Blog # 6

Using Web Quests to Teach Content: Comparing Instructional Strategies

Strickland, J. (2005). Using web quests to teach content: Comparing instructional strategies. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 5(2), 138-148. Retrieved On July 28th, 2010 from http://www.editlib.org/?fuseaction=Reader.ViewFullText&paper_id=6042

Janet Strickland, a researcher from State University of West Georgia, investigated the relation between using technology to foster innovative teaching and learning, or Type II technology application such as web quest and the end of unit exam scores.

Participants were 86 seventh-grade students which completed the web quest activity consisted of 48 students, 24 males and 24 females. The control group, which completed traditional instructional activities, consisted of 38 students, 18 males and 20 females. Both groups selected from one teacher’s list of Texas History courses. All students were homogeneous in terms of academic ability and they completed a unit about Texas Revolution.

The end-of-unit test results used to collect data about the enormous amount of content included in the unit. This test looked only at the content learned by both groups and not on the skills. In addition to the objective tests, the experimental group was evaluated on newscast presentations using a rubric. The control group was evaluated on a poster activity, also using a rubric.

The newscast presentations were a group task. All students participated in online research using web quest to prepare broadcasts with background slide show. The control group individually prepared a poster that used road signs to symbolizing the major events in the Texas revolution.

The end-of-unit test results were compared and the control group scored higher on it than the experimental group. The teachers indicated that the control group scored higher on the rubrics than the experimental group.

The results show that traditional activities are more effective for teaching units with large amount of contents similar to dates and events. Web quest is designed to make learning interesting but in this study, students didn’t seem much exited.

I consider these results very reasonable. Teachers need to discover the appropriate technology for each unit according to the subject matter taught and the nature of the content. It is also important for administrators to understand this fact, because sometimes they put a lot of emphasize on using technology but they don’t evaluate how effective it is.