Examining pre -service instructors' use of PowerPoint based on pre -service students' perceptions: A mixed methods study

Abstract

This study explored pre-service instructors' use of PowerPoint based on pre-service students' perceptions, and it identified pre-service students' perceptions of the efficacy of specific elements of PowerPoint design and delivery. The effectiveness of various elements of PowerPoint design and delivery was based on an extensive literature review and was framed on the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia (Mayer, 2000). The findings of the study identified pre-service instructors' practices and pre-service students' perceptions of the effectiveness of specific elements of design and delivery and were then compared with what research and expert literature purported were effective.

This one year study was conducted from the Spring of 2006 to the Spring of 2007. The mixed methods sequential explanatory design was followed. Qualitative data helped to explain and build on quantitative findings (Creswell, Plano Clark, Gutmann, & Hanson, 2003). Students were administered a Web based survey that included Likert scale items, as well as open ended responses. Analysis of the phase one results was used to inform the development of the phase two interview protocol as well as to identify students for participation in phase two. Data were collected via the phase two interview and analysis of the students' responses allowed for further explanation and a deeper understanding of the findings from phase one.

The intents of this study were to identify instructors' practices in the design and delivery of PowerPoint, and to reveal students' perceptions of the efficacy of their instructors' use of PowerPoint, as well as their perceptions of the effectiveness of specific elements of PowerPoint design and delivery. Furthermore, these findings were compared with existing research and expert literature that defined effective or ineffective ways to design and delivery PowerPoints.