Using the Concept Attainment Model for Web-Based Interventions in Self-Paced Classes

Prepared for the Society for Information Technology in Education, 1998.

Trey Martindale
Texas Tech University

Terence C. Ahern
Texas Tech University

Self-paced, learner-autonomous instruction is rapidly proliferating, particularly due to the growth of the World Wide Web. The effectiveness of this self-paced instruction has been and is currently being researched with varied results and conclusions. This paper describes a pilot study using the concept attainment model of teaching as Web-based intervention for students in a self-paced class.

With the rapid expansion of distance education and self-paced learning there is a need to examine and modify traditional instructional methods in the context of distance education. Using HTML, the investigator created a Web-based concept attainment intervention strategy to be used in a self-paced class. The concept attainment model of teaching can be defined as the search for and listing of attributes that can be used to distinguish exemplars from non exemplars of various categories. The model requires students to compare and contrast exemplars that contain characteristics (called "attributes") of the concept with exemplars that do not contain those attributes. Exemplars are a subset of data from a data set. Positive exemplars are the subset examples that share one or more defining characteristics that are missing in the other examples. It is by comparing the positive exemplars and contrasting them with the negative ones that the concept is learned.

Learning by concept attainment involves two phases. First, the concept name is presented along with labeled examples of positive and negative exemplars. The learner integrates these exemplars and generates a hypothesis about the concept definition. The student then states a possible definition in terms of essential attributes.

Secondly, the student identifies additional unlabeled examples as positive or negative exemplars of the concept. The student hypothesis and definition is either confirmed or corrected, and a correct definition of the concept is given. The student then generates more concept examples. By following this model the student learns the concepts related to the instructional content. This particular concept attainment intervention was used for reinforcing concepts related to particular subject matter. For this pilot study the subject matter was telecommunications.

Review of Literature

There exits a wide range of studies that consider different kinds of academic interventions. Some may be considered behavioral in nature, in that the intervention addresses behavioral problems or desired modifications within the student. Often the study involves a particular population that may be considered at risk or disadvantaged in a particular educational facet. For example, increased locus of control has been identified as an predictor of academic success. In a study comparing locus of control in very young boys and girls, Bernhard (1994) used a computer-based intervention to try to increase the internal sense of control in both groups. In a study of Black engineering students in South Africa, Meyer (1990) recommended identification of potentially "at risk" students very early in the academic year, and to have explicit provisions of intervention mechanisms to assist such students. Following up with the same population, Parsons (1990) implemented a successful intervention focusing on the teacher/student relationship, perceptions of textbooks and notes, and the nature and role of tests and examinations.

In a meta-analysis of intervention studies that considered the individual students' learning styles, Dunn (1995) found that students whose learning styles were accommodated could be expected to achieve 75% of a standard deviation higher than students whose learning styles were not accommodated. Dunn summarized the results as following:

  1. Students with strong learning-style preferences showed greater academic gains as a result of congruent instructional interventions than those students who had mixed preferences or moderate preferences.
  2. Studies conducted with small sample sizes showed greater academic gains than those with large or medium sample sizes.
  3. College and adult learners showed greater gains than elementary school learners or secondary school learners.
  4. Examination of socioeconomic status indicated that middle-class students were more responsive to learning-style accommodations than were lower middle-class or upper middle-class or lower class students.
  5. Academic-level moderators indicated that average students were more responsive to learning-style accommodations than were high, low, or mixed groups of students.
  6. Instructional interventions that were conducted for more than one year showed stronger results than those conducted for several days, weeks, or months.
  7. The content area most responsive to learning-style accommodation was mathematics, followed by other subjects and language arts.

Another meta-analysis of career education interventions on academic achievement found a small positive effect size for these types of interventions. Career education was significantly but not necessarily practically supported as an effective academic intervention (Evans, 1992). For adult learners the use of computer-based counseling interventions is widely used in the area of career counseling, particularly for those workers in transition due to economic factors (loss of jobs, layoffs, etc.). Marin (1991) found that career counseling is most effective with the computer plus the counselor rather than just the computer-based intervention.

Computer-based interventions have also been attempted with elderly institutionalized adults. McConatha (1995) found that computer interaction was an effective tool for increasing older adults' cognitive abilities and daily living skills and decreasing their levels of depression.

