Cognitive load theory and multimedia learning, task characteristics, and learning engagement: The current state of the art

Kirschner, F., Kester, L., & Corbalan, G. (2011). Cognitive load theory and multimedia learning, task characteristics, and learner engagement: The current state of the art. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 1-4. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2010.05.003This special issue consists of 16 empirical papers, as well as a discussion based on the Third International Cognitive Load Theory Conference held at the Open Universiteit (Heerlen, The Netherlands) in 2009. All papers focus on improving instructional design from a cognitive load theory (CLT: Sweller, 1988; Sweller, Van Merriënboer, & Paas, 1998; Van Merriënboer & Sweller, 2005) perspective. They cover a wide variety of topics in which learner characteristics, tasks characteristics, and the interaction between both are studied in, new, innovative, but also traditional ways, thereby providing an overview of the current state of the art on CLT research. The overarching goal of all studies is to gain more understanding and insight into the optimal conditions under which learning can be successful, and students will be able to apply their acquired knowledge and skills in new or familiar problem solving situations. Together, the papers comprise three ways in which this overarching goal is reached: (1) by studying multimedia learning environments, (2) by studying different characteristics of a learning task and, (3) by studying how learners can be actively engaged in the learning process. Although, the research focus of most papers fit nicely within these research topics, some overlap is inevitable. The categorization has been made on the basis of the most prominent research focus and findings of each study

Cognitive Prompts Fail to Moderate the Impact of Stereotype Threat on Older Adults’ Training Performance

Using a sample of 131 adults aged 55 to 70 years, researchers employed a 2 x 2 between-subject design to investigate whether cognitive prompts would counteract the negative effect of stereotype threat on older adults’ training outcomes. As hypothesized, stereotype threat negatively affected training outcomes. Contrary to expectations, cognitive prompts also negatively affected training outcomes, worsening the negative impact of stereotype threat. Results are discussed within the framework of cognitive load theory

Contemporary cognitive load theory research: The good, the bad and the ugly

Kirschner, P. A., Ayres, P., & Chandler, P. (2011). Contemporary cognitive load theory research: The good, the bad and the ugly. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(1), 99-105. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2010.06.025This paper reviews the 16 contributions of the special issue entitled Current Research in Cognitive Load Theory. Each paper is briefly summarized and some critical comments made. The overall collection is then discussed in terms of the positive contributions they make to the field of learning and instruction, and cognitive load theory in particular (the good), as well as problematical issues such as unresolved explanations and conflicting results (the bad) and the special case of measuring cognitive load (the ugly)

Prompting Self-Monitoring of Learning in Self-Paced Computer Based Training: The Effect on Self-Regulation and Learning

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the effects of prompting students to monitor their use of learning strategies and comprehension while completing self-paced, work-related training in a computer-based learning environment. Study participants included 94 enlisted military volunteers, randomly assigned to one of three groups in the spring of 2012. Changes in strategy use and comprehension were evaluated within and between groups receiving either immediate, delayed or no prompts using multiple methods of measurement, both during and after training. Prompts asked participants to rate their level of agreement to statements regarding their strategy use and comprehension of lesson content. Dependent variables included declarative knowledge and self-regulation. Declarative knowledge was measured using multiple end-of-lesson tests and a comprehensive end-of-course test. Self-regulation of strategy use was measured using a post-treatment self-report instrument and strategy use scores derived from an evaluation of learner notes. Independent variables included prompts to self-monitor performance; prior knowledge was used as a covariate in all analyses. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to investigate the effects of the prompts on the combination of self-regulation and comprehension scores at the end of training. Mixed model repeated measures analysis of covariance was used to investigate changes in self-regulation and strategy use during training. Analysis of results revealed no statistically significant effects of the prompting treatments on combined scores of self-regulation and comprehension by the end of the treatment between groups. Furthermore, there were no significant effects of the prompts on strategy use or comprehension over time between groups. Findings from this study suggest the addition of prompts in computer-based learning events may not be effective for all learners or learning tasks. In contrast to similar experiments with college students, the prompts failed to influence participant strategy use and learning. Although groups receiving prompts invested more time in training, the additional time did not lead to improved overall strategy use or comprehension scores in comparison to the group that did not receive prompts. By the end of training, average comprehension scores among groups was equivalent and, on average, below passing (80%). The lack of effect on strategy use may have been a result of participants\u27 low prior knowledge, proficiency with learning strategies, task complexity and the value participants assigned to the learning task. Findings from this study expand the existing body of knowledge regarding the self-regulation of learning in computer-based learning environments, particularly with regard to the population of working adults, whose self-regulation of learning in the workplace has not been extensively investigated. Additionally, this study provides an example of how to employ multiple measures of self-regulation to more fully describe self-regulatory processes in computer-based learning environments, an approach researchers investigating self-regulation have called for

PROMPTING SELF-EXPLANATIONS DURING THE LEARNING OF PROBABILITY: CONTENT-SPECIFIC VERSUS GENERIC VERSUS GENERIC WITH A FORM OF GUIDANCE

