ERIC Number: EJ787149
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Feb
Pages: 14
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0663
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Available Date: N/A
The Effects of Tasks on Integrating Information from Multiple Documents
Cerdan, Raquel; Vidal-Abarca, Eduardo
Journal of Educational Psychology, v100 n1 p209-222 Feb 2008
The authors examine 2 issues: (a) how students integrate information from multiple scientific documents to describe and explain a physical phenomenon that represents a subset of the information in the documents; and (b) the role of 2 sorts of tasks to achieve this type of integration, either writing an essay on a question requiring integration across texts or answering shorter intratext questions that require students to integrate information within a single text, while superficial and deep comprehension measurements are obtained. Undergraduate students answered 1 of the 2 types of questions, and their reading times were recorded. Half of the sample thought aloud. Results showed that the integration question increased integration and decreased the processing of isolated units of information, which enhanced deep learning, whereas no differences between the 2 sorts of tasks on memory recall were apparent. This research also provides evidence for the discrepancy between training and posttraining effects (R. A. Schmidt & R. A. Bjork, 1992).
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Thinking Skills, Research Reports, Reading Rate, Memory, Recall (Psychology), Integrated Curriculum
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A