Mahajan, Gourav. (2014). Effect of computer assisted instruction on achievement in economics in relation to attitude towards technology and style of learning and thinking. Unpublished. Ph.D., Education. Panjab University, Chandigarh.

To develop and validate Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) units for teaching Economics at XI level. • To compare the effect of Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) as against Conventional Teaching Method (CTM) in terms of achievement in Economics. • To study the difference between mean achievement scores of students in Economics with respect to their attitude towards technology. • To study the difference between mean achievement scores of students in Economics in relation to style of learning and thinking. • To study whether there is a significant interaction among instructional strategies, attitude towards technology and style of learning and thinking.There is no significant difference between mean achievement scores of students in Economics exposed to various instructional strategies i.e. CAI and CTM. • There is no significant difference between mean achievement scores of students in Economics with respect to their attitude towards technology. • There is no significant difference between mean achievement scores of students in Economics in relation to style of learning and thinking. • There is no significant interaction between instructional strategies and attitude towards technology. • There is no significant interaction between instructional strategies and style of learning and thinking. • There is no significant interaction among instructional strategies, attitude towards technology and style of learning and thinking with respect to achievement in Economics.

Population: The students of Economics at XI standard in CBSE Schools of Distt Pathankot (Punjab) Sample Size: 200 Sampling Technique: The 200 students selected as the sample group were randomly assigned to control group and the experimental group on the basis of their Pre-test achievement test scores.For the present study the following tools were used for the purpose of data collection. 1. CAI material, developed by the investigator, was used to teach the concepts of Economics to the students who were exposed to CAI instructional strategy. 2. Style of Learning and Thinking (SOLAT) tool by Venkataraman, 1994. 3. Attitude Scale towards Technology constructed and standardized by the investigator. 4. Achievement test in Economics constructed and standardized by the investigator.Design of the study is Pre-test Post-test Control Group Experimental Design wherein Instructions through CAI and CTM for One Monthwas provided.Equivalence of Groups on the basis of Pre-Test Scores was done and the assessment of Dependent Variable was done on the basis of Gain Scores.The data collected was subjected to statistical analysis through descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics such as mean, median, mode, Standard Deviation, Skewness and Kurtosis were compared to study the nature and distribution of data. Inferential statistics viz. 2x2x3 ANOVA and t-test were used to test the hypotheses of the study.

The findings showed that the students taught through conventional teaching method (CTM) were found to be high achievers as compared to those who were taught through computer assisted instruction (CAI). The attitude towards technology did not affect the achievement of students in Economics. Style of learning and thinking did not account for any variation in the achievement of students in Economics. The study did not find any significant interaction between instructional strategies and attitude towards technology. No significant interaction was found between instructional strategies and style of learning and thinking. There was a significant interaction among instructional strategies, attitude towards technology and style of learning and thinking.

The results of the study show that teaching Economics with conventional teaching method is better than using computer assisted instruction. This result may be attributed to the explanation that the concepts of Economics can be better learnt using cognitive abilities only which include the acquisition of knowledge and its simple recall; abilities to comprehend, analyse and evaluate. All these learning requirements are better achieved in a traditional classroom setting only where there is a interactive teacher-taught relationship. The teacher is efficient enough to carry out all the instructional activities viz. presentation of the content, clarifying the doubts of students, drill and practice of the knowledge acquired etc. So, the strategies should be developed to make teachers more resourceful and productive so that they could be able to make improvements in their teaching methodologies and hence, to benefit the students at large.

Keyword(s): Educational Technology