Information and Communication Technology in Educational Sciences: 1 (3)

Open Access Article

1 - The Effect of Educational Simulator Software’s on Learning and Remembering in University Students and Comparing it with Traditional Teaching Methods
Abolfazl Lakdashti Reza Yousefi Khadigeh Khatiri

Since the main goal of educational technology is to facilitate and improve learning performance, educational simulators can be used to achieve this goal. In this paper, the degree of effectiveness of the simulator software (a case study on Opnet, PSpice, Paket trace, an More

Since the main goal of educational technology is to facilitate and improve learning performance, educational simulators can be used to achieve this goal. In this paper, the degree of effectiveness of the simulator software (a case study on Opnet, PSpice, Paket trace, and MatLab) on the learning and remembering in engineering students of non- profit Universities in Sari (2009-2010) and comparing it with traditional teaching methods was taken into consideration. The research method was a semi-experimental one with two groups of students in which posttest and pretest were used. The population was divided into experimental and control groups, the former was taught using simulator software and the latter using traditional methods. To gather data, a questionnaire was used. Research findings were analyzed through SPSS software, descriptive statistical methods such as frequency tables, percentage, mean and inferential statistical methods such as t test. The results confirmed that there was a meaningful difference between learning and remembering in teaching through educational simulators and teaching through traditional methods. In other words, education simulators had increasing and desirable effect on students learning and remembering.  Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

2 - The Study of Challenges in Applying Information and Communication Technology in Teaching and Learning Processes
Seyed Mostafa Sharif Khalifeh Soltani Mehdi Karimi Mehdi Mazaheri

Information and communication Technology (ICT) has the potential to enhance access, quality and effectiveness in education. The purpose of this research was to examine challenges in applying information and communication technology in teaching and learning processes fro More

Information and communication Technology (ICT) has the potential to enhance access, quality and effectiveness in education. The purpose of this research was to examine challenges in applying information and communication technology in teaching and learning processes from the viewpoints of faculty members and post graduate students at Isfahan University and Isfahan Technical University. In this research, the challenges were studied in the framework of Organizational Elements Model (input, process, individual and organizational outcomes). The method of the study was descriptive and a classified sampling method suitable for the population was used. The statistical sample included 110 faculty members and 131 postgraduate students. The main instrument for collecting data was the researcher- made questionnaire including 62 close ended questions. The reliability of the questionnaire was estimated through Cronbach Alfa coefficient (a = 0/88), and the validity was confirmed by the related experts. Statistically, research findings (at the level of P <0/05) indicated that individual and organizational outcomes were not challenging while input and process (above average level) were challenging from both faculty members and post graduate students viewpoints. The results also showed that there were differences between faculty members’ viewpoints and post graduate students regarding input challenges and the application of ICT in teaching learning processes.  Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

3 - Designing ICT- Based Curriculum and Studying its Impacts on the performance of High School Students
Esmail Kazempour Khalil Ghaffari Fereshteh Hedayati

The goal of the research was to design ICT – based curriculum and studying its impact on the performance of high school students. The research method was a descriptive survey and quasi- experimental one. The statistical population of the research included 128934 ( More

The goal of the research was to design ICT – based curriculum and studying its impact on the performance of high school students. The research method was a descriptive survey and quasi- experimental one. The statistical population of the research included 128934 (all the students), 12890 (all the teachers) and 60 (all the curriculum and ICT specialists) in Tehran. The statistical sample consisted of 120 students, 120 teachers and 60 specialists in ICT and Curriculum. They were selected through multi–stage sampling method. A questionnaire having 97 five – choice questions in 10 factors along with an ICT – based curriculum teaching were used to collect the data. To analyze the data both descriptive and inferential statistics (ANOVA, Tukey and t test) were used. Descriptive analysis of the data indicated that all three groups of subjects evaluated the factors of ICT Curriculum Model beyond average level and finally accepted the results. Inferential analysis of the data showed that there was a significant difference among students, teachers and experts viewpoints regarding philosophical, social and psychological foundations and basic concepts of ICT Curriculum Model such as knowledge, skill and principle of content selection and organization. The results also indicated that the level of foundations, concepts, expressions, knowledge, attitude and capability of the students who were taught through ICT – based curriculum was significantly higher than those who were not taught.   Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

