Identification of Influential Factors that Affect Students' Behaviors in Traditional Classes Versus Technology-Mediated Learning (TML) Classes

Learning environments are rapidly changing from the traditional setting to include the use of multimedia technology in the classroom. In the past, researchers studied how the use of technology as a learning tool affects students’ learning and performance. There are, however, few studies that report students’ learning behavior in technology based learning environments. The purpose of this study is to find out whether or not there are any unique behaviors exhibited by students that are related to a different learning environment. In this study, two researchers observed two undergraduate elementary statistics classes (traditional class versus Technology-Mediated Learning (TML) class), and documented student behavioral differences between them. The data included quantitative and qualitative observations based on specific behavior categories. The results of the analysis lead to identification of six influential factors that affect students’ learning behaviors in different learning environments. Implications of results for both educators and administrators are discussed.