Adolescent Literacy and Textbooks: An Annotated Bibliography

A companion report to Carnegie's Time to Act, provides an annotated bibliography of research on textbook design and reading comprehension for fourth through twelfth grade, arranged by topic. Calls for a dialogue between publishers and researchers

Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum

The field of specialization known as the science of learning is not, in fact, one field. Science of learning is a term that serves as an umbrella for many lines of research, theory, and application. A term with an even wider reach is Learning Sciences (Sawyer, 2006). The present book represents a sliver, albeit a substantial one, of the scholarship on the science of learning and its application in educational settings (Science of Instruction, Mayer 2011). Although much, but not all, of what is presented in this book is focused on learning in college and university settings, teachers of all academic levels may find the recommendations made by chapter authors of service. The overarching theme of this book is on the interplay between the science of learning, the science of instruction, and the science of assessment (Mayer, 2011). The science of learning is a systematic and empirical approach to understanding how people learn. More formally, Mayer (2011) defined the science of learning as the “scientific study of how people learn” (p. 3). The science of instruction (Mayer 2011), informed in part by the science of learning, is also on display throughout the book. Mayer defined the science of instruction as the “scientific study of how to help people learn” (p. 3). Finally, the assessment of student learning (e.g., learning, remembering, transferring knowledge) during and after instruction helps us determine the effectiveness of our instructional methods. Mayer defined the science of assessment as the “scientific study of how to determine what people know” (p.3). Most of the research and applications presented in this book are completed within a science of learning framework. Researchers first conducted research to understand how people learn in certain controlled contexts (i.e., in the laboratory) and then they, or others, began to consider how these understandings could be applied in educational settings. Work on the cognitive load theory of learning, which is discussed in depth in several chapters of this book (e.g., Chew; Lee and Kalyuga; Mayer; Renkl), provides an excellent example that documents how science of learning has led to valuable work on the science of instruction. Most of the work described in this book is based on theory and research in cognitive psychology. We might have selected other topics (and, thus, other authors) that have their research base in behavior analysis, computational modeling and computer science, neuroscience, etc. We made the selections we did because the work of our authors ties together nicely and seemed to us to have direct applicability in academic settings

Advances in Teaching & Learning Day Abstracts 2005

Proceedings of the Advances in Teaching & Learning Day Regional Conference held at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 2005

Investigation of pre-service TESOL teachers’ perceptions towards multimedia– based textbook development and usage

The purpose of the study is to present the results of investigating pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their readiness to develop and use multimedia-based English language training textbooks.  The dimensional structure of the designed readiness is regarded as a complex personal integrative quality. A corresponding   survey questionnaire is compiled to determine its content. The study included 81 senior students from the foreign language faculty at Karaganda Buketov University. The research's methodology included statistical analysis of quantitative data, experimental training and participant self-assessment questionnaires. Preliminary tests were conducted in both the experimental and control groups aimed at identifying participants’ perceptions of their initial level of readiness for the development and use of multimedia-based textbooks. Participants in the experimental group participated in an experimental course on technology development and   the use of multimedia-based textbooks with the presentation of their final project. When the teaching period was over, the post-test was taken. The results demonstrated the efficiency of the complex assessment of readiness in the mentioned area enabling the definition and correction of gaps in its structural content. The designed course proved its effectiveness in practice as asserted by the post-test scores

Hypermedia learning and prior knowledge: Domain expertise vs. system expertise

Prior knowledge is often argued to be an important determinant in hypermedia learning, and may be thought of as including two important elements: domain expertise and system expertise. However, there has been a lack of research considering these issues together. In an attempt to address this shortcoming, this paper presents a study that examines how domain expertise and system expertise influence students’ learning performance in, and perceptions of, a hypermedia system. The results indicate that participants with lower domain knowledge show a greater improvement in their learning performance than those with higher domain knowledge. Furthermore, those who enjoy using the Web more are likely to have positive perceptions of non-linear interaction. Discussions on how to accommodate the different needs of students with varying levels of prior knowledge are provided based on the results

The Effectiveness Of Implementing An E-Book: Antigen And Antibody Reaction For Diagnosis Of Diseases In Microbiology Learning

Currently very few Thai Immunology e-Books are available online. The authors created an online e-Book titled, “Antigen and Antibody Reaction for Diagnosis of Diseases” and used a quasi experimental research design to assess the effectiveness of its implementation in terms of knowledge gained, written exam scores and student satisfaction. Both the experimental and control groups exhibited higher mean scores of between the post- and pretest at p < 0.001, as calculated by paired t-test. The two groups’ Immunology mean scores were not significantly different. All participants passed the Immunology examination. It is hoped that further improvements to the e-Book and consistent Internet access will result in statistically significant differences for e-Book users in the future

