CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Transcription

1 43 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE OVERVIEW This chapter presents the review of studies related to the theme that has been chosen by the investigator for her study. It comprises six sections. The First section is an overview of the entire chapter. The Second section points out the importance and the need for the review of the related studies. The Third section explains some of the Indian studies briefly which are related to this investigation. The Fourth section gives a comprehensive account of a number of Foreign studies related to the theme of the investigator. The Fifth section summaries the outcomes and recommendations of the studies cited in this chapter. The sixth section is solely for documenting the references cited in this chapter NEED FOR THE REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The survey of literature is a crucial aspect of the planning of the study and the time spent in such a survey invariable a wise investment. A review of previous investigations relevant to the present investigation is necessary to gain better perspective of the problem. It provides a greater understanding of the problem and its crucial aspects and ensures the evidence of unnecessary duplication. It highlights the methodology employed in the earlier studies with references to sampling design, type of data gathering instruments used and the procedure of administering the tool on the respondents. Examining the

2 44 strengths and weakness of many research reports prevents the investigator from plugging the procedural pit falls CLASSIFICATION OF THE STUDIES The investigator has identified 110 studies conducted in India and Abroad. Out of the total identified studies, the studies carried out in India are 62 and studies carried out in Abroad are 48. Among the total 62 studies conducted in India 18, 24 and 20 studies were carried out under different headings like Multimedia, e-learning and CAI respectively. Likewise out of identified 48 studies made Abroad 7, 34 and 7 studies were carried out under different headings like Multimedia, e-learning and CAI respectively. The brief report of all the above studies are presented in the different sections STUDIES CONDUCTED IN INDIA Among the identified studies conducted in India the investigator had located 62. The studies conducted in Multimedia, e-learning and CAI were 18, 24 and 20 respectively. The brief summary of the studies are presented below. a) Studies conducted on Multimedia Amutha, S. (2007) conducted a study entitled Development and validation of e-content on cloning for Higher Secondary Biology students The experiment research method was adopted in the study. In this study 20 Higher Secondary students studying Biology were selected on a sample. E Content developed and validated by the investigator was used for teaching the sample. The major findings of the experiment reveal that e-content was effective in

3 45 teaching Commerce at Secondary level. The e-content which is turn in the form of Short Learning Object increases the performance of the students. Felix, A. (2007) conducted a study entitled Development and validation of e-content on rdna Technology in Bio-Technology. Experimental research method was adopted in the study. In this study, 27 Post graduate students studying Bio-Technology were selected as sample, e-content, developed and validated by the investigator was used for teaching the sample. The major findings of the study reveal that e-content was effective in teaching Bio-Technology at tertiary level; e-content in the form of Short Learning Object increases the performance of the students. Jayakumar. (2007) conducted a study entitled Development and validation of e-content on transport for the Higher Secondary Commerce students. Experimental research method was adopted in the study. In this study 29 Higher Secondary students studying Commerce were selected on a sample. The major findings of the study reveal that e-content was effective in teaching Commerce at Secondary level e-content which is true. Karthick, M. (2007) conducted a study entitled Development and validation of e-content on pearl Harbour Incident for the Graduate level History students. Experimental research method has adopted in this study. In this study 25 graduate students studying History were selected on a sample. e-content developed and validated by the investigator has used for teaching the sample. The major findings of the study reveal that e-content was effective in

4 46 teaching history at tertiary level. The e-content which is turn in the form of SLO increases the performance of the students. Karthikeyan (2007) conducted a study entitled, Development and validation of e-content in Tamil at secondary level. Experiments method was adopted in the study. In this study 20 students from IX standard were selected as sample. e-content is developed and validated by the investigator was used for teaching the sample. The major findings of the study revealed that, there is a significant mean difference between the achievement of Pretest and Post-test, there is no Significant Mean difference between the achievement of rural and urban students. Muthamil, S. (2007) conducted research on Effectiveness of Computer Assisted Instruction in Biological Science at Higher Secondary Level. Experimental method of study reveals that there is difference between the Pretest and Post- test scores of Control and Experimental group in CAI. Nimi Ann Jacob (2007) developed and validated an e- content on Capillarity in Physics at Secondary level, Experimental method was adopted in the study. The major findings of the study are e-content makes the teaching learning process more effective and e-content enhances the achievement of the students in the particular subject. Rekha, N. (2007) conducted a study entitled Development of PowerPoint based learning package for 11 th std students in Botany and its effectiveness. Experimental method was adopted in the study. In this study 40 XI standard students were selected as sample. The investigator used

