CAI - multimedia approach to farm tractor and machinery safety certification

Research was conducted at Purdue University with the primary goal to compare a newly developed self-instructional CAI/multimedia computer program with traditional instructional methods for use by youth enrolled in a farm tractor and machinery safety program. Seventy-two subjects selected from three 8th and 9th grade agricultural education classes and one group of middle school-aged youth (grades 6–19) involved in a 4-H tractor and machinery-related program were randomly divided, with half of each group receiving traditional instructor-based training using printed materials, videos, and demonstrations, and the other half receiving self-instruction with a computer program. A pretest and post test evaluation revealed that there was not a statistical difference in knowledge gained between the two instructional strategies. However, an analysis of low, middle and high achievement youth, based on knowledge gain, did reveal significant difference between the two instructional strategies. Subjects from the computer-based instructional method dominated both high and low achievement groups, while the traditional instructional method subjects tended to fall into the middle achievement group.