The Results

Two main research questions underlie the investigations of the study.
1. What is the impact of online use on student performance and attitudes?
2. What is the impact of online use on teacher behavior and attitudes?

Student performance and attitudes were clarified by looking at the effects of online use on: a) student projects, b) student perceptions as reported on questionnaires, and c) teacher reports of student performance. Teacher behavior and attitudes were clarified by looking at the effects of online use on: a) teacher perceptions as reported on questionnaires, and b) teacher reflections as reported in phone interviews.

Student Projects

These results are particularly striking because both experimental and control classes undertook the same projects and both were encouraged to take advantage of computer tools and resources in the Civil Rights Unit. Teacher reports and the makeup of the projects submitted confirm that students in the control group did use computers although they did not go online. This targets online use as a key differentiating factor in student performance within this study.

d

Student Perceptions

The positive impact of online communications on student learning is corroborated by analyses of student reports on pre-study and post-study questionnaires. Mean ratings of selected items in the pre-study questionnaire were compared with mean ratings of the same items in the post-study questionnaire in order to determine the change in students perceptions from the beginning to the end of the study.

Students who used online access became more confident and students without online access became less confident, over the course of the study, in carrying out and presenting a research project. Unrelated competencies, such as basic skills in reading, writing, arithmetic, did not show similar boosts in confidence.

The impact of online use on student performance is further supported by student responses to questionnaire items rating the frequency with which students used computers for different types of school work. Students in the experimental group reported significantly increased use of computers in four different areas - gathering information, organizing and presenting information, multimedia projects, and help with basic skills. Once students with online access had completed their projects, they reported an increase in how much they use the computer for the types of activities that are most closely related to a project-based unit of study and for which online use is well suited. In contrast, there is a decrease in the control group's reports of using computers for the same activities.

d

Teacher Reports of Student Behavior

Telephone interviews with participating teachers at the end of the study provide rich anecdotal evidence of greater learning for students with online access. Teachers in the experimental group reported that during the study their students found information more quickly, drew resources from a larger number sources in a wider variety of formats, and dealt with information in ways that made the material more relevant to their lives. Teachers felt that e-mail and message boards helped their students learn from other students, teachers and the community at large.

Changes in Teacher Behavior

Teacher reports on the pre-study and post-study questionnaires provide information on changes in teachers' behavior. Due to the low number of teachers (28) and missing data on many of the items, results from analyses of the teacher questionnaires can only suggest trends. They are presented in conjunction with anecdotal reports from telephone interviews to lend insight into possible effects of online use on teachers' behavior and attitudes and to provoke further inquiry.

Data from the questionnaires on the amount of time teachers use computers in school indicate differences between the experimental and control groups. Even though all classes were encouraged to use computers in the Civil Rights Unit, teachers with online access appear to have increased their use (mean change of .70) from the beginning to the end of the study, whereas teachers without online access appear to have made no change (mean change of .00).

Over the course of the study, teachers with online access indicated more frequent use of computers with students for the types of activities that are related to a project-based unit. The experimental group had a sizably greater increase in use of computers than the control group for gathering information, multimedia projects, and creative expression. In contrast, the control group had a sizably greater increase in use of computers than the experimental group for skill reinforcement and reward or motivation.

Although the small number of respondents limits the significance of these findings, they suggest that online use changed teachers' perceptions of the role of technology, and their own behavior in using it with their students. The direction of change for the experimental teachers was toward using technology in the way that literate adults use computers - to enhance performance directly in gathering, organizing, and presenting information. The direction of change for control teachers was, from an educational standpoint, more traditional. They increased the use of computers as teaching devices - using them to teach basic skills, or merely to reward other kinds of skill development.

The telephone interviews give further insight into the effects of online use on teacher behavior. Teachers in the experimental group in contrast to the control group reported that they dealt with a wider range of information and personally learned more about the topic of civil rights. They attributed most of this learning to having access to online resources; however, they also reported acquiring more information from their students than did the control teachers. Teachers with online access also reported more positive interactions with parents than did teachers without online access including: more effective teacher conferences, more parents visiting the classroom, and communication with parents online.

Changes in Teacher Attitudes

Questionnaire ratings provide insight into teachers' perceptions of the building-based assistance they received during the study. In contrast to control teachers, who reported increasing satisfaction with support from administrators and technology staff over the course of the study, the experimental teachers reported decreasing satisfaction. Because they were being challenged to learn how to do new things, they needed additional support and did not find existing supports sufficient. At its most positive, this is a problem of rising expectations. It is when apprentices begin to learn most that they require the most from their mentors.

d