5 47 achievement test as a tool for his study. The Pre-test conducted for Experimental group and Control group which received the traditional lecturing method for a particular topic in Botany indicated that there is no Significant difference between the two groups in their understanding of the topic Pollination. The Post-test conducted for Experimental group after using the PowerPoint package for the topic Pollination indicates that there is marked improvement in the understanding of the particular topic by the Experimental group than the Pre-test performance. In the case of Controlled Group which received the traditional lecture method there is no variation of improvement over Pre-test performance. Therefore the results prove that the teaching method using PowerPoint presentation is more effective tool for teaching the particular topic than the traditional chalk and talk method. In other words when the students were used with the PowerPoint package, the students curiously listen and understand the topic. It indicates that if the PowerPoint packages are used with the suitable tests and animation for teaching any selected topic in Botany, the students can enjoy the learning and enhance the understanding level too. Thunmathi (2007) conducted a study on the Effectiveness and Validation of Self Learning Software Package in Learning Physics for XI standard Students. Experimental method was adopted in the study; 40 higher Secondary students were selected as sample. The major findings of the study are: the Self Learning Software Package in learning Physics is effective when compared to the conventional method of chalk and talk. The students who are undergoing computer classes and not undergoing computer classes have the same level of learning Physics through Self Learning Software Package. As

6 48 narrated earlier 18 studies out of 62 studies conducted in India on Multimedia are presented below briefly. Anil Tanaji Patil, (2006) conducted a study on the Development of Multimedia Instructional System on Computer Education for B.Ed. Pupil Teachers. The objectives of the Study have been well enunciated to analyze the conventional approach of teaching Computer Education. To construct multimedia instructional system for Computer Education and to validate it in terms of their effectiveness over conventional system of instruction. The pilot testing of the prototype was done through two group Pre-test Post-test design (20(12+8), & 20(12+8)). Final implementation of the Multimedia Instructional System was done on a sample of 64 pupil-teachers (32(20+12), 32(20+12)), employing Solomon four group Experimental design. The Study has arrived at quite meaningful findings as the present setting of teaching of computer education in B.Ed. Colleges was found unsatisfactory. It was found feasible to design, develop and implement a computer based Multimedia Instruction System for the Computer Education. No Significant difference was found between the performance of the pupil teachers of Control and Experimental group on Pre-test. Significant difference was found between the performance of the pupil teachers of Control group and Experimental group on Post-test. Significant difference was found between the performances of the pupil teachers of Control and Experimental group from Pre-test to Post-test. There is Significant difference between the gains in achievement in terms of scores in Pre-test and Post-test of the pupil- teachers from Pre to Post test.

7 49 Johnson (2006) conducted a study on Developing and Validating a Multimedia package in teaching electronics for higher secondary students. The major findings were there is no Significant Mean difference between the achievement of Experimental group and Control group in Pre-test. There is a Significant Mean difference between the achievement of Experimental group and Control group in Post-test. There is a Significant Mean difference between the achievements of Control group in Pre-test and Post-test. There is a Significant Mean difference between the achievements of Experimental group in Pre-test and Post-test. A study on Effectiveness of an Instructional package in Environmental studies among students of standard VII was conducted by Sharma Sumita (2005). The investigator developed an Instructional Package on environmental studies, to teach environmental studies with the prepared instructional package to students of Std. VII and to determine the effectiveness of the instructional package in promoting better understanding of the environment. It was a case study research involving Std.VII of St.Xavier s High School, Gandhinagar. Pre-test, Post-test, and Structured Interview schedule were employed for the study. Single group, Pre-test treatment and Post-test design were employed. The instructional package was found effective in promoting a better understanding of the environment. The analysis of the responses of the students through the interview schedule revealed an increased sensitivity towards environmental concerns and a better understanding of the environment. Similarly a study on the Development and Implementation of an Information Technology Based Instructional Package for English Grammar to

8 50 Gujarati medium students of Standard VIII of Jamnagar City was conducted by Jaykumar Rathod (2005). The objectives of the study were to develop an IT based instructional package for teaching English Grammar to Gujarati medium students of standard VIII, to study the effectiveness of the developed IT based instructional package in terms of the achievement of the students, and to know their reactions on the developed instructional package. Pre-test Posttest control group design was employed for the study. The development of the IT based instructional package was done through Microsoft power point. 100 students were randomly selected from standard VIII of Smt. G.S. Mehta Municipal Girls High School, Jamnagar. These students were further divided into Experimental and Control groups. Two parallel tests were constructed by the investigator to study the achievement of the students. These two tests were constructed on the content topics simple present tense, present continuous tense, preposition- in, on, under and behind and possessive forms of has and have. Also, a five point reaction scale was constructed to study the reactions of the students on the developed package. Mean, SD, correlated t value and chi square were computed for data analysis. The developed IT based instructional package was found to be effective for teaching English Grammar because there was found a significant difference in the gain mean scores of the experimental group and control group. The students were found having positive reactions towards the developed IT based instructional package. Deena & Desai, Y. (2004) conducted a study on Comparative Study of the Efficacy of Teaching through the Traditional Method and the Multimedia Approach in the Subject of Home Science. The Objectives of the study were

