Date of Award

1985

Type

Thesis

Major

Specialist in Education

Degree Type

Specialist Degree in Education

Department

Teacher Education

First Advisor

Dr. Bob Henderson

Second Advisor

Dr. Earnest Carlisle

Third Advisor

Dr. James Brewbaker

Abstract

This project consists of five computer programs developed for secondary social studies classes. Two tutorials and three games make up the programs.

The tutorials present how the President is elected, with a computer title of "Election," and how a bill becomes a law, with a computer title of "Make-Law." The two programs are divided into an information section, based on the Muscogee County School District curriculum guide, a review section, and a test section. The objectives of the tutorial programs are to have the studentsidentify the sequential events that make up the Presidential electoral process and the legislative process, to have students reinforce the facts by repetition, and to provide students with immediate feedback about their answers to test questions.

The information for "Election" is on a one-page handout that is given to the student. The student reads the handout and follows a direction, moving to the computer when told to do so. The review section requires the student to respond to missing blanks. When a student gives an incorrect response, he is instructed by the computer to return to his reading. After taking the test, the student is encouraged to retake the test if his score is below 70. Information for the second tutorial, "Make-Law," is presented on the screen, not on a handout. After reading the information and review sections, the student takes the test. The student must give the correct answer to the question before going to the next.

Objectives of the three computer games are to have students learn information by repetition, to give students immediate feedback to their answers, and to encourage students to achieve higher scores in succeeding games.

The first game, called "Guespres," is for one to four players. It generates five clues about each of the 40 Presidents: two historical facts during the President's term; the name(s) of his Vice-President(s); the years he served; and the order in which he served. The student may guess before any clue, but each clue causes a deduction of twenty points.

The second game, titled "Hake-Law," is for one student. It describes a series of legal situations to which the student responds with a "yes" or "no" answer on the question of Constitutional rights. When correct, the student receives a score and is presented with the judicial decision or particular Constitutional Amendment pertaining to the situation. An incorrect response reduces the score and the correct decision or Amendment follows.

The third game, similar in design to the popular trivia style games, is "Amertriv." It is for one to four players. Each student is asked a series of American history questions. Each student answers a question and receives a score for a correct response. The computer gives the answer when an incorrect response is given. The student with the highest score wins the game.

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