Active Learning: Effects of Core Training Design Elements on Self-Regulatory Processes, Learning, and Adaptability

This research describes a comprehensive examination of the cognitive, motivational, and emotional processes underlying active learning approaches, their effects on learning and transfer, and the core training design elements (exploration, training frame, emotion-control) and individual differences (cognitive ability, trait goal orientation, trait anxiety) that shape these processes. Participants (N = 350) were trained to operate a complex computer-based simulation. Exploratory learning and error-encouragement framing had a positive effect on adaptive transfer performance and interacted with cognitive ability and dispositional goal orientation to influence trainees’ metacognition and state goal orientation. Trainees who received the emotion-control strategy had lower levels of state anxiety. Implications for developing an integrated theory of active learning, learner-centered design, and research extensions are discussed

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

A COMPARISON OF VERBAL AND WRITTEN METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES USED BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN A LANGUAGE ARTS CLASSROOM

The purpose of the study was to compare verbal and written metacognitive strategies used by 10th grade students in an English Language Arts (ELA) classroom. A convenience sample of forty-seven students were divided into two equivocal treatment groups. Both groups were first pretested by completing an ACT reading passage with accompanying questions. Following the reading task, both groups completed the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy Inventory (MARSI). The sample was divided into two treatment groups, one group receiving daily enrichment style instruction in verbal metacognitive strategies, and the other treatment group receiving instruction in both written and verbal strategies. Following the enrichment sessions, students in both groups were post tested with a similar reading comprehension task, and completed the MARSI again. The data were analyzed using descriptive, inferential, and associative/predictive techniques to address the research questions. The findings suggest that regardless of the method of strategy use, metacognitive strategy instruction is effective and in the study, and produced a statistically significant increase in student reported use, as well as improved performance on an academic reading task. Verbal strategies appeared to have an edge over written and verbal combination for frequency of use and overall reading comprehension achievement, although not statistically significant. When considering the issue of which metacognitive strategy exerts a more productive relational/predictive effect, the combination of written and verbal strategies seems to be preferable. Limitations and implications for professional practice were discussed, and future research was suggested

A holistic model to infer mathematics performance: the interrelated impact of student, family and school context variables

The present study aims at exploring predictors influencing mathematics performance. In particular, the study focuses on internal students' characteristics (gender, age, metacognitive experience, mathematics self-efficacy) and external contextual factors (GDP of school location, parents' educational level, teachers' educational level, and teacher beliefs). A sample of 1749 students and 91 teachers from Chinese primary schools were involved in the study. Path analysis was used to test the direct and indirect relations between the predictors and mathematics performance. Results reveal that a large proportion of mathematics performance can be directly predicted from students' metacognitive experiences. In addition, other student characteristics and contextual variables influence mathematics performance in direct or indirect ways

Scaffolding Strategies that Benefit and Support Adult English as a Foreign Language Reading Comprehension: A Literature Review

The poor reading proficiency and the lack of reading comprehension strategies have been a major flaw for adult university learners in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, particularly in the case of English majors at the School of Foreign Languages in the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Research has shown this reading gap can be improved through suitable instructional strategies and assistance referred to as scaffolding. The purpose of this literature review was to investigate how beneficial scaffolding is for EFL adults´ reading comprehension, which scaffolding strategies prove effective in supporting EFL reading comprehension, and how those effective strategies are implemented. Twenty-two empirical studies from the last ten years, exclusively related to scaffolding strategies that promote EFL adult learners´ reading comprehension in college settings were carefully chosen and critically analyzed. Findings indicate the significant benefits of scaffolding for the enhancement of both low and high proficiency adult EFL´s reading comprehension, in terms of inference and critical level, and higher-order thinking skills. Similarly, results show that EFL students gained more autonomy, self-regulation and self-confidence, problem solving and critical thinking skills, metacognition, more motivation, and a positive attitude to read through implementing scaffolding in the reading classes; especially when fostered via a collaborative learning environment. Moreover, several scaffolding strategies were found as effective to support EFL reading comprehension, namely graphic organizers, questioning techniques, modeling, bridging, schema building, visualizing, think alouds, cognitive and metacognitive strategies, and a reading framework—The Scaffolding Reading Experience (SRE). Concerning how the effective scaffolding strategies were implemented in reading comprehension, findings in this literature review suggest four specific teaching applications; namely, intervention through the three reading phases: pre, during, and post reading; through the Scaffolding Reading Experience (SRE) as opposed to the traditional reading instruction; through the lens of Sociocultural Theory: teacher-peers and peer-to-peer collaboration, and the students´ ZPD, and finally, through well-constructed scaffolds to support better EFL reading comprehension. Limitations, suggestions for future research, and the potential teaching and curriculum implications out of this literature review are put forward

