Browsing by Author "Joyner, Randy L."

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    A comparison of errors detected: video display terminals vs. hardcopy
    Joyner, Randy L. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1989)
    Information processing has altered the structure of the traditional office. Typewriters are no longer a necessity to prepare written business communication. As a result of a metamorphosis from manual data manipulation to electronic data processing, microcomputers and their related peripheral equipment are becoming the key link in the information system. Increased usage of microcomputers and word processing software has been linked to decreased proficiency in detecting errors and in turn to decreased office productivity. Thus a number of questions arise including: Is it better to proofread from a hardcopy or a softcopy document? Does the color and contrast configuration of a video display terminal affect the operator's ability to proofread? The effect on the operator's ability to accurately detect errors in keyboarded text from different media has not been previously determined. This study was therefore completed to ascertain if a difference does exist. Seventy-two individuals enrolled in four word processing classes at a western North Carolina community college comprised the individuals participating in this study. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, a pretest instrument, and one of four error detection instruments. The error detection instruments were presented in either a hardcopy or softcopy format. The softcopy format consisted of three video display terminal configurations. Analyses of covariance with pretest scores used as the covariate were used to compare the quantity and types of errors detected by error detection environment configurations. Based on the findings from the analyses of data the following conclusions were derived. 1. Postsecondary word processing students have difficulty in finding errors in hardcopy and softcopy documents. 2. Postsecondary word processing students' abilities to detect errors in keyboarded text were not affected by the error detection environment–hardcopy or softcopy–during a ten-minute error detection process. Therefore, the printing of a hardcopy of keyboarded text when detecting errors for a short time period is not necessary. 3. Postsecondary word processing students' abilities to detect errors in keyboarded text were not affected by the video display terminal configurations examined in this study. A video display terminal’s color configuration is not a factor in the error detecting process for a short time period-ten minutes. Therefore, the color configuration of a video display terminal should not be a major consideration when purchasing new video display terminals for instructional use. 4. As the spelling Verification feature of word processing software does not detect all types of errors, instruction is needed in detecting errors that cannot be detected by the software’s spelling Verification feature.
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    Perceived values of computer-mediated communication use for business instruction
    Gillispie, Cynthia Carlton (Virginia Tech, 1996-10-23)
    A number of benefits have been associated with using computer mediated communication (CMC) to improve instruction. CMC is a blend of computer and telecommunication networks, which are used to compose, store, deliver, and process communication. CMC has the potential of becoming a powerful means of merging information from a variety of sources. CMC is relevant to collaboration, student participation, and individualized instruction. It can be used for daily information exchange among colleagues, between faculty and their students, among students, for delivering distance education, and for providing access to resources and information. The purpose of the study was to determine the perceived values of CMC use for instructional purposes, perceptions of its use as they relate to Rogers' theory, and extent of its use as reported by business faculty at four North Carolina universities. The population for the study consisted of all business faculty from four colleges or schools of business at North Carolina universities. Business deans at these four universities provided 290 names of business faculty. Of these, 172 (59%) responded to the survey, 121 (42%) indicated that they used computer-mediated communication, and 51 (17%) indicated they did not use CMC for instructional purposes. Demographically, randomly selected non-respondents and randomly selected late respondents were similar to randomly selected early respondents. The Diffusion of Innovations Theory provided the theoretical framework or paradigm for the study. Developed by Rogers, it was used to evaluate the extent to which computer-mediated communication was accepted by business faculty for instructional use. Data were collected by a mail survey. The findings revealed that for business faculty to adopt CMC in their instruction, they need adequate support, training, equipment, and software. Business faculty's perceptions of CMC, as it relates to Rogers' five characteristics (compatibility, complexity, observability, relative advantage, and triability), show that complexity, observability, and triability are the least important in their adoption of CMC use for classroom instructional purposes. Most business faculty made limited use of CMC for instructional purposes. Their main uses of CMC were personal messaging and conducting research.
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    Stages of Concern of Teachers in North Carolina 4/4 Block Scheduled Public Schools
    Williams, Scott Allyn (Virginia Tech, 2001-10-18)
    As 4/4 block scheduling was implemented in North Carolina, many public schools offered staff development to help teachers make the transition from a six- or seven- period school schedule, but little is known about the staff development provided. The purposes of this study were to determine the Stages of Concern of North Carolina public school teachers related to 4/4 block scheduling, their perceived professional development needs, and the relationships among their Stages of Concern, professional development needs, and selected characteristics. By calling each school district's central office, the researcher determined that 248 North Carolina high schools had implemented 4/4 block scheduling as of fall 1998. A list was developed of 73 schools that implemented block scheduling in the fall of 1996, 1997, and 1998. From this list, five schools were randomly selected for each of the three years, resulting in a sample of 15 schools. At each school, five teachers were selected from each of three teaching areas: academic, workforce development, and special subjects. Thus, of the1086 teachers employed at the 15 participating schools, 225 teachers were included in the sample. The questionnaire for this study contained three parts: (a) the Hall and Loucks (1979) Stages of Concern questionnaire, (b) a professional development needs section, and (c) a teacher characteristics section. Results of the study indicated that the teachers were concerned about the success of students in the classroom and the impact of 4/4 block scheduling on their students. Consequence was the peak Stage of Concern for the largest percentage of responders, and collaboration was the peak for the second-largest percentage. Teachers with less experience had higher informational concerns than their peers with more teaching experience. On four of the nine professional development needs, more recent adopters of 4/4 block scheduling indicated significantly less need for professional development than those whose schools adopted this schedule in previous years. Thus, as teachers became more experienced with 4/4 block scheduling, they may have had problems that were unforeseen when this schedule was initially adopted. Implications for practice and further research based on the results of the study were suggested.
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    Voice input technology: learning style and attitude toward its use
    Fournier, Randolph S. (Virginia Tech, 1993-06-05)
    This study was designed to investigate whether learning style and attitudes toward voice input technology were related to performance in using the technology. Three null hypotheses were tested: (a) No differences exist in the performance in dictating a paragraph using voice input for individuals with different learning styles; (b) No differences exist in attitude toward voice input for individuals with different learning styles; and (c) No interaction exists for the performance scores for individuals with different learning styles and different attitudes toward voice input technology. The statistical procedure used to examine the hypotheses was analysis of variance. Participants were 50 students preparing to become vocational teachers enrolled in vocational education courses at Virginia Tech. Procedures involved having the participants complete three stages. First, they completed the Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD) learning style instrument. Due to a lack of individuals of one learning style category, abstract sequential (AS), only three learning style categories were used in the study. Second, they completed a background information sheet. Third, they participated in the voice-input training and dictation phase. Each student completed a one-hour session that included training, practice using voice input, and dictating a paragraph. Participants also completed the Attitude Toward Voice Input Scale developed by the researcher. It includes 21 attitude statements, 11 positively worded and 10 negatively worded. The first hypothesis was not rejected. A student's learning style does not relate to the performance of the student when dictating a paragraph using voice input technology. The second hypothesis was not rejected either. A student's attitude toward voice input technology was not related to learning style. The third hypothesis was also not rejected. A student's learning style, regardless of whether the student had a "high" or "low" attitude toward voice input, was not significantly related to performance in using voice input technology. However, the mean performance scores of individuals with concrete sequential (CS) learning styles with "high" and "low" attitudes did appear to be different. Those with "high" attitudes toward voice input had better performance scores than those with "low" attitudes toward the technology.