9 51 to develop a Multimedia package for teaching the subject of Nutrition (Protein) to the Undergraduate level students of Home Science, to study the Effect of Intelligence on the acquisition of Knowledge through Traditional teaching methods and Multimedia approach. It is an experimental study, which has employed Experimental group and Control group design. The sample of the study is constituted of 98 students of B.A. First year Home Science ( ) of Smt. J.P. Shroff Arts College, Valsad. t -test and F-test were appropriately employed for data analysis. The major Findings of the Study were the mean achievement of the Experimental group was found significantly higher than that of the Control group. From Post-test to retention test almost equal reduction in performance was found in both the groups. The study has arrived at significant findings when Caste, Location, Income, Standard XII examination marks, and IQ of the students were considered as co-variables. The students were found to have favorable opinions towards the Multimedia Approach. In another study of Prasad & Basavraj (2004) entitled Information Technology Orientation for Teachers Educators the details of the training programmes, course content, and mode of transaction, participants, feedback and plans for the further the training programmes were examined. Intensive hands-on experience is the main focus of these programmes. Exposure to multimedia educational CD-ROM software and access to resources of the Internet are also found to be useful. Yadav Kusum (2004) conducted a study on the Development of an Information Technology enabled Instructional Package for Teaching English

10 52 medium students of Vadodara city. The objectives of the study were to develop an Information Technology enabled instructional package for teaching English Grammar, to implement it and to determine its effectiveness in terms of achievement of the students and opinions of students and English Teachers. The investigator started with a null hypothesis that there will be no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of students in Pre-test and Post-test. A single group Pre-test and Post-test design was employed for the study. 20 students who were randomly selected from Standard VIII of the New Era Senior Secondary School, Baroda. Pre-test, Post-test and opinionative were used for the study. The data was analyzed through t test, percentage scores and correlation. There was found a significant gain in terms of students achievement through Information Technology enabled instructional package. It helped the students to learn kinds of sentences namely, interrogative, assertive, affirmative, negative, imperative, orders or commands, and exclamatory. The students and teachers were found to have favorable opinion towards the developed instructional package. First one is of Ananthakrishnan (2000) who has conducted on Effective Use of Multimedia for Teaching Languages to Adult Illiterates: A Case Study in Tamil describes the approach of a successful computer based functional literacy programme for imparting reading skills in Tamil to illiterates. The key success factor was the effectiveness of multimedia technology, its compelling and exciting interfaces and interaction. Similarly Shital Yadav (2000) conducted a Study on The effectiveness of the computer software for students of I standard. The study reveals a

11 53 significant gain in terms of mean achievement on the software on Alphabets and Animals. Most of the students were found to have positive reactions towards the software. Teachers welcomed the media integrated approach towards learning. b) Studies conducted on e-learning Out of 62 studies 24 were conducted on e-learning the brief summary of the study are given below. Amuthavalli & Zuneetha Bai (2008) in their paper on The Problems of B.Ed Trainees in Learning Educational Technology discussed the problems of B.Ed Trainees in learning Educational Technology. The sample for the study consisted of 400 college student teachers selected randomly from Andhra and Rayalaseema colleges. The data were collected using checklist cum rating questionnaire to elicit the opinion of the student teachers about their difficulty and intensity level of the problems in learning educational technology. The checklist contains 45 statements related to learning of educational technology by the student teachers. It can be inferred also that the variables namely sex and management had no impact on the intensity level of problems related to learning Educational Technology. Annie Marie Merlene (2008) conducted a study on Impact of ICT Based Teaching-Learning Environment and the Changing Role of Teachers addressed the impact of ICT, in the teaching-learning environment, and the changing role of teachers in the present scenario. In an ICT based Learning environment, the relations between the teachers and pupils tend to change, with

12 54 the teacher losing the monopoly of authority and not being in control of what happens in a connected classroom. Most of the teachers of today happen to belong to the Television generation and being Television shaped learners, will have to learn new methods of ICT, to keep pace and to be at par with the present day Internet-shaped, Neo-Millennial Learners. Devananthan (2008) conducted study on Integration of ICT into Teacher Education highlighted the need for ICT training for teacher educators. The full benefit of technology in the education process is realized only by enhancing the ICT skills of teacher educators and students, ensuring adequate system support and providing the funds necessary to build a new academic framework around the new resource. ICT helps in the professional development to teaching and learning and individuals involve in the programs of teacher education. It can be infused in the learning process for the acquisition of knowledge and skill. The teacher educators should be motivated to undergo training in the use of ICT equipments. Jahitha Begum (2008) conducted a study on ICT-A Tool for Quality Enhancement in Education observed that Teacher s role has been changed to observing, intervening, monitoring and supporting learning. Technology in its various forms like , tele-mentoring, online education, teleconferences, and streaming video have enhanced the quality of teaching learning process Knowledge Building Communities when attempting to create new knowledge, make advances in textual, graphical and computer literacy and develop depth of inquiry and a host of mature knowledge processes.

