| Sumario: | The purpose of this study was to: compare achievement of students when using two teaching strategies, computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and traditional lecture/discussion (TLD); compare relationships between student achievement, cognitive styles, and teaching strategies; compare instructional and preparation time for faculty for CAI and TLD; compare student time spent in preparation and in class for CAI and TLD; and compare cost for software, hardware, and faculty salary for CAI and TLD. The sample was 61 sophomore students enrolled in a Medication Calculations course at a southeastern baccalaureate nursing program. Thirty-four students were taught by TLD in the Fall 1987 and 27 by CAI in the Spring 1988. Age, sex, ACT scores, QPA on admission to the course, and scores on a required math course were used to establish homogeneity of the groups. Student achievement following treatment was measured by a thirty-item mastery examination. To determine cognitive style, the Group Embedded Figures Test was administered to consenting students. Faculty and students in the TLD and CAI groups kept records of time spent both in and out of the classroom. Cost for each method was determined from records of expenditures related to faculty time, equipment, and materials used. The data were subjected to analysis of variance and independent t test to determine differences between groups. Analysis revealed that there was no interaction between cognitive styles and teaching strategies. No significant difference in performance on the mastery examination was identified between CAI and TLD students, nor was there a significant difference in achievement between field-independent and field-dependent students. It was identified, however, that CAI faculty and students spent significantly less time and cost than the TLD group. This study identified that CAI promoted mastery of course content regardless of students' cognitive styles, saved time for students and faculty, and was a cost-effective method of teaching. Implications for nursing education focus on other areas of research related to CAI as a strategy to increase students' problem-solving and creative thinking abilities, use of the computer for testing purposes, and use of CAI combined with other teaching strategies as a vehicle to increase student learning.
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