Using Web-based case study supplements in teacher education courses

The purpose of this study was to better understand the effect of using case studies as a classroom supplement, and how different types of cases (no case, video-based case or traditional) influence knowledge levels, levels of engagement, application of concepts, and confidence levels. Three primary questions guided this investigation. First, it was hypothesized that there will be significant knowledge differences in understanding of the social cognitive theory between conditions, with the video-based group obtaining the highest knowledge levels. Second, those students who received the case studies were expected to be better able to apply concepts. And finally, higher engagement levels were predicted for those who viewed the video-based case study. The study included participants in three experimental conditions- control group, text-based case study group and video-based case study group. The overriding hypothesis was that students in the video-based case study condition would have the highest scores on knowledge levels, engagement levels, confidence levels and application levels. Participants in this current investigation were 150 college aged students at a large Midwestern University. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques, t-tests, and multiple regression. Results of t-tests suggested that participants receiving a text-based case study engaged more than participants who received a videobased case study. ANOVA results suggested that there was no difference between knowledge levels and confidence levels by condition, although a difference was found in the ability to apply concepts. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine that there was no relationship between confidence levels and answer correctness on the multiple choice items. The implications of the results are discussed, as well as the potential impact that the findings may have on using case-based supplements in teacher education. Finally, this study will address the limitations of the current investigation and identify possible directions for future research