13 55 Kalamadi (2008) conducted a study on ICT for Capacity Building Programs in Teacher Training Institutions where the investigator discussed the role of ICT in building the capacity of student teachers in Teacher Training Institutions. It is observed that ICT enables the student teachers to deploy innovative teaching methods in classroom that creates motivation and interest in the students. Self study becomes the major aspect of education process. The effective utilization of ICT in teacher training and its subsequent use in the classroom situation depends on the creation and integration of effective processes that includes different social and cultural contexts. ICT can become and effective capacity building strategy only it is an effective pedagogical tool. Rajeswari (2008) conducted a study on Awareness and Application of ICT in Higher Education at Kodaikanal. This study discussed the awareness of ICT in Higher Education. The sample of the study includes six higher education institutions. 66 women teachers and 24 men teachers constituted the sample. Two Questionnaires were constructed via: 1) Awareness of ICT and (2) Application of ICT. It is recommended that all the teachers in higher education should be given rigorous and compulsory ICT Training for application of ICT is not very satisfactory in Higher Education Institutions at Kodaikanal. It is suggested all the institutions could share their resources in conducting periodical workshops and training in ICT for Teachers to enrich the applications of ICT in teaching and learning process. Balasubramanian (2007) conducted a study on Assessment of ICT Skills of the Physical Science B.Ed Trainees and concluded that the trainees

14 56 have very limited ICT Skills and suggested steps for improving the ICT Skills of the trainee teachers. Dhanya Balan (2007) conducted a study on ICT in Tribal education; a case study of Kanvu in Waynad district, Kerala. The study has presented out some of the strengths and weakness of kanavu, through systematic analysis. The investigator has attempted to provide a status report of Kanavu movement through an in-depth study of its underlying principles, methods of operation and vision of the future. Nirmala Tamilchelvi (2007) conducted a study on Use of e- resources by the PG students and the research scholars of Bharathidasan University. The investigator found that most of the samples is not using the e- learning resources because of the lack of awareness. Sumathi (2007) conducted a study entitled Assessment of ICT Skills of the PG Teachers in Tanjore district, concluded that the PG teachers have lack of awareness in ICT Skills and its application in teaching learning process. Vijayarani, K. (2005) conducted a study on Attitude towards Educational Technology among B.Ed. students of Bharathidasan University with the objective to find out the level of attitude of B.Ed. students towards Educational Technology and to find out whether the B.Ed. students differ towards Educational Technology on the basis of their group of study (Arts/Science). The survey is conducted using a questionnaire entitled attitude towards educational technology among B.Ed. teacher trainees of Pudukkottai and Orathanadu. It is found that B.Ed. students have a favored attitude towards

15 57 Educational Technology and they do not differ in their attitude towards Educational Technology on the basis of their gender. Muthusamy (2004) conducted A study on the utilization of the Internet by DIET-Trainees. The findings revealed that the Internet utilization level among the DIET-Trainees is adequate but it shows only a little rise above the average utilization percentage and it is 50.50% alone. Zarai Zavarki's (2004) research on the attitude of University Teachers towards the Internet Technology, is a study conducted on Indian Higher Education Level. It is focused on the attitude of university teachers towards the role and impact of computer and Internet technology use in higher education. It was concluded that the evolution of Internet has profoundly impacted the mode of instructional delivery at higher education level. Baheerathan (2003) conducted a study entitled, Internet awareness among the teachers of Mathematics at high school level. He reported that the traditional method of teaching with the source from the text book alone is not enough. The teacher has to give more information than what is in the textbook. Hence the teachers, especially skill subject teachers like teachers of Mathematics, have to browse the Internet to get up-to-date information about the subject. For this purpose, the awareness about Internet among them is essential. But from the study, it was found in sufficient and it needed improvement. Jayakumar, et. al. (2003) conducted a study on Accessing on line electronic journals : A value added tool for research and development and

16 58 concluded that the higher education institutions should enable the students to have access to a great number of e-journals and that effective user education would lead to effective use of e-journals. Preetha Viswanath, N. (2003) conducted a study on utilization of internet by Educates. The objective of the study is to examine the extent of utilization of internet by the educates. Normative survey method is adopted. A sample of 60 educates was administered through Questionnaire Tools. The findings were descriptive and the inferential statistics computed revealed that the educates utilized the internet facilities adequately and if was found that the is the most often used mode of internet and the file transfer and achieve are used by the educates in small number. Hence the hypothesis is accepted. Reddi & Sinha (2003) conducted a study on ICT use in education in a Meta survey on the use of technologies in education. The objectives of this study was an educational survey about ICT use in education and major findings of this study are ICT based education is found to be useful at all levels of education. Eswarn (2002) conducted a study entitled Internet uses by Geography students at higher educational level. He reported that the charges for browsing in the Internet in future will decrease. This will benefit the students to strengthen the knowledge on their subjects and also in other subjects. Geetha & Subramaniam (2002) conducted a study on e-journals : need for library and information centre revealed that libraries and information centers should be accorded equal importance with electronic based publication

