Computer Assisted Instruction For Reading

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) consists of computer technologies that aid or assist education; these technologies include guided drill and practice exercises, computer visualization of objects, and computer-facilitated communication (Gifford, 1993). This paper examines computer-assisted instruction in terms of its effectiveness as an educational technology for reading, defending the position that CAI helps to improve reading but it has some definitive limitations, the most important of which is that the technology does not really produce the key reading component of comprehension.

The paper begins with a discussion of the general effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Instruction across all subject areas; this discussion is followed by an examination of CAI effectiveness for reading in particular. The paper ends with an overall evaluation of the extent to which CAI should be considered feasible for use by the education system for the purposes of the acquisition and development of reading skills and abilities.

The first point that can be noted regarding Computer-Assisted Instruction packages for reading, or for any other subject, is that they are, at least in part, effective for many reasons. One of the most important reasons is that students like learning in the environment that the computer has to offer (Gifford, 1993).

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y in allowing them to learning basic reading skills but to do so in new ways in which they can avoid reliving experiences with frustration, failure, and humiliation that they may have endured as children in school (Askov & Turner, 1989). Thus, it cannot be denied that CAI is generally effective or that, specifically, the method produces some gains in reading for both young and adult students. Disadvantages of CAI As noted in the foregoing discussion, one of the disadvantages of reading is that it produces, at best, only moderate gains in comprehension. Moreover, meta-analyses conducted on studies observing reading gains for Computer-Asssited Instruction have shown that the method is not always associated with consistent achievement effects, and that, in many cases, the same goals could be achieved with less expensive technologies---technologies that are more flexible in their instructional approach (Vockell & Sweeney, 1994). Another disadvantage of CAI is that it is often limited by the teacher's knowledge of computers (Peck & Dorricott, 1994). All of the software in the world cannot help if the teacher is not prepared to learn how to use it. Also, computers must become an integral part of the classroom. The full po
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Approximate Word count = 1520
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)