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Self-Assessment and Student Improvement in an Introductory Computer Course at the Community College-Level Jama R

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Self-Assessment and Student Improvement in an Introductory Computer Course at the Community College-Level Jama R East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2013 Self-Assessment and Student Improvement in an Introductory Computer Course at the Community College-level Jama R. Spicer-Sutton Mrs. East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the Higher Education Administration Commons Recommended Citation Spicer-Sutton, Jama R. Mrs., "Self-Assessment and Student Improvement in an Introductory Computer Course at the Community College-level" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1133. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1133 This Dissertation - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Self-Assessment and Student Improvement in an Introductory Computer Course at the Community College-level _______________________ A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership _______________________ by Jama Spicer-Sutton May 2013 _______________________ Dr. James Lampley, Chair Dr. H. Lee Daniels Dr. Virginia Foley Dr. Jasmine Renner Keywords: computer literacy, computer competency, computer skills ABSTRACT Self-Assessment and Student Improvement in an Introductory Computer Course at the Community College-level by Jama Spicer-Sutton The purpose of this study was to determine a student‟s computer knowledge upon course entry and if there was a difference in college students‟ improvement scores as measured by the difference in pretest and posttest scores of new or novice users, moderate users, and expert users at the end of a college-level introductory computing class. This study also determined whether there were differences in improvement scores by gender or age group. The results of this study were used to determine whether there was a difference in improvement scores among the 3 campus locations participating in this study. Four hundred sixty-nine students participated in this study at a community college located in Northeast Tennessee. A survey, pretest, and posttest were administered to students in a college- level introductory computing class. The survey consisted of demographic data that included gender, age category, location, Internet access, educational experience, and the self-rated user category, while the pretest and posttest explored the student‟s knowledge of computer terminology, hardware, the current operating system, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. The data analysis revealed significant differences in pretest scores between educational experience categories. In each instance, the pretest mean for first semester freshmen students was lower than second semester freshmen and sophomores. The study also reported significant differences between the self-rated user categories and pretest scores as well as differences in improvement scores (posttest scores minus pretest scores), which were higher for new or novice users. Of the 3 participating campus locations, students at Location 1 earned higher improvement 2 scores than did students at Location 2. The results also indicated that there was a significant difference between the types of course delivery and course improvement scores (posttest scores minus pretest scores). The improvement scores for on ground delivery was 5 points higher than the hybrid course delivery. Finally, the gender and age categories as compared to the self-rated user categories revealed no significant differences in the study. 3 DEDICATION This study is dedicated to my loving husband and daughter, Rodger and Piper. Your encouragement and support are priceless. Thank you for always listening. I would like to also dedicate this work to my mother, father, aunt, and my sister and best friend, Sherry. Each of you fostered in me the belief that I could climb any mountain. 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Within my doctoral cohort group, I have had the privilege to make new friends as well as cement old friendships. Through your guidance and encouragement, I was able to complete the program of study. I would like to thank Sue Frazier, my mentor. You are a true role model of a caring and dedicated leader. I would also like to recognize Carla Todaro, Terry Rawlinson, David Atkins, Mark Hurst, Rosemary Jackson, Lou McGuire, and Dr. Joyce Duncan for their willingness to “drop everything” and help me. Also, I would like to express my appreciation to Katherine Whaley for always providing an uplifting spirit. I am fortunate to call you each of you colleagues and friends. Additionally, I would like to say a special thank you to Dr. Susan Twaddle, whose patience, knowledge, humor, and support were invaluable in the completion of this dissertation. I would also like to acknowledge my committee members for their input and time committed to this project, Dr. H. Lee Daniels, Dr. Virginia Foley, Dr. James Lampley, and Dr. Jasmine Renner. I would like to express my deep appreciation to my committee chair, Dr. James Lampley. Your statistical knowledge and attention to detail has been an asset to the completion of this project. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ 2 DEDICATION ....................................................................................................................... 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................... 5 LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................. 9 LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 11 The Computer Competency Requirement at the Participating Community College . 14 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................... 16 Research Questions .................................................................................................... 17 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................... 18 Definitions of Terms .................................................................................................. 19 Limitations of the Study............................................................................................. 20 Organization of the Study .......................................................................................... 20 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................................................... 21 Computer Literacy ..................................................................................................... 21 Perceptions of Computer Literacy ............................................................................. 28 Assessing Computer Literacy .................................................................................... 36 Institution‟s Adoption of Computer Literacy Requirements ..................................... 42 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY................................................................................... 47 Research Design......................................................................................................... 47 Research Questions and Null Hypotheses ................................................................. 50 6 Variables in the Study ................................................................................................ 53 Instrumentation .......................................................................................................... 53 Population .................................................................................................................. 54 Data Collection .......................................................................................................... 56 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................. 57 Summary .................................................................................................................... 58 4. ANALYSIS OF DATA.................................................................................................. 59 Research Questions .................................................................................................... 60 Research Question 1 .................................................................................................. 60 Research Question 2 .................................................................................................. 63 Research Question 3 .................................................................................................. 65 Research Question 4 .................................................................................................. 67 Research Question 5 .................................................................................................
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