17 59 and that the end users should be given necessary training of consumption skills, for effective use of electronic resource. Arulprakash (2001) conducted a study on The college teachers ability to cope with the invasion of Internet. It was found that the college teachers are found to be coping with Internet invasion. The type of college had no association with coping ability. Teaching experience did not appear to be associated with coping ability. Phalachandra (2001) in his study entitled Satellite Based Primary Teachers Training versus other models: A Comparative study, reported that the achievement gained among the participants of al the three modes of training (Teleconferencing, face-to-face & multi-channel approach) on all the themes were significant & almost equal. Saboo Dhananjai Yadav (2001) conducted a study on The teachers perspectives about the ICT Education integration. The study revealed that irrespective of teachers background, a majority of teachers agreed that ICT will occupy a major role in education system by A number of developments in different areas of education are forecasted to occur due to advancements in ICT. Subba Rao (2001) conducted a study on ICT for Teacher Education and concluded that there should be a healthy and strengthened connectivity and continuum among teacher educators and student teachers through the ICT facilities to achieve higher levels of quality and equity in Teacher Education.

18 60 Venkatesan (2000) conducted a study on Internet Awareness among the Student Teachers. He reported that the Internet plays a prominent role in communication in human life and that the Internet awareness opens a window on the world of communication technology. As it will also open new avenues of education, the student teachers must be made aware of Internet for development and evaluation of teaching learning process.. b) Studies conducted on CAI Out of 62 studies 20 were conducted on CAI which were presented briefly below Hamid Reza Badiei (2008) conducted a study on the Computer Self Efficacy of Pre-Service Teachers. The purpose of this study was to examine the computer self-efficacy of 150 pre-service teachers selected by a convenient sampling from teacher education centers in Mysore city. Computer selfefficacy scale, a 30 question survey, was given to the participants. Research results may re-emphasize the role of the teacher education centers in preparing their pre-service teachers for applying technology. Devi (2005) conducted study on The attitude of the IX standard students towards computer in education. The sample of 217 students of secondary stage studying IX standard are selected. The study revealed that 20%, 38% and 42% of the total sample has high, average and low attitude respectively. Gender showed insignificant difference in the attitude towards computer.

19 61 Hiralkuma M. Barot (2005) conducted a study of The effectiveness of CAI in Sanskrit for VIII Standard Students. The study was conducted to develop CAI in Sanskrit for Std. VIII students and to study its effectiveness in terms of mean achievement of students in Sanskrit and to study the reactions of the standard VIII students regarding the effectiveness of the developed CAI package. 86 students of Std. VIII of Shree Ambe Vidyalaya School constituted the sample for this study. A single group Pre-test and Post-test design was employed for the study. Achievement test and reaction scale was constructed by the investigator. Flash MX, Corel Draw 11 and Front Page were used for the development of software. t value, frequencies and percentage responses were used for data analysis. The developed CAI in Sanskrit was found effective in teaching Sanskrit to VIII standard students. The reactions of the students towards the developed CAI in Sanskrit were found positive. Rakesh Pardeshi (2005) conducted a study of The relative effectiveness of CAI and CAI-PI in learning Trigonometry by English medium students of Standard IX of Baroda City. The objectives of the study were to develop the CAI and study its effectives in mono, diad and triad settings and its relative effectiveness in the three settings and through reactions of the students. All the four hypotheses of the study were formulated in the null form. The study was conducted in the three sections of Standard IX of Zenith High School, Baroda, dividing each section into two groups- Experimental and Control. The CAI was developed using Flash-MX, Directors and Corel Draw 11.0 along with the Internet. An achievement test was constructed for administering the Pre-test and Post-test. The data were analyzed through mean,

