Initial teacher education: a study of the efficacy of computer mediated courseware delivery in a partnership context

The null hypotheses tested were (1) that the efficacy of computer-mediated delivery of courseware was not significantly different from that of traditional university delivery methods, and (2) that the efficacy of learning in partnership with schools was not significantly different from university-based learning.
Forty three student teachers of science were assigned to four treatment groups, in a true experimental research design. The same courseware, designed to develop lesson planning skills, was delivered to the four groups. The first group (n = 11) were taught at university, receiving a traditional lecture, supplemented with a seminar. The second group (n = 12) were taught in a partnership context, receiving the traditional lecture at university, supplemented with a courseware package completed with the student's supervising teacher in school. For groups three (n = 10) and four (n = 10), the contexts were the same as for groups one and two respectively, but courseware delivery was via the Internet with e-mail tutorial support provided by the university lecturer.
Students' achievement was pre-tested and post-tested. Post-test scores were subjected to a two-way analysis of co-variance, with the delivery strategy (traditional or computer-mediated) and the context (university-based or partnership) as factors and the pre-test scores as co-variate.
Achievement gains were 12% higher when student teachers worked in a partnership context rather than entirely at university. Achievement gains were 15% higher for computer-mediated delivery when compared with traditional delivery methods. When these two factors were combined achievement gains were 36% higher.