Diagrams in Essays: Exploring the Kinds of Diagrams Students Generate and How Well They Work

Part of the Lecture Notes in Computer Science book series (LNAI, volume 12909)12th International Conference, Diagrams 2021, Virtual, September 28–30, 2021, ProceedingsUsing appropriate diagrams is generally considered efficacious in communication. However, although diagrams are extensively used in printed and digital media, people in general rarely construct diagrams to use in common everyday communication. Furthermore, instruction on diagram use for communicative purposes is uncommon in formal education and, when students are required to communicate what they have learned, the usual expectation is they will use words --not diagrams. Requiring diagram inclusion in essays, for example, would be almost unheard of. Consequently, current understanding about student capabilities in this area is very limited. The aim of this study therefore was to contribute to addressing this gap: it comprised a qualitative exploration of 12 undergraduate students’ diagram use in two essays (in which they were asked to include at least one diagram). Analysis focused on identifying the kinds of diagrams produced, and the effectiveness with which those diagrams were used. Useful functions that the diagrams served included clarification, summarization, integration of points, and provision of additional information and/or perspectives in visual form. However, there were also redundancies, as well as unclear, schematically erroneous, and overly complicated representations in some of the diagrams that the students constructed. These findings are discussed in terms of needs, opportunities, and challenges in instructional provision

The effect of cultivating diagram use on the quality of EFL students’ written explanations

This study investigated how an intervention that promoted the use of diagrams might affect quality features of written explanations produced by EFL (English as a foreign language) students in an undergraduate education studies course taught entirely in English. At the beginning (Pre-instruction) and end (Post-instruction) of the semester, the 19 student participants were administered a task that required reading a passage and writing an explanation of it. During the semester they had a weekly homework task of writing an explanation of what they had learned in the course. They were additionally provided workshop instruction and practice in using diagrams. Analyses of the students’ homework and Pre- and Post-instruction explanations revealed increases in quantity and types of diagrams the students included in explanations they produced. Analysis of Post-instruction explanations also showed that number of diagrams included in the explanations negatively correlated with both word- and verb-counts. However, despite the reduction in use of words, the number of key points the students were able to include in their explanations did not decrease. These findings suggest diagram inclusion may enable students to construct more concise and simpler explanations without having to sacrifice inclusion of important points. Especially for foreign language students who may not be as proficient in the use of the language, the cultivation of competencies in appropriate use of diagrams may be beneficial as it could provide a means to more creatively and efficaciously communicating what they know

Does the Use of Diagrams as Communication Tools Result in their Internalization as Personal Tools for Problem Solving?

Abstract Although diagrams are considered as effective personal tools for solving problems, applied research in education has identified a widespread problem: that students lack spontaneity in diagram use. One way to address this problem was reported by : their findings indicate the effectiveness of using peer instruction to enhance students' spontaneous use of diagrams. However, it was not clear from their study whether actual interaction is necessary, and whether formulation of explanations in using diagrams to solve problems would in itself be sufficient. The present study sought to clarify the role of communication in enhancing the spontaneous use of diagrams, and involved 5 days of experimental classes for 59 participants in the 8 th grade. Two conditions were used: one where participants really interacted with each other in peer instruction sessions (the experimental condition), and another where the participants formulated explanations but were not involved in peer instruction interactions. At post test, both quantity and quality of diagrams spontaneously produced by participants in the experimental condition were higher than those in the control condition, suggesting that the communication process involved in actual interactions with peers is a critical factor. This result supports the notion that using diagrams as communication tools results in their internalization as personal tools for problem solving

Examining the influence of expertise on the effectiveness of diagramming and summarising when studying scientific materials