4 - Relationship between the Quality of Electronic Services and Students' Electronic Satisfaction in Islamic Azad University of Bonab
Jafar Beikzad Zahra Molavi Karim Esgandari

The goal of the present research was to investigate the relationship between the quality of electronic services and students' electronic satisfaction in Islamic Azad University Bonab Branch. To do so, the quality of electronic service has been studied based on Zeithaml, More

The goal of the present research was to investigate the relationship between the quality of electronic services and students' electronic satisfaction in Islamic Azad University Bonab Branch. To do so, the quality of electronic service has been studied based on Zeithaml, Parasuraman and Malhotra's theory and students' electronic satisfaction has also been studied based on Huavang and Wangs theory. The statistical society of the research included 9463 students of Bonab Azad University. Statistical sample was estimated 370 people through Cochran formula. They were also selected through classified random sampling method. Information gathering instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire whose face validity was confirmed based on the students' field of study and its reliability was also confirmed and estimated about 0.736 and 0.813 through Cronbach Alpha for both the quality of electronic services questionnaire and electronic satisfaction one respectively. Pearson, Freedman and one Sample t test were also used to test research hypotheses. Results indicated that there was a significant relationship between the quality of electronic services and its dimensions and students' electronic satisfactions in Bonab Islamic Azad University. Review of the priority of the quality of electronic service dimensions from students' point of view showed that self- reliance was the most important dimension efficient and other dimensions were ranked in the following order respectively, keeping personal secrets, responsiveness, command supply, compensation and communication. The results also revealed that the mean of the quality of electronic services and students' electronic satisfaction were below average.  Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

5 - Efficiency of Preventing Short Message Service on Students Attitudes and Self-Efficiency towards Drug Abuse
Daruosh Jalali

The aim of the study was to compare the efficiency of preventing short message service (SMS) method with the teaching method using informative pamphlet on high school students' attitude and self-efficiency towards drug abuse. The research was a semi- experimental one wh More

The aim of the study was to compare the efficiency of preventing short message service (SMS) method with the teaching method using informative pamphlet on high school students' attitude and self-efficiency towards drug abuse. The research was a semi- experimental one which was done by pretest – posttest with three months follow up with control group. Statistical population included 22000 male, high- school students of Shar-e-Kord in 2010. The sample consisted of 138 students who were randomly selected using multi- stage sampling, and divided into three groups (two experimental groups and one control groups). Both experimental and control groups completed the Attitude Toward Drug Abuse Inventory (Ghorbani, 2001) and Self - Efficiency Inventory (Scheerer et al., 1998) during pretest, posttest and follow up phases. While the first experimental group received preventive short messages for 45 days, the second experimental group received information about disadvantages of drug abuse by informative pamphlet in 45 days. The results of the analysis of MANCOVA revealed that the preventive methods on changing attitude and improving self- efficiency about drug abuse were effective (P > 0/05). However the effect of SMS method was more than that of the pamphlet method. The follow-up results indicated that the effect of SMS method was permanent, while the effect of pamphlet method was not (P > 0/05). Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

6 - Need Assessment of Developing Vocational and Skill Virtual Education in Mazandaran Province
Ali Asghar Abbasi Asfajir Homa Rezaei Ghale

This study was done to investigate influential factors in developing vocational and skill virtual education approach from the point of views of teachers and principals of vocational and technical high schools of Mazandaran. In this study based on constructional learning More

