d-practice programs because they must teach a skill as well as judge the results. (p.48)
An interesting example of the use of a tutorial CAI program can be seen in a study conducted by Smith-Gratto (1992). The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in achievement between seventh grade students who had completed a programmed instruction tutorial and a systematically designed tutorial that integrated programmed instruction and Gestalt learning theory.
Smith-Gratto felt that the significance of the study extended beyond this, in that CAI materials were developed which systematically used programmed instruction and systematically integrated Gestalt learning theory into a programmed instruction package. The author stated that these materials could serve as the basis for more extensive studies which can modify the basic techniques used to create the combination software.
The study used a pretest-posttest design. Subjects were drawn from eight seventh grade classes at two different middle schools. Students were randomly assigned to the control and treatment groups. One group used a programmed instruction tutorial and the other used a combination software package that integrated programmed instruction and Gestalt learning theory.
The California Achievement Test composite reading scores for each group were compared using a t test of independent means. The pretests were also compared using a t test of independent means. There were no significant differences observed between the groups on these crucial measures so a t test of independent means was used to analyze the posttest scores. No significant difference was found in the achievement as measured by a classroom-type test.
(3) Simulations: CAI is an instructional form that presents life-like situations which allow students to learn through experience and to take risks without suffering the consequences of poor choices. One type of CAI simulat...