A 2 (learning strategies: diagram vs. summary) × 2 (levels of expertise: low vs. high) experiment was conducted to compare the effectiveness of using diagrams to writing summaries for students given biological information to learn and who possessed different levels of expertise in that topic area. A main effect of learning strategy used on number of idea units encoded (in diagrams or summaries) was found: drawing diagrams was superior to writing summaries. However, no interaction effect between learning strategies and expertise was found. An examination of students’ subjective ratings of cognitive load revealed that those with low expertise reported higher levels of cognitive load when constructing diagrams. These findings suggest that using diagrams is effective for identifying and encoding important information when learning, but that it would be helpful to provide guidance about diagram use particularly to students who are novices in the topic area to reduce cognitive load

Understanding the influence of race/Ethnicity, gender, and class on inequalities in academic and non-academic outcomes among eighth-grade students: findings from an intersectionality approach

Socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, and gender inequalities in academic achievement have been widely reported in the US, but how these three axes of inequality intersect to determine academic and non-academic outcomes among school-aged children is not well understood. Using data from the US Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten (ECLS-K; N = 10,115), we apply an intersectionality approach to examine inequalities across eighth-grade outcomes at the intersection of six racial/ethnic and gender groups (Latino girls and boys, Black girls and boys, and White girls and boys) and four classes of socioeconomic advantage/disadvantage. Results of mixture models show large inequalities in socioemotional outcomes (internalizing behavior, locus of control, and self-concept) across classes of advantage/disadvantage. Within classes of advantage/disadvantage, racial/ethnic and gender inequalities are predominantly found in the most advantaged class, where Black boys and girls, and Latina girls, underperform White boys in academic assessments, but not in socioemotional outcomes. In these latter outcomes, Black boys and girls perform better than White boys. Latino boys show small differences as compared to White boys, mainly in science assessments. The contrasting outcomes between racial/ethnic and gender minorities in self-assessment and socioemotional outcomes, as compared to standardized assessments, highlight the detrimental effect that intersecting racial/ethnic and gender discrimination have in patterning academic outcomes that predict success in adult life. Interventions to eliminate achievement gaps cannot fully succeed as long as social stratification caused by gender and racial discrimination is not addressed

Process mnemonics and mathematics learning disabilities : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

This study investigated the effects of process mnemonic instruction on the computational skills performance of 13- to 14-year-old students with mathematics learning disabilities (LD). Two experiments were carried out. In Experiment 1, 29 students with mathematics LD were assigned to either a process mnemonic instruction group, a demonstration-imitation instruction group (which served as a comparison instruction group), a study skills group (which served as a placebo instruction group), or a no instruction group. Those in the process mnemonic and the demonstration-imitation groups were provided with instructions in computational skills. The present author acted as instructor. Assessments of performance were undertaken at pre-instruction, immediate post-instruction, 1 week later, and 6 to 8 weeks later. The results showed that those in the process mnemonic group made significant improvements following the instructions provided. During the earlier stages of post-instruction, the magnitude of improvements they made were generally equivalent to that made by students in the demonstration-imitation group. However, in the longer term, the improvements made by the students in the process mnemonic group maintained better. No significant changes in performance were observed in the study skills and no instruction groups. In Experiment 2, 28 students with mathematics LD were assigned to groups similar to those in Experiment 1, but without the study skills group. Two research assistants acted as instructors to control for any possible unintentional bias, and to investigate the effectiveness of the process mnemonic method when used by other instructors. Assessments of performance were undertaken at pre-instruction, immediate post-instruction, 1 week later, 4 weeks later, and 8 weeks later. The results obtained were similar to those in Experiment 1. Furthermore, the students in the process mnemonic group generally made greater performance improvements compared to those in the demonstration-imitation group. No significant changes in performance were observed in the no instruction group. Areas focused on in the discussion include the possible reasons why the process mnemonic method of instruction proved to be effective, the method's potential applications in mathematics LD remedial instruction, and the implications of the findings about the mathematics LD condition

The role of failure in promoting thinking skills and creativity: New findings and insights about how failure can be beneficial for learning

失敗から成功を生み出す必要条件を提示 --教育現場で失敗を成果につなげた15のケース--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2018-06-02