This study was done to investigate influential factors in developing vocational and skill virtual education approach from the point of views of teachers and principals of vocational and technical high schools of Mazandaran. In this study based on constructional learning theory and Charies Wedemeyer theory on developing virtual vocational and skill education, factors affecting vocational and skill virtual education development in technological, cultural-social, pedagogical, economic and strategic aspects were identified and ranked by the use of Delphi method. The statistical population of the study was all teachers and principals in vocational and technical high schools in academic year of 2009-2010. A group of 35 teachers and 27 principals as members of panel were selected through step-wise clustering with respect to the research method. Two kinds of questionnaire for the students and the principals were prepared to explore developmental factors based on likert scale. The questionnaires were distributed in 3 stages. The reliability coefficient or Cronbach Alpha in all approaches was higher than 0.86. In the first and second stages of questionnaire distribution, the mean and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance of developmental factors were calculated. Then propositions which were larger than 4 and kendall’s coefficient larger than 0.5 were considered in the third stage. The data collected from the questionnaires in the third stage were used as responses to research questions. Friedman test and U Mann-Whitney test were used to analyze data. The main results are listed below: From teacher's point of view, social-cultural, technological, economic, pedagogic and strategic approaches were given priorities respectively. From the principal's point of view, technological, social-cultural, economic, strategic and pedagogic approaches were given priorities respectively. Finally, there was no meaningful difference in the mean of technological, social- cultural, pedagogical, economic and strategic approaches between the teachers and managers viewpoints. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

7 - Teaching Reading through "Letter – Syllable –Word" Method Using Multimedia in Comparison with the Conventional Method (Using Board and Tablet)
Hoseyn Mehdizadeh Farokh Feyzi Maryam Eslampanah

Reading is one of the most important basic skills for the growth of children’s intrinsic abilities which was taken into consideration by many researchers. Inability in reading usually brings about many problems in learning for students. This paper reports the resu More

Reading is one of the most important basic skills for the growth of children’s intrinsic abilities which was taken into consideration by many researchers. Inability in reading usually brings about many problems in learning for students. This paper reports the result of a two-groups with pre-test and post-test semi-experimental design which was done in elementary schools of Mahidasht region of Kermanshah province in the academic year 2009-2010. Its objective was to determine the degree of the effect of teaching reading through the method of “Letter-Syllable-Word” using digital multimedia in comparison with the conventional method (using board and tablet). In this project which was done on 54 students, first the pre-test measure of reading ability was performed for both groups, and then reading Persian language was taught to the experimental group using multimedia in 16 sessions of 45 minutes. During this time the control group used board and tablet. At the end of teaching, post-test measure of reading ability and measurement of vocabulary were performed. The findings resulted from independent t test and analysis of Co-Variance indicated that teaching with the use of multimedia in comparison with the current method, was more impressive on the reading ability performance of students in three components of accurate-reading, reading- speed and vocabulary- reservoir. It can be concluded that teaching with the use of such multimedia, especially in high-populated classes, and in case of creating the necessary facilities in rural schools in which teachers have less opportunity for individual teaching of weaker individuals, can be an effective help in teaching reading skills. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

8 - Meta-Analysis on the Impact of ICT on Teachers' Professional Development
Ali Khalkhali Zohreh Shakibaei Mehdi Andesh

The purpose of this research was a meta-analysis of the previously done researches on the impact of ICT on the status of teachers in order to estimate the actual effect size of the ICT on professional development of teachers. The population was all the researches on the More

The purpose of this research was a meta-analysis of the previously done researches on the impact of ICT on the status of teachers in order to estimate the actual effect size of the ICT on professional development of teachers. The population was all the researches on the impact of ICT on teachers in Iran, by the end of 2010. Among the researches done, nine of them having suitable characteristics for the application of meta-analysis were selected through purposeful sampling method. The research instrument was a check list for the selection of researches from technical and methodological aspects. The preferential meta-analysis model consists of the mixed approach of Hunter and Smith. Also, Cohen’s approach was used for the interpretation of research findings. The findings showed that the use of ICT had significant impact on the professional development of teachers. In addition, the degree of effect of the ICT on professional development of teachers was 0/387 which is above average based on the interpretation indexes. Manuscript profile

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