| In the United States computers and information technologies are changing the nature of literacy. In this digital environment, individuals are expected to make and communicate meaning not only with traditional print but also with various combinations of print, sound, and image. Education has a special responsibility in preparing students to meet this expectation, and hence many teachers have sought to introduce innovative curriculum into their classrooms. Their efforts have, however, often been constrained by the standardized testing that dominates American education.; In the Pacesetter Program established by the College Board, a 12th grade English Language Arts course is a prime example of an innovative curriculum that is constrained by the assessment model it uses. A research project was established to address this gap between curriculum and assessment in the Pacesetter English course. A total of ten computer-based assessment activities were developed and administered in a high school in San Jose, California. This dissertation presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of four activities that used film clips.; With respect to the design, the film clips were presented as a basic resource and students were asked to respond to three tasks: a Planning Task, an Interpretation Task, and an Application Task. These tasks constitute a model called "grounded constructivism," in which the Planning Task is used to gather factual information from the film resource, which is then used to respond to the constructivist tasks. This model reflects an approach in which fact, inference, and experience are viewed as integral dimensions of comprehension.; With respect to the evaluation, this study focuses not only on the students' responses to the activities, but also the processes in which they engaged. As for the responses, a rubric based on Content, Clarity, and Critical/Creative Thinking was used in evaluating them. As for the processes, analysis was conducted of students' think-aloud protocols and retrospective interviews as well as process logs that the computer generated. These logs provide useful diagnostic information in that they show the degree to which students engage in planning, drafting, and revising as they write. |
