Fostering Information Problem Solving Skills: Effects of Worked Examples and Learner Support

Frerejean, J., Brand-Gruwel, S., & Kirschner, P. A. (2013, August). Fostering Information Problem Solving Skills: Effects of Worked Examples and Learner Support. Paper presented at the biennial EARLI Conference for Research in Learning and Instruction, Münich, Germany.Even though students often manage to find their way around the internet in their search for information; information problem solving skills do not develop naturally. Previous research shows that adults and teenagers often encounter problems when solving information problems, indicating that formal training in this domain is needed. This study was an attempt to develop such training. A two-hour computer based instruction was presented to 99 first-year university students at a Belgian university. The effects of worked examples in the form of a video were investigated in combination with different degrees of integrated learner support, namely completion problems and process guidance. Results show that the instruction was effective, but no differences were found between the different forms of learner support: completion problems, guidance, or no support. This indicates that in this situation, integration of learner support may not always be necessary. Furthermore, students who received no worked example improved much less than students in the other conditions, indicating that worked examples are a powerful and effective tool for skill teaching

Fostering Information Problem Solving Skills Through Completion Problems and Prompts

Frerejean, J., Brand-Gruwel, S., & Kirschner, P. A. (2012, September). Fostering Information Problem Solving Skills Through Completion Problems and Prompts. Poster presented at the EARLI SIG 6 & 7 "Instructional Design" and "Learning and Instruction with Computers", Bari, Italy.Even though students often manage to find their way around the internet in their search for information; information problem solving skills do not develop naturally. Previous research shows that adults and teenagers often encounter problems when solving information problems, indicating that formal training in this domain is needed. This study is an attempt to develop such a training. It compares the learning results of different instructional approaches: completion problems, emphasis manipulation, and a combination of both. In addition, the study will investigate which of these instructional approaches imposes the least amount of cognitive load, as measured by subjective mental effort ratings

Information problem solving instruction: An overview of 21st century research

Information problem solving (IPS) is the process of locating, selecting, evaluating, and integrating information from various sources to fulfill an information need (Brand-Gruwel, Wopereis, & Vermetten, 2005). It is regarded an important contemporary skill, at times categorized as twenty-first century skill or higher-order skill. Eisenberg and Berkowitz (1990) coined the term IPS in the nineties of the last century to specify their Big6 approach to integrated library and information skills instruction. Brand-Gruwel et al. (2005) used this instructional method as starting point to analyze IPS processes in professional and learning contexts, resulting in different descriptive models (Dinet, Chevalier, & Tricot, 2012). They concurrently initiated a strand of research that aimed at deducing design guidelines for IPS instruction in secondary and tertiary education (Brand-Gruwel & Gerjets, 2008). This strand has been largely informed from recent insights on instructional design for complex learning (cf. Van Merriënboer & Kirschner, 2013). The paper at issue focuses on the latter strand of research and presents a retrospective and prospective view on IPS instruction research. The retrospective part of the paper is based on a literature review; the prospective part includes an inventory of research initiatives recently started. For reviewing the literature we consulted databases of EBSCO (ERIC, LISTA, and PsycINFO) and Web of Science (SSCI). For listing ongoing research, conference proceedings of internationally recognized conferences within the domain of learning and instruction were analyzed. In addition, scholars in the field of IPS instruction were consulted to provide information on newly started research projects. Results of both the literature review and the inventory of ongoing research reveal five major themes in research on IPS instruction, namely: (a) the embeddedness of IPS instruction in educational curricula, (b) the whole task approach as basic principle of IPS instruction, (c) the effect of modes of scaffolding in IPS instruction, (d) the role of meta-cognition in IPS instruction, and (e) the emphasis on evaluation of information in IPS instruction. Except for the latter, the aforementioned issues largely resemble current topics in instructional design research. The focus on information evaluation in IPS instruction stresses the generally recognized importance of this IPS constituent (Wopereis & Van Merriënboer, 2011). As the internet does not have a traditional ‘gatekeeper of credibility’, like an editor, it is the information seeker who is increasingly responsible for the assessment of information found. Beside the results, the paper discusses directions for future research. In addition the link between IPS instruction research and research on information literacy education is highlighted

Differentiëren bij rekenen:een cognitieve taakanalyse van het denken en handelen van basisschoolleerkrachten

Although many studies on differentiated instruction are available, few studies provide insight into the knowledge and skills teachers need in order to adapt instruction to student differences. In this study, a cognitive task analysis (CTA) was performed to explore how primary school teachers differentiate instruction during math lessons. Based on observations, interviews and expert meetings with nine expert teachers and ten subject-matter experts, a skill hierarchy was developed. Findings showed that differentiated instruction encompasses a wide range of skills, and that adapting instruction during the lesson cannot be seperated from both preperation of the lesson and period, as well as the evaluation of the lesson afterwards. Furthermore, factors related to the complexity of differentiation were studied. This study shows how a CTA can be applied to study teacher's behavior. The results provide useful input for the development of a professional development trajectory aimed at improving differentiated instruction skills.</p