A Case Study of Project-Based Computer Instruction in One Middle School

The intent of this study was to locate a school that used computers within the curriculum rather than as an ancillary supplement to instruction. It is a study of best practices at one middle school. A case study method was used in order to create an account of how teachers used multimedia computer technology. Six different teachers were observed in the computer lab. Interviews were conducted with the teachers, the computer lab coordinator, and middle school principal. Documents were collected, with the majority of the documents being student projects such as Web pages, PowerPoint presentations, brochures, and newsletters. Member checks, peer debriefing, data and researcher triangulation, and an audit trial were used to enhance the trustworthiness of the data. According to teachers and evidence of student work, it seemed that students who do not normally perform well in class, performed better in the computer lab.