Concept maps are assumed to enhance learning as their inherent structure makes relations between information more salient. Nevertheless, research on how to design concept maps as conducive to learning as possible is still rare. In particular, the salience of spatial arrangement of thematically related concepts within the map as well as the…

How does the emotional tone (happy or sad) and gender (male or female) of the instructor's computer-generated voice in a multimedia lesson affect learning processes and outcomes for female learners (Experiment 1) and male learners (Experiment 2)? In two experiments, college students viewed a 2.5 min narrated slideshow on the formation of lightning…

A study of four seventh-graders using an open-ended learning environment (OELE) on mechanical physics combining computer-generated graphics, computer simulations, video, and print-based materials indicated that while learners built and formalized scientific theories, in some cases, they assimilated new data into existing theories, ignored…