A Tale of Two Settings: The Lab and the Classroom

Abstract

Computer science students were observed in the classrooms of five different teachers in an intensive two year qualitative study. Observations and interviews led to the conclusion that students reacted very differently to the time they spent in the computer lab working on written programs and the time they spent in the classroom where they learned about computers and programming through teacher-led lectures. Specifically, they enjoyed the lab more and were much more highly motivated to work in that setting. Analysis of the social processes in these two contrasting settings suggests that students' increased motivation in the lab was the result of a complex set of factors including (a) a shift in their relation to the teacher, (b) a concomitant shift in their relationship with peers, and (c) a shift in their relationship to the work.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 08, 1991
Accession Number
ADA239517

Entities

People

  • Janet W. Schofield

Organizations

  • University of Pittsburgh

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Classification
  • Cognitive Science
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Science
  • Computers
  • Data Analysis
  • Education
  • Human Behavior
  • Instructors
  • Military Research
  • Motivation
  • Procurement
  • Psychology
  • Security
  • Social Sciences
  • Students

Fields of Study

  • Education

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Organizational Psychology.
  • Research Science/Academic Research