20 62 SD, uncorrelated t and ANOVA. No Significant difference has been found in the mean achievement scores of the groups in mono, diad and triad. No Significant difference has been found in the Mean achievement scores of the Experimental group in mono, diad, and triad and control groups respectively. Significant difference has been found in the Mean achievement scores of the Experimental group in triad and control group. The students were found to have positive reactions towards the developed CAI. Singh, B. (2005) Conducted a study on Effectiveness of computer Assisted instruction for Teaching Biology. The objective of the study is to compare the effectiveness of Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) as compared to lecture method on the topics tissues and cell. Experimental method was used for conducting this study. Pre-test, Post-test, Experimental group and Control group design was used for this study. The sample selected 28 students (14 in Control group and 14 in Experimental group) of class IX by random sampling from the students studying in Ramanujan Public School. The findings of the study were while Lecture method was more effective than CAI for teaching cell, CAI was more effective than Lecture method for teaching tissues. The gain score of the Experimental group were higher than the gains recorded by the Control group. Helaiya Sheetal (2004) conducted a study Development and Implementation of CAI Package for Teaching Statistics to B.Ed. Students. A CAI package was developed through Visual BASIC by the investigator on Teaching Statistics. 16 B.Ed. Students of the Department of Education, MSU, Baroda having Computer Education specialization constituted the sample for

21 63 the study. Pre-test, treatment, Post-test single group pre experimental design was used for the study. The treatment was found quite effective as evident through the Mean gain scores and favourable reactions. Joy, B.H.H. & Shaiju S.L (2004) conducted study on Development of Computer Assisted Teaching Material in History at Higher Secondary level and its effectiveness. The objectives of the study were to find out the effect to treatment given through audio-visual equipments in teaching over the traditional method of teaching and compare the effect of the respective treatments on the experimental and control group. Random sampling technique was used for conducting this study. Pre-test and Post-test, Experimental group and control group design was used for this study. The sample selected 42 students out of which 25 pupils studying in Panchayat Union Primary School, Jagirvenkatapuram were selected for Experimental group, the remaining 17 pupils studying in Panchayat Union Primary School, Kattigenapetti were selected for Control group. The findings of the study reveal that Experimental students obtained significantly higher scores on the performance of reading and writing communication than the Control group students. Sivraj Pandian, S. (2004) conducted a study on A study Effectiveness of CAI in Biology at Secondary School Level reveals that the CAI students demonstrated significantly higher achievement gains in Biology. The variables self-esteem, attitude towards Biology and computer were influenced by the CAI. In contrast the attitude of students towards school could not be influenced.

22 64 A Study of Development and Effectiveness of Computer Assisted Learning Material for Class IX Students by Snehal Macwana (2004) focused on the development of Computer Assisted Learning Material (CALM) on optics for Standard IX Gujarati medium students and to find out its effectiveness in terms of the achievement of students and Reactions of the students and teachers. The study employed Experimental and Control group design. Standard IX Students of Kalrav School, Halol (Section A: 40 and Section B:40), and their teachers constituted the sample for the study. The CALM was found effective in terms of achievement and reactions. Suwanna Ruttanathummatee (2004) conducted a study on Effectiveness of Computer Assisted Instruction for Primary School Students. It is a developmental-cum-experimental study. Pre-test, Post-test design with replication groups was used for conducting the experiment. Two experimental groups along with eight replication groups, each consisting of 30 students were drawn. In all 150 students of Pratom-3 and 150 students of Pratom-6 belonging to Buriram Province participated in the study. CAI programs on 5 units for learning each language were used for conducting the experiment. The characteristics of the different tools used for the study, namely, criterion tests and opinionnaires have been well established. The data have been suitably analyzed through mean, SD and t-tests. The study has resulted in the development of CAI Programs on selected five units of Thai language both for Pratom-3 and Pratom- 6.The CAI Packages developed by the investigator on Thai language have been found effective at both the levels, that is, Pratom-3 and Pratom-6 as evident through the t-values with the students of Buriram

23 65 Kindergarten with Experimental Groups 1 and 2.The CAI Packages developed by the ONPEC on English language have been found effective at both the levels, that is, Pratom-3 and Pratom-6 as evident through the t-values with the students of Buriram Kindergarten with Experimental Groups 1 and 2.The CAI Packages developed by the investigator on Thai language and ONPEC on English language have been found equally effective at both the levels in Buriram Kindergarten. The CAI Packages developed by the investigator on Thai language and by the ONPEC on English language were found significantly and equally effective with all the eight replication groups. The CAI Packages developed by the investigator on Thai language and by the ONPEC on English language received favorable opinions both by the teachers and students. Replication and the repeated demonstration of the effectiveness of the CAI developed by the investigator is one of the salient features of the study. Sinha & Reema Rajpal (2003) conducted a study on Computer Anxiety of the Trainees and found that computer anxiety among trainees has been considered a stumbling block to integrate computer into educational programmes. The results of this study could help administrators and planners of training programs to assist trainees more effectively by identifying educators who need to be exposed to computer training strategies that minimize anxieties, counter negative attitude and reduce resistance to computer use. Suja (2003) studied the Computer Awareness among the Higher secondary school Teachers of Trichy and concluded that the computer awareness among teachers is adequate and also found that the use of computers

