Author

Fuqiang Zhuo

Date of Graduation

1998

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

This study examines the relationships among hypermedia-based instruction, cognitive styles, and teaching subject-verb agreement to adult ESL learners in order to find an effective approach to teach grammar which is a very thorny issue in the field of second and foreign language instruction and learning. Therefore, the effect of hypermedia on grammar instruction and learning is the main focus in this study. The treatment was the employment of hypermedia creating a new learning environment in which the adult ESL learners could be benefited from the advantages of new technology. Based on the current methodologies, approaches, and principles of second and foreign languages, the hypermedia courseware was designed and developed through authoring tools such as Authorware and Director. Sixteen participants remained in the study from a larger pool. ANOVAS with repeated measures were implemented, followed by post hoc Scheffe when there was a significant difference or a two-way interaction. The results showed that the achievement scores of the participants increased significantly from pre-treatment to post-treatment, confirming that the hypermedia-based instruction is very effective for grammar teaching and learning. That proficiency level and instructional sections did not have significant effects on learning time and that the performance of the learners of different cognitive styles was not significantly different indicated that hypermedia-based instruction could accommodate the needs and ability of different individuals. However, there was a significant difference related to learning time of the cognitive style groups and a significant two-way interaction between cognitive style and treatment, with FI spending more time than FM who spent more time than FD in Sections 1 and 2 but less time than the FD and the FM learners in Section 3. The further study should consider some factors related to gender, native language, cooperation, computer attitude, computer anxiety, qualitative methodology, size of group, and incidental learning.

Share

COinS