Many academic interventions are designed to teach or enhance students' learning skills. There exists a large body of research on study skills and how they may be effectively taught. In a meta-analysis Hattie (1996) classifies these studies as focused on either task-related skills, self-management of learning, or affective components such as motivation and self-concept. Hattie's results support the notion of situated cognition, whereby it is recommended that training other than for simple mnemonic performance should be in context, use tasks within the same domain as the target content, and promote a high degree of learner activity and metacognitive awareness. Nelson et al. (1993) found that knowledge of learning-style preferences increased community college students' achievement and reduced their drop-out rate. Freshmen taught to use study skills responsive to their unique learning styles achieved significantly higher grade-point averages and were more likely to remain in college than freshmen who studied according to traditional guidelines.

Interventions may also be aimed at student retention, particularly within distance education courses. Kember (1990) developed a model to derive such interventions to help reduce drop-out rates. The model includes components of background characteristics, motivation, academic environment, and the family, work, and social environment. Kember derived a series of recommendations for the design of distance education courses. Primary among these recommendations are: enhancing intrinsic motivation; reorienting student conceptions of knowledge; and improving collective affiliation.

In a similar study of interventions for low achievers and potential drop-outs, Kriner (1992) described an initiative for college freshman involving the university counseling center. This study involved a proactive approach by the counseling center staff, as opposed to waiting for the student to seek help of their own initiative. The counseling center identified low achieving freshmen and initiated academic and personal counseling. Results showed a significant increase in grade point average for recipients of this type of counseling intervention.

Short term interventions have been implemented with mixed results. Schultz (1992) describes a model program that would provide interventions designed to assist students to:

  1. Develop discipline
  2. Understand academe and improve study skills
  3. Manage emotions and relationships
  4. Develop skills in communication, assertiveness, decision-making, and values clarification.

Schultz points out that additional research might focus on implementing this kind of model as part of a long-term program. Research is also needed to investigate interventions that incorporate all facets of students' environment (Schultz, 1992).

Methodology

Participants in this pilot study were 152 college students enrolled in a self-paced computer literacy class at a large public university in the Southwestern United States. The students represented many different colleges and majors, and ranged in age from 18 to 55. All were taking the class as a general degree requirement. The course itself involved the completion of ten modules, with approximately ten days to two weeks allowed for each module assignment and test. A print-based manual guided the students through the module assignments.

General demographic information was obtained at the beginning of the class, as well as information regarding weekly computer usage and Web and e-mail experience. Midway through the self-paced course the students were required to complete a module on telecommunications. The investigator selected three concepts from the course manual to be reinforced with the on-line intervention. These three concepts were telecommunication software, Internet uses, and on-line databases.

When each participant completed the module work, he or she was directed to the class Web site to complete the intervention before being tested over the material. Upon completing the intervention the participants were required to send the investigator an e-mail message giving feedback about the usefulness of the intervention and about the self-paced nature of the course. For many of students this assignment was their first use of the Web and e-mail.

Results and Discussion

One hundred forty eight of the 152 students were able to complete both the print and Web-based portions of the self-paced module. Of the 148 students completing the module, 140 (95%) were able to pass the module test with an acceptable score after a maximum of three attempts, in accordance with the class syllabus and policies. 83% of the successful students passed on the first attempt, while 14% passed on the second attempt and 3% passed on the third and final attempt. The 95% success rate on the module compares very favorably with other print-based modules of the self-paced course, where passing percentages normally range from approximately 80% to 90%.

Part of the Web-based intervention required students to give feedback on the perceived effectiveness and quality of the intervention itself. Generally the comments were very favorable in terms of ease of use, intuitiveness, and relevance to the subject matter. There were particular suggestions that the participants offered which are helpful in designing future iterations of the concept attainment Web-based intervention. The participant comments were also revealing in terms of learning more about the situated context of this particular participant audience. Participant difficulties and suggestions for improvement are summarized in the following points:

  1. Access: Some participants were new to using the Web and e-mail and had difficulty entering a URL and navigating through a Web page. Also, due to the self-paced nature of the class, some participants were ready for the Web intervention much earlier than slower-progressing participants.
  2. Graphic Design: Experienced Web users expected pages filled with graphics and possibly animation, while in fact the pages were quite bland and simple in appearance.
  3. Difficulty Level: Some students were very familiar with the Web and the subject matter (telecommunications) and found the intervention too basic and remedial. Some students requested more details on how to complete the intervention, having not been previously exposed to the concept attainment model.

Most participants found the intervention to be very helpful and relevant, and the high passing rate for the module test indicates the participants were very successful in mastering the instructional content. Future research will be focused on addressing the aforementioned shortcomings of the Web-based intervention, and on comparing interaction effects of student characteristics such as cognitive tempo, previous academic record, and socioeconomic status.

References

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