Browse Theses

The purpose of the study was to develop a program design appropriate for pre-service teachers which would enable them to learn computer skills. In developing this design three problems facing teacher education were addressed. Those were: (1) To determine the specific need for computer education in pre-service teacher education. (2) To identify the components of computer education in teacher education. (3) To develop an appropriate program design that would be useable in providing the computer education needed in teacher education programs for the pre-service teacher.

The study was an attempt to integrate what was discoverable through literature, workshops, site visits, interviews, and communication with colleges listed as having pre-service computer programs into a coherent computer literacy program design model for a teacher education program.

Using the steps listed above, the researcher developed a program design for colleges of education for the training of pre-service teachers in computer education.

In an attempt to determine if the program design developed by the researcher could feasibly be used in the training of pre-service teachers, the design along with a survey was sent to a group of teacher educators. The group consisted of those teacher educators who participated in the Association for Computing Machinery Workshop held in Kansas City, Missouri on June 26-27, 1982.

The search indicated that a special approach to computer instruction was needed for persons in teacher education. Current programs include content and professional areas that cover broad and various subjects. Most college/university teacher education programs offered instruction in computer education taught by individuals from other disciplines. Therefore, the study revealed, few computer instruction programs were designed to meet the needs of elementary and secondary classroom teachers. To bring about a change, a process common to all curriculum development was needed. A program design in computer education for teacher educators was developed and found acceptable by selected evaluators in teacher education for use for the pre-service teacher.

The implications for educators of pre-service teacher education students are neither exhaustive nor complete. They represent, however, a major concern which findings of this study suggested. Further research will identify new variables in the expanding field of educational technology.