24 66 would help teachers immensely to impact the education to cope up with the advancements taking place in science and technology. Shanti and Amal, R.A. (2002) investigated on computer assisted Instruction on Achievement in Science. The Objectives are to find out the effect of Computer Assisted Instructions (CAI) on achievement in four units in Bio (Zoology) among Higher secondary students. The Methodology of the study was an Experimental research. The design of the study was the Pre-post equivalent group one. The study used purposive Random sampling. Out of the two Government Higher secondary schools in Krishnagiri, one was selected as Control group and another as Experimental group. The Sample size of the Control group and the experimental group was 34 and 31 students respectively. All the students studying in Bio (Zoology) at class XI level were selected as the sample for the study. The Tools administered as Percentage correlation and t- test were calculated to analyze the data. The findings revealed that CAI students scored significantly higher marks over the control group students. Jyoti Tare (2001) conducted a Study of the Effectiveness of Branching Variety of Programmed Instructional Material as Diagnostic and Remedial Tool in Chemistry for Secondary Classes in Jabalpur Division. The Objectives of the study were to compare the achievements of the students of urban and rural areas of Jabalpur Division by the traditional method of teaching with that of studying through branching frames of programmed learning in Chemistry Subject and to diagnose the weakness of the students of urban and rural areas with the help of PLM. Experimental and Control Group Design was used for the purpose of this study. 280 students were selected from different Government Higher Secondary Schools of urban and rural areas of Jabalpur Division. A branching program was developed on Atomic Structure and

25 67 Chemical Bonding and pre-test and post-test were constructed by the investigator. ANOVA and t-test were used for data analysis. The Major findings of the study were the achievement of the Experimental group was found significantly greater than the achievement of the ccntrol group. The achievement of the urban girls through PLM was found significantly higher than that of the urban boys. No significant difference was found in the achievement of boys and girls of rural areas in the Post-test on atomic structure and chemical bonding. 135 boys out of 180 and 64 girls out of 99 wanted to continue the study with the PLM on both the topics. The weakness of individual students were diagnosed and removed when branched frames on both the topics were administered. Kumaran & Deivaraju (2001) conducted a study of the Attitude of Teachers towards Computers. It was concluded that in general teachers had more favourable computer attitude. The gender of the teachers had significant influence on their attitude towards computers i.e., the male teachers had more favourable attitude towards computers. Sanjna (2001) conducted a comparative study of the effectiveness of CAI and CMI on Pupil s achievement in Science, their self concept and study involvement. Both CAI and CMI were found to be contributing significantly towards the achievement of pupils in science, in developing their self concept and in increasing their study involvement. Sivakumar (2001) in his study entitled A Study of Computer Awareness among Student Teachers of Colleges of Education in Tamil Nadu

26 68 reported that there was no adequate computer awareness among the students teachers of Colleges of Education in Tamil Nadu. Balasubramanian (2000) conducted a study on Computer Based Instruction in Developing Reading Skills among Primary School Children. He compared the effects of different technologies and found that the reading skills and English pronunciation has improved considerably with computer based instruction. Panda, et. al. (2000) conducted a study on the Effect of computer Assisted learning in achieving Higher cognitive skills. The study is to determine the degree of attainment of cognitive skill through computer Assisted learning computer to traditional approach to teaching. The findings of the study reveal that Computer Assisted Learning resulted in greater achievements in all hierarchies of cognitive columns. Shah, et. al. (2000) conducted a study on Teachers Attitude towards Computer Assisted Instruction and Computer Education in relation to sex, organisation and experience. This study focused on the attitude of the Higher Secondary School teachers towards Computer-Assisted Instruction and Computer Education. The major findings were the Teachers had a great liking for the computer as a subject as well as a medium of instruction. The female teachers had more positive attitude towards computer education when compared with the male teachers.

27 Studies conducted Abroad The investigator has identified 48 Studies which were conducted Abroad. Out of these, the studies conducted in Multimedia, e-learning and CAI were 7, 34 and 7 respectively. The brief summary of the studies are presented below. a) Studies conducted on Multimedia Mckinnon & Sinclair (2007) studied the students attitude towards the use of technology. He found out the attribute of students towards technology. The major finding of the study is that students showed positive attitude towards the technology tools. NGU, B. H. & Soubakeavathi, R. (2006) conducted a study on Evaluation of CALL software on the learning of English prepositions. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a CALL lesson (Computer Assisted Language Learning) when compared with a conventional lesson in assisting students to learn English prepositions in a Malaysian school. The study indicates that students who received conventional teaching performed better than those who went through the CALL lesson. It was observed that there was greater improvement from a Pre-test to Post-test for the conventional group rather than the CALL group. It also shows the conventional group with the latter exerting more mental effort and achieving a lower transfer performance than the former. The authors/ researchers suggest that to facilitate the transfer of learning, the design of an educational software package needs to minimize the mental effort required to handle the medium and the content.

