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This report describes an evaluation of Computer Literacy, which is an undergraduate general studies course, offered by College of Education at a large southwestern university. The purpose of this course is to provide knowledge about computer and computing, and application skills in using Microsoft Office software. The course is coordinated by a professor and is currently delivered in multiple sections by teaching assistants.

Personalization of word problems in mathematics has been used to increase student motivation and comprehension. Similar techniques may be effective in other disciplines. In the present study computer techniques allowed integration into stories of personalized referents from an inventory of student interests. Stories were produced at three levels of personalization for 26 students in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades from a suburban high school in the southwestern United States. A randomized block design was used to determine the order for level of personalization presentation, and a quiz was administered after each story to assess student comprehension. Continuing motivation was assessed using a post project survey which included choice of the level of personalization to be used for a fourth story. Scores were analyzed using ANOVA. Achievement mean scores for the individually personalized treatment were higher than the mean scores for either of the other treatments and they were statistically significant. Results show that personalization of reading materials can increase student comprehension of materials read. (20 references) (Author/BBM)

Descriptive data were collected from male and female students in grades 7, 9, and 11 on five learner attributes commonly reported as influencing student learning and/or motivation: desire for approval of others, attribution of success or failure, desire for challenge in academic settings, perceived self-competence in school settings, and locus of control for learning activities. A 55-item 4-point Likert-type scale was developed--the Student School and Work Survey (SSWS). The SSWS was administered to 93 males and 106 females in grade 7, 96 males and 128 females in grade 9, and 105 males and 104 females in grade 11 at a high school in a large southwestern suburban school district. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were computed for the 15 questions (3 per attribute) contained in the learner attribute section of the SSWS. These inter-item correlations revealed that, with one exception, correlations among pairs of items within a particular learner attribute were consistently significant beyond the 0.001 level and were consistently higher than were correlations with items assessing the other attributes. Females showed a higher desire than males for approval and challenge in school-related tasks. Data for males and females concerning attribution did not differ significantly, but reflected higher internal than external attribution for success in school. Relatively high levels of self-competence on school tasks and locus of control were found for both sexes. Compared to younger students, older students take less responsibility for their learning, desire less personal challenge, care less about the approval of others, and feel less school-related competence. Three data tables, two graphs, and a 20-item list of references are included. (RLC)

This study investigated continuing motivation for hard and easy tasks and subjects' judgements of selected learner characteristics purported to be related to learning and motivation. The data were collected through subjects' self-reports on a Student School and Work Survey questionnaire. The subjects were approximately 100 males and 100 females from the seventh, ninth, and eleventh grades. The return to task (motivation) measure on the questionnaire consisted of scenarios in which a male or female character performed a task the character considered to be either hard or easy. Each subject responded to two of the eight scenarios: 2(easy or hard task difficulty) x 2(male or female character) x 2(helping to produce the school newspaper or creative idea tasks). The Learner Characteristics Measure (Part Two) contains 15 questions that assess school-related aspects of each of the five learner characteristics of approval, attribution, challenge, competence, and locus of control. Analyses of the data revealed a significantly higher rate of return to easy tasks over hard tasks and a significantly higher rate of return for females than for males. A higher return rate for easy tasks was reported for the scenario character and a higher return rate for hard tasks was reported for the subject. Females had significantly higher reported return-to-task rates for self-return and return to easy tasks than males. The results were highly consistent across grade levels. A summary of results by sex across the five learner characteristics indicates that females showed a higher desire than males for approval and challenge in school-related tasks. Results for the learner characteristics across grade levels reveal a pattern in which older students take less responsibility for their learning, desire less personal challenge, and feel less school-related competence. (21 references) (BBM)

This study investigated return-to-task rates on hard and easy tasks that secondary students projected for scenario characters and for themselves. Data revealed significantly greater rates of return to easy tasks. Girls had significantly higher return-to-task rates. Evidence of self-presentation bias was present. (SM)