The impact of computer use on the individualization of students' learning experiences in public middle school science classrooms

Given the recent emphasis and significant expenditures on technology as a tool in educational reform, policymakers, educators, and taxpayers are seeking accountability in terms of evaluation of its impact. With a view to investigating how the presence of computers in the classroom has affected the process of teaching and learning, this study aims to determine whether and how computer use by public middle school students in the science classroom might facilitate the individualization of students' instructional experiences.; Questionnaires from 50 middle school science teachers located in 20 Manhattan public schools were collected to provide background information on each teacher's teaching philosophy, teaching practices, attitude toward technology, technology skills, and technology use in the science classroom. Questionnaires from 673 students of these teachers provided information regarding the students' computer use and skills and addressed issues of classroom environment deemed to be indicators of individualization of instruction. A classroom observation instrument was used to quantitatively track how 191 of these students interacted and worked with peers, the teacher, and resources in the classroom.; The relationships between degree of computer use and the indicators of individualization of instruction were investigated using multilevel statistics, accounting for the clustering effect caused by students being grouped together in classrooms, to provide a more reliable analysis than traditional single level, fixed effects models. Random intercept analyses allowed an investigation into the mediating effects of teacher and classroom variables on the various outcomes.; An increase in computer use was found to be associated with changes in certain aspects of the learning environment: fewer but more protracted verbal interactions in the classroom; more one-on-one interactions among students and between individual students and the teacher; more time spent working independently; more time spent working on assignments that varied according to the student's interests; fewer shifts in activity during a given time period; greater flexibility for students to work at their own pace; use of a wider range of resources; and greater student initiative in selecting resources to use.