Development and evaluation of IRIS: A computer simulation to teach preservice teachers to administer an informal reading inventory

A continual task in any profession is the training of novices. One popular training technique is simulation. For centuries the military has used simulations. Professions such as business and medicine have also used simulations to train students. Although the literature on the use of simulations in higher education is substantial, most consists of general discussions and case reports. Little empirical research has been conducted in higher education. With the advent of inexpensive computers, simulations have grown in popularity. Surprisingly teacher education has been slow to adopt their use. Teacher educators have been even more reticent than their colleagues who are teaching in the public schools. Of the simulations that have been used in teacher education, the great majority have required a substantial investment in personnel and/or equipment. At a time when education on every level is under public attack and budgets are being cut, educators are hard pressed to meet the demands for improved teaching. Computer simulations may be one way of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of teacher educators. Previous studies have often looked at computer training versus conventional methods. A more pertinent question is whether instruction is more effective when computer-based training is integrated into the existing curriculum. This study involved the development and evaluation of a computer simulation, IRIS: Informal Reading Inventory Simulation, which can be used as an adjunct to classroom instruction on the administration and scoring of an Informal Reading Inventory. IRIS was developed using a new authoring system. Course of Action. Using this system required a good understanding of the content to be presented, but no programming skills. Students from a second reading course at East Carolina University were randomly assigned to either the control (Homework) group (N=17) or the experimental (Simulation) group (N=18). Both groups received the same in-class instruction and guided practice. The control group was given the same homework assignment as had been given in previous semesters. The treatment group received approximately two hours experience with the computer simulation. The experiment ran for eight days. To evaluate the efficacy of the simulation, students were tested using the Test of Essential Judgement and Administrative Skills (TEJAS), an objective test developed for this study. Results strongly support the use of the computer simulation as an adjunct to regular classroom instruction on the Informal Reading Invenicuv.