Metacognitive Strategy : Optimalization Generic Skills Through E-Accounting Materials

Educational research and practice strongly supports the notion of general cognitive skills instruction. High quality instruction enables students of all ages to construct domain specific and domain-general strategies, metacognitive knowledge about themselves and their cognitive skills, and how to better regulate their cognition. The starting point in this endeavor is for teachers (or expert students) to ask themselves what skills and strategies are important within the specific domain they teach, how they constructed these skills within their own repertoire of cognitive skills, and what they can tell their students about using these skills intelligently. The purpose of this article is to offer a strategy that is able to integrate the value of generic skills through integrated teaching materials based metacognitive strategy, which is able to accommodate the needs of students in recognizing its accuracy in learning so that the learning process can be carried out effectively and efficiently. This article was written based on a review of the relevant literature. The article concludes that the value of generic skills can be developed through the use of teaching materials that allow learners to develop generic skills that are needed in the course of his lif

Social Metacognition in Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Environments: A Comparison in an Online and Face-To-Face Information Literacy Course

Because of the advances in technology for education, online learning has become more prominent, especially in higher education. Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) seems especially promising in allowing students to work together in ways that they have not been able to before, both face-to-face and online. Instructors use CSCL to engage students and to increase learning. CSCL requires that students regulate each other’s learning through social metacognition; this allows the group as a whole to make use of the knowledge and skills of the group as they learn. The purpose of this study was to compare the social metacognition of students in a CSCL environment for a face-to-face information literacy course and an online information literacy course. This allowed for the development of the Social Metacognitive Awareness Instrument (SMAI), which may be used by future researchers. When accounting for individual metacognitive scores, students in the face-to-face version of the course had significantly higher social metacognitive awareness scores than students in the online version of the course. This study also found that students in groups had some similarities in social metacognitive scores. A student’s metacognitive score was a significant predictor of their social metacognitive score. The results of this study indicate that more intervention may be needed for effective group work online. This also supports the research that social metacognition is an independent construct, and so social metacognition or socially-shared regulation should continue to be studied as an important factor in group work. The study also supports the research that indicates that individual metacognition can predict social metacognition. Thus, it is possible that improving individual metacognitive abilities will improve social metacognitive abilities

Providing Intelligent and Adaptive Support in Concept Map-based Learning Environments

abstract: Concept maps are commonly used knowledge visualization tools and have been shown to have a positive impact on learning. The main drawbacks of concept mapping are the requirement of training, and lack of feedback support. Thus, prior research has attempted to provide support and feedback in concept mapping, such as by developing computer-based concept mapping tools, offering starting templates and navigational supports, as well as providing automated feedback. Although these approaches have achieved promising results, there are still challenges that remain to be solved. For example, there is a need to create a concept mapping system that reduces the extraneous effort of editing a concept map while encouraging more cognitively beneficial behaviors. Also, there is little understanding of the cognitive process during concept mapping. What’s more, current feedback mechanisms in concept mapping only focus on the outcome of the map, instead of the learning process. This thesis work strives to solve the fundamental research question: How to leverage computer technologies to intelligently support concept mapping to promote meaningful learning? To approach this research question, I first present an intelligent concept mapping system, MindDot, that supports concept mapping via innovative integration of two features, hyperlink navigation, and expert template. The system reduces the effort of creating and modifying concept maps while encouraging beneficial activities such as comparing related concepts and establishing relationships among them. I then present the comparative strategy metric that modes student learning by evaluating behavioral patterns and learning strategies. Lastly, I develop an adaptive feedback system that provides immediate diagnostic feedback in response to both the key learning behaviors during concept mapping and the correctness and completeness of the created maps. Empirical evaluations indicated that the integrated navigational and template support in MindDot fostered effective learning behaviors and facilitating learning achievements. The comparative strategy model was shown to be highly representative of learning characteristics such as motivation, engagement, misconceptions, and predicted learning results. The feedback tutor also demonstrated positive impacts on supporting learning and assisting the development of effective learning strategies that prepare learners for future learning. This dissertation contributes to the field of supporting concept mapping with designs of technological affordances, a process-based student model, an adaptive feedback tutor, empirical evaluations of these proposed innovations, and implications for future support in concept mapping.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Computer Science 201