Two questions regarding text signals' influence on second language (L2) science expository text comprehension were examined. First, the contextual relationship between verbal headings and non-verbal underlining signals (i.e., related or unrelated) was manipulated to investigate how these verbal and nonverbal text signals influence L2 text…

This experimental investigation considers how the inherent conceptual structure of external representations influences individuals' knowledge structure, and in addition proposes a measure of global collective knowledge to account for the influence of pre-existing knowledge structure. In two studies, undergraduates in a hospitality management…

This experimental investigation seeks to corroborate a knowledge structure sorting task approach as a measure to more fully account for prior knowledge when reading. A latent semantic analysis (LSA) network derived from thousands of texts typically read by first year college students was used to create a prototypical referent network model of the…

This experimental investigation seeks to confirm and extend previous investigations that resource interdependence vs. independence during problem-solving relatively extends the problem representation phase before convergence on a solution. In this current investigation, ninth-grade Korean native language participants (n = 240) worked online to…

Case-based reasoning posits that learners can use their prior experience to solve new problems. This theory is cited to explain the benefits of problem-based learning (PBL), especially as it relates to knowledge structure development. However, critics argue that learners lack the relevant knowledge structures to simultaneously learn new content…

This article provides a review of theoretical approaches to model-based learning and related research. In accordance with the definition of model-based learning as an acquisition and utilization of mental models by learners, the first section centers on mental model theory. In accordance with epistemology of modeling the issues of semantics,…

The use of advanced instructional design (ID) principles, especially those that include a collaborative authoring environment is becoming ever more critical in the successful workplace. Faculty in instructional technology programs who provide an environment that effectively nourishes these ID skills have a responsibility to continually evaluate…

This investigation applies two approaches for representing and comparing text structures as undirected network graphs to describe the influence of narrative and expository lesson texts on readers' knowledge structure elicited as free recall. Narrative and expository lesson texts and undergraduate participants' free recall essays (n = 90)…

It is generally accepted that the cognitive development for a wide range of students can be improved through adaptive instruction-learning environments optimized to suit individual needs (e.g., Cronbach, Am Psychol 12:671-684, 1957; Lee and Park, in Handbook of research for educational communications and technology, Taylor & Francis Group,…

Cognitive scientists investigate mental models (how humans organize and structure knowledge in their minds) so as to understand human understanding of and interactions with the world. Cognitive and mental model research is concerned with internal conceptual systems that are not easily or directly observable. The goal of this research was to…

It is critical that students learn how to retrieve useful information in hypermedia environments, a task that is often especially difficult when it comes to image retrieval, as little text feedback is given that allows them to reformulate keywords they need to use. This situation may make students feel disorientated while attempting image…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a metaphorical interface on germane cognitive load in Web-based instruction. Based on cognitive load theory, germane cognitive load is a cognitive investment for schema construction and automation. A new instrument developed in a previous study was used to measure students' mental activities…

Our research aims to identify domain-specific similarities and differences of externalized cognitive structures. Cognitive structure, also known as knowledge structure or structural knowledge, is conceived as the manner in which an individual organizes the relationships of concepts in memory. By diagnosing these structures precisely, even…

Essays are an important measure of complex learning, but pronouns can confound an author's intended meaning for both readers and text analysis software. This descriptive investigation considers the effect of pronouns on a computer-based text analysis approach, "ALA-Reader," which uses students' essays as the data source for deriving individual and…

This study aims to be a contribution to a theoretical model that explains the effectiveness of the learning and decision-making processes by means of a feedback and mental models perspective. With appropriate mental models, managers should be able to improve their capacity to deal with dynamically complex contexts, in order to achieve long-term…