An Empirical study comparing the learning environments of open and closed computer laboratories

Journal of Information Systems Education, 2002 by Newby, Michael

3. STUDIES INVOLVING COMPUTER LABORATORY ENVIRONMENTS There have been a number of studies of the learning environments of classroom involving either computerbased learning or computer laboratories, and these have shown that the introduction of computers into the classroom changes the learning environment (Maor & Fraser, 1993; Levine & Donitsa-Schmidt, 1995). It was found that using computers effectively creates a classroom that is more student-centered and cooperative. This is consistent with the observation made earlier that the use of closed laboratories in computing courses is seen as an opportunity to introduce cooperative learning strategies (Prey, 1996). Other studies have focused on the psychosocial environment in computer-assisted learning classrooms (Teh & Fraser, 1995), professional computer courses (Khoo & Fraser, 1997), university computer courses (Newby & Fisher, 1998) and secondary school computer classrooms (Zandvliet & Fraser, 1998). All of these showed that the environment variables were strongly related to student attitudes, satisfaction and achievement. Further statistical analysis also indicated that between 16% and 36% of the variance in attitude could be explained simply by the environment. In a study to investigate the effect of scheduled laboratory classes on students' ability to complete assignment projects and tutorial exercises, Duplass (1995) compared two classes of the same course for one semester. The course was introductory and included use of an application package. Both classes had the same number of hours of instruction, but one of them had 25% of the time in a scheduled laboratory, where the instructor gave "over the shoulder" advice, whereas in the other class, this time was spent in demonstration of the process. Open laboratories were available to both groups of students. The study showed that those who had the benefit of the scheduled laboratory completed their projects in significantly less time (about 14%) than those who did not, but there was no significant difference in times taken to complete the tutorial exercises. This indicates that computer laboratory classes may have greater influence on students' ability to tackle larger problems. The association between learning environment and student outcomes is well established (Fraser, 1991), and the studies mentioned above support this association. The purpose of the current study is to compare the learning environments of open and closed laboratories to see if there are any differences between how students perceive the psycho-social environment of different types of computer laboratory classroom and whether these perceptions have any effect on students' attitudes or achievement.

4.METHODOLOGY This study involved the use of two previously developed instruments, one called the Computer Laboratory Environment Inventory (CLEI) for measuring aspects of a computer laboratory environment and the other, the Attitude to Computers and Computing Courses Questionnaire (ACCC) used to measure students' attitudes (Newby & Fisher, 1997). The research focussed on whether there were differences in a student's perception of aspects of their computer laboratory environment or in their course outcomes if they received their computer laboratory experience v ia open or closed laboratories.