EFFECTS OF AN iPAD iBOOK ON READING COMPREHENSION, ELECTRODERMAL ACTIVITY, AND ENGAGEMENT FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH DISABILITIES

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an iPad iBook for adolescents with disabilities. With its release in 2012, the iBooks Author software for the Apple iPad allows classroom teachers to create accessible and engaging textbooks. Leveraging media and interactive widgets, iBooks Author holds promise for delivering content to learners of all needs. However, little empirical research currently supports the iPad as a textbook. In this intervention study, 22 middle school students with disabilities learned to identify and understand features of textbooks. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two cohorts and alternated reading between a traditional textbook and iPad iBook across six science textbook chapters. Using a repeated measures design, quantitative and qualitative data were collected for reading comprehension scores, electrodermal activity, cognitive workload, and participant satisfaction. Results indicated no significant differences in reading comprehension scores, electrodermal activity levels, or cognitive workload scores. Satisfaction measures indicated students significantly preferred the iPad iBook. Emergent themes from participant interviews, fidelity checks, and task analyses are also discussed

Effects of Illustrations on Retention and Visual Attention Using Authentic Textbooks

Problem The purpose of this exploratory study was to validate a model of multimedia learning, incorporating learner-specific characteristics such as intelligence, memory, and measures of visual attention. Method The sample consisted of 62 Andrews University students (26 males, 36 females, and mean age 21.7). Data were gathered by means of standardized testing (RPM, WAIS- III) and eye-tracking. MLR was used to determine significant visual attention predictors for retention and SEM was used to test a hypothesized model of multimedia learning. Results Multiple Linear Regression was significant (p.05; GFI = .923; CFI = .986; RMSEA = .043; PGFI = .451) proving the hypothesized model’s excellent fit to the data. Conclusions This exploratory study indicates that there are different learning strategies in a college population that are not related to characteristics such as intelligence or working memory. These strategies are learned or acquired and have thus clear implications for practice

Reading a story. Different degrees of learning in different learning environments

he learning environment in which material is acquired may produce differences in delayed recall and in the elements that individuals focus on. These differences may appear even during development. In the present study, we compared three different learning environments in 450 normally developing 7-year-old children subdivided into three groups according to the type of learning environment. Specifically, children were asked to learn the same material shown in three different learning environments: reading illustrated books (TB); interacting with the same text displayed on a PC monitor and enriched with interactive activities (PC-IA); reading the same text on a PC monitor but not enriched with interactive narratives (PC-NoIA). Our results demonstrated that TB and PC-NoIA elicited better verbal memory recall. In contrast, PC-IA and PCNoIA produced higher scores for visuo-spatial memory, enhancing memory for spatial relations, positions and colors with respect to TB. Interestingly, only TB seemed to produce a deeper comprehension of the story's moral. Our results indicated that PC-IA offered a different type of learning that favored visual details. In this sense, interactive activities demonstrate certain limitations, probably due to information overabundance, emotional mobilization, emphasis on images and effort exerted in interactive activities. Thus, interactive activities, although entertaining, act as disruptive elements which interfere with verbal memory and deep moral comprehensio

Development of PhET-Aid-Based Inquiry Learning Devices to Improve Student Critical Thinking Skills

This study aims to produce a valid, practical and effective PhET-assisted inquiry learning model to improve students' critical thinking skills. Development of learning tools using the 4D model. Learning tools developed are syllabus, lesson plans, student worksheets and student textbooks. The feasibility level of the device is known through validation conducted by two lecturers. To determine the achievement of student learning outcomes used test questions using the pretest-posttest design method. The learning device trial was carried out on 60 students of class IX SMP Negeri 9 Ambon consisting of two groups namely Class IX-10 and Class IX-11. The results of the validity of the learning tools validated by the lecturers obtained the average percentage results namely syllabus 98.95%, lesson plans 99.23%, student worksheets 99.24%, Student Textbooks 98.72% and critical thinking skills test questions 96.47 %. From the results of the research that has been carried out it can be concluded that: 1) The validity of the learning tools that have been developed as a whole are categorized as good and suitable for use in learning; 2) The practicality of the developed learning tools includes the implementation of lesson plans categorized as good and can run well based on student responses; 3) the effectiveness of the learning device is shown by an increase in students' critical thinking skills based on the results of the t-test and n-gain scores