The Effect of Web-Based and Power Point Instruction on Fourth-Grade Students’ Social
Studies Recall
Melissa Lorraine McComas
July 2004
Students entering fourth grade often have difficulty adapting to the more recall-oriented
tests that they face in social studies classes. Many students neglect to study for these tests
and deal with lower than normal grades. After a careful study of the current literature on
recall and memory, especially in social studies, this study investigated the use of Power
Point presentations and web-based instruction, a current trend in education, on students’
recall. Students were split into two groups. Students in the experimental group were
exposed to two Power Point presentations and were taken to the computer lab on two
occasions. The findings show that there was no significant difference in the median
scores between the two groups; thus the null hypothesis was accepted. It is hoped that
future research under different conditions may show more promising results.