Microcomputer Use within Micro-Educational Environments

An observational study of micro-educational environments (MEE's) and microcomputer use within these environments was conducted across a broad-based, representative sample of special day class, resource room, and mainstream classrooms in Southern California. Mildly handicapped students in special education settings were found to have less variety to their instructional experiences than did either handicapped or nonhandicapped students in the mainstream. That is, students in special education classes evidenced a more dominant pattern of individual, in-classroom, remedial work than did either handicapped or nonhandicapped students in the mainstream. Across all settings, students were highly engaged with the computer, although teachers spent little direct contact time with students during these periods. Microcomputer instruction emerges as a highly motivating vehicle for imparting information, but the effectiveness of these experiences remains to be assessed.