| This doctoral study explored the impact of use of computers and online media on students' learning in Karniak Cyberschool, a technology driven public high school for juniors and seniors, in Mukilteo School District, Mukilteo, Washington.;An exploratory quantitative and qualitative case study method of inquiry was used in this study covering the period between September 1997 to June 1999. Quantitative instruments set the numerical parameters of this study and its outcome, and included an anonymous student survey with 79% of return, students final transcripts at the conclusion of the second year of this study, and the District and Cyberschool records. Qualitative strategies explored the cognitive, relational, and subjective processes and characteristics of this site from the perspectives of administrators, staff, and students, and focused on their perceptions and experiences. They included interviews with all the graduating students, the three staff members and three administrators of the District, fieldwork, examination of students' sample work, and random telephone follow-ups with students.;The findings reveal a portrait of a symbiotic model for a working cyberschool that graduated 74% of its students. From the perspective of the students, the innovative approach to learning, embedded in a technology driven curriculum, forms a nucleus around which other structural characteristics of this school interact to initially engage the students, sustain their interest, and propel the majority of them towards graduation. These factors include flexible hours, one to one interactions with teachers, school environment, use of computers, interactive media and online resources, which allow for self-paced, project-based learning, and student relations.;The findings also point to possible factors contributing to engagement of female students with computer technology, and their 86% graduation rate in a heretofore foreign technology driven learning environment. These factors are absence of computer competency as prerequisite for enrollment in the Cyberschool, supportive school environment, no gender differentiation in curriculum content, instructional delivery, or teacher expectations, and unlimited access to computers. |
