Effective Studies of Pedagogical Ethics with Computers? A Quasi‐experimental Process–Product Study of Two Learning Modes

Abstract

This investigation focused on the development of a study module called Pedagogical Ethics (PEd) in teacher education at the university level. The main aim was to examine both experiences of the study process and learning results. The quasi‐experimental design was developed by student teachers. The experimental group ( n = 32) attended a web‐based PEd course designed using the WebCT tool, while the control group ( n = 65) studied the same material in the traditional way. The same person was the teacher in both teaching–learning modes. Both groups evaluated the content and the mode as excellent, but the traditional teaching–learning mode was slightly more effective than the web‐based course. The quantity and quality of the technology‐mediated discussions concerning the ethical case studies were uneven. The differences in learning results between the experimental and control groups were not statistically significant.

Keywords:

• Web‐based learning
• Pedagogical ethics
• Higher education