28 70 Whitely Michael (2006) conducted study in the impact of multimedia learning on students perceptions of cross-community initiatives, future orientation regarding peace and social distance between groups (Northern Ireland). The Instructional Multimedia Presentations and Cooperative Technology (IMPACT) conference was created, in part, to challenge these findings through the monitoring of cognition, future orientation, and social distance of the attending students. A total of 522 fifth grade students participated in the study from the Northeastern Board of Education in Northern Ireland. The study utilized the Solomon four group research designs. Schools participating in this research were selected through a stratified random sampling procedure and included 12 Catholic and Protestant schools. The study found significant effects of the IMPACT conference on participants in the areas of cross-community cognition and future orientation. No significant effect was found in the factor of social distance. Parcel (2005) conducted a study to find the effectiveness of the use of multimedia in probing the answers from the students. The research administered the online tutorial to 147 fifth grade students at one of the there different elementary schools. The result of the study shows the use of multimedia in publishing questions was effective as there was a Significant different between the Experimental and the Control group in answering to the probed questions. Wegeriff, R. (2004) conducted a study on the role of educational software as a support for teaching and learning conversations. The main objective of this study is to examine the dual nature of computers as machines

29 71 (objects) which can be made to act as if they were people (subjects) which allows them to play a potentially distinctive and valuable role within educational conversations. This role is to resource and at the same time, to frame and direct, learning conversations amongst small groups of children in English schools. One hundred and nineteen children aged between nine and ten participated in the study. The evaluation included video-recording, transcript analysis and a matching Control group who covered the same areas of the curriculum without the intervention. The qualitative findings show learning occurring in the talk of the children working around computers and the quantitative findings suggest that this approach can produce significant learning gains within the normal curriculum. The evidence presented in this study shows that a combination of pedagogy and software design can exploit the ambivalent nature of computers to make them serve as both interactive agents, or tutors, and as passive learning environments within the one educational exchange. Asan, A. (2003) conducted a study on School experience course with multimedia in teacher education. This study describes an interactive and selfpaced multimedia tutorial program that provides pre-service teachers with a complete range of school system and teaching strategies. It evaluates the impact of the program on pre-service teachers learning experiences. Two methods of information delivery were investigated: traditional learning and multimedia. The results show that using the multimedia tutorial leads to a positive difference in the school experience course over participants in traditional lecturing. Pre-service teachers who participated in the multimedia

30 72 group responded positively to a multimedia approach. This study concludes that using multimedia in teacher education enriches pre-service teachers learning and provides them with an opportunity to view and critique various teaching methods and classroom activities collectively. Among the 7 studies identified in this area, Poulin (2000) has made a study on the Attitude of both the teachers and the students towards learning through multimedia. The investigator conducted the study through questionnaire, interviews and observation and found that both teachers and the students had positive attitude towards learning through multimedia. Studies conducted on e-learning Out of identified 48 studies conducted Abroad, 34 were conducted on e- learning. The brief summary of the studies are given below. Littlejohn, et. al. (2008) explained that the widespread availability of digital learning resources in a variety of media formats offers the possibility to make a profound difference in education. This potential has not been fully realized for range of interrelated reasons. In this paper the key characteristics of learning resources were studied that have proved effective in changing learning and teaching, and then it was related to existing frameworks for understanding resources. The researcher outlined the relationships between resources, their users, and the way they are used and explored issues that influence practitioners in choosing a particular resource. The study is based on a review of resources for e-learning and chemistry in post-compulsory education, undertaken for the UK Joint Information Systems Committees (JISC), as part

31 73 of a wider study examining "The Effectiveness of Resources, Tools and Support Services used by Tutors in Designing and Delivering E-Learning Activities." Maria, I.H.R. (2008) conducted a study on the Use of ICT by ELT students in a Mexican University. The results showed that in general the participants used ICT tools for academic purposes although some training may be necessary. In terms of frequency of use, some differences were observed among some tool types. Also the participants reported using several functions offered by every single ICT tool. Van Rosmalen, et. al. (2008) explained that the introduction of e- Learning often leads to an increase in the time staff spends on tutoring. To alleviate the workload of staff tutors, a model was developed for organizing and supporting learner-related interactions in e-learning systems. It makes use of the knowledge and experience of peers and builds on the assumption those (lifelong) learners, when instructed and assisted carefully, should be able to assist each other. The model operates at two levels. At level 1, prospective peer tutors are identified, based on a combination of workload and competency indicators. At level 2, the thus identified prospective peer tutors become the actual tutors; this is performed by empowering them with tools and guidelines for the task at hand. The article will situate the model in networks for lifelong learning. For one kind of interactions, answering content-related questions, we will review a set of existing approaches and emerging technologies and describe our model. Finally, description and discussion of the results of a