Se recogieron diversos datos cuantitativos y cualitativos durante 2 años académicos en aulas de 4º y 5º grado en 3 escuelas. Los principales hallazgos fueron el éxito de la intervención y su relación con los efectos mediadores del uso de la tecnología, los cambios en las interacciones entre estudiantes y docentes, el clima administrativo de la escuela, las percepciones de los docentes acerca de su conocimiento tecnológico y el compromiso de los estudiantes en relación con su habilidad de lectura. También se discuten los efectos no anticipados que se observaron y el alcance de las modificaciones en los contextos escolares respectivos debidos a la intervención. Du...

Classroom-oriented research from a complex systems perspective

“…A crucial characteristic of a complex system is its adaptability. A different type of experiment, described by Jacob (as cited in Reinking & Watkins, 2000) and called a formative experiment, focuses on the dynamics of implementation and might thus be capable of overcoming the limitations of a conventional experiment. According to Newman (as cited in Reinking & Watkins, 2000, p. 388), in a formative experiment, the researcher sets a pedagogical goal and finds out what it takes in terms of materials, organization, or changes in the intervention in order to reach the goal.…”

Developing Vocabulary and Conceptual Knowledge for Low-Income Preschoolers

“…Design experiments do not usually require comparison or control classrooms as in conventional experiments (Reinking & Watkins, 2000). Rather, researchers often establish a "counterfactual" (Hollister & Hill, 1995), a comparison group that can allow one to obtain some initial evidence for how an intervention or innovation might influence behavior.…”

Educational Design and Construction: Processes and Technologies

“…For example, Newman (1990) described a process he calls formative experiments for exploring how computers can be integrated into classrooms. Reinking and Watkins (1996) describe how a series of experiments was conducted to both investigate the effects of, and to redesign, a unit to promote independent reading of elementary students. Nieveen (1999) describes a prototyping approach based on consecutive formative evaluations, along with the framework that was used to evaluate three different quality aspects of those prototypes.…”