PROMPTING SELF-EXPLANATIONS DURING THE LEARNING OF PROBABILITY: CONTENT-SPECIFIC VERSUS GENERIC VERSUS GENERIC WITH A FORM OF GUIDANC

A Multi-Case Examination of Training of Self-Explanation when Combined with Worked Examples

As more students enter higher education unprepared for college level mathematics, amelioration of deficiencies may be a key barrier which, once faced, will increase overall college graduation rates (Attewell, Lavin, Domina, & Levey, 2006). Corequisite courses offer the opportunity for the underprepared learner to take the gateway mathematics course with support (Complete College America, 2012). Upon passing, mathematics and STEM courses will “unlock,” thus allowing the learner to successfully complete their degree requirements. Faculty are challenged to retain the rigor of college-level coursework while supporting learners who possess a wide range of mathematics levels (Daugherty, Gomez, Carew, Mendoza-Graf, & Miller, 2018). Implementing a corequisite curriculum requires the creation or adaptation of materials and instructional strategies to align the basic skills instruction into the college-level content. A case study was conducted with the sample population of college undergraduates (N = 43) enrolled in two sections of College Algebra and participated within a 14-week semester course. A generative learning strategy, self-explanation when combined with worked examples, was introduced during Week 5, when multi-step problems were encountered. Training within the intervention was given to one section. The other section was informed that the strategy was useful to understanding mathematics. The quality of the self-explanation produced was evaluated at the beginning and end of the intervention. Attitudinal data was captured in a pre-and post-Mathematical Attitudes and Perception Surveys (MAPS), in addition to participant semi-structured interviews and a reflection. The sections were compared on measures of quality of the artifact produced, MAPS survey data, and through categories of ability as determined by incoming ACT score. The result indicated that those trained in self-explanation when combined with worked examples produced artifacts of higher quality. The participants who had the lowest incoming mathematical scores (ACT mathematics sub score \u3c 17) produced higher quality self-explanations than any other mathematical score category from either case. Attitudinal data showed that the trained section had marked increases in mathematical attitudes, with the highest increase in confidence. The untrained section’s attitudes stayed relatively consistent throughout the study. Interviews and reflections indicated that, for both sections, the intervention assisted in mathematical understanding and metacognition. Trained participants used both components to understand and identify mathematical knowledge gaps. The majority of the untrained participants devoted more attention to the worked example portion of the intervention to create mathematical meaning and identify misunderstandings. This study found that training the learner was an important aspect of the intervention and was necessary to produce results of a higher quality along with positive mathematical attitudes

From Faculty Development to the Classroom: A Qualitative Study of How Nurse Educators Turn Faculty Development into Action

The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the transfer of learning by uncovering how various factors supported the integration of knowledge and skills gleaned from the Faculty Development: Integrated Technology into Nursing Education and Practice Initiative (ITNEP) programs into nursing education curricula. Through interviews with 20 participants from four ITNEP programs, this study confirmed the importance of learner characteristics, program design elements, and factors in the work environment for supporting successful transfer of learning and supports a variety of other transfer of learning research findings. New or seldom discussed supportive individual characteristics were found, including: leadership abilities, lifelong learning, ability to recognize limitations, persistence, creativity, and risk-taking. Study findings suggest that proactive personality may support transfer of learning. Participants maintained motivation from pre-training through post-training at a high enough level to successfully transfer learning. The importance of networking opportunities, a diversity of perspectives, post conference support, and teams in programs designs were found to positively influence transfer and were discussed in relation to social influence. The variety of supportive factors in the participants' work environments, including strategic alignment, strengthens the assertions that transfer may be individually context dependent. Barriers to transfer efforts in the work environment were also addressed. Additionally, while patterns of specific characteristics emerged, interacting findings were found threaded throughout

The effect of source reliability on the understanding of causal systems in primary and secondary school children

Individuals have excellent intuitive understanding of the physical world around them, evident from an early age. However, implicit understanding does not always transfer to explicit knowledge. The evaluation of source reliability is a crucial scientific reasoning skill that may assist in this transfer. Both adults and children have been shown to pay attention to source reliability, preferring higher reliability sources. However, assessments in children have generally used artificial manipulations of source reliability, and the degree to which younger children are showing epistemic awareness regarding potential source knowledge is unclear. The study aims were to investigate the development of epistemic awareness in relation to what sources might know; to compare the developmental trajectory of implicit and explicit understanding of a familiar causal system; to enable a more direct comparison between the adult and child literature on source reliability; and to assess any role played by gender and language. A more naturalistic task, a typical science class problem related to forces and motion, was employed. Six- to 17-year-olds were asked questions regarding their causal understanding, before and after receiving unexpected information from differentially reliable sources, and after carrying out an intervention, observing that the information was correct. As predicted, participants who received information from high reliability sources were more likely to make correct predictions and explanations regarding the causal system. Participants who understood the causal system were more convinced than those who did not, and higher reliability source information increased conviction. Also, males made more correct predictions than females, although this could be confounded by age and SES differences. However, there were no age or language-related effects regarding source reliability, possibly due to demographic differences within the sample. Future research looking at the role of source reliability in scientific reasoning should shift the paradigm into real-life environments, and include demographic and individual-differences measures