In multimedia learning, there is a lot of new information that learners are exposed to, making it a cognitively intensive process. Poorly-designed multimedia lessons can introduce distractions that must be dealt with by the learner. However, learners do not all share the same skill at managing incoming information or holding capacity, which could…

Social networking sites, such as Myspace and Facebook, have become popular online communities with large teenage user populations who engage in social media to interact, play, explore, and learn. Research based on uses and gratifications theory has revealed that among the gratifications on social media most sought specifically by adolescents…

This study's goal was to investigate the effect of homogeneous and heterogeneous pairs in terms of individual differences on group compatibility, flow, and coding performance in pair programming. In line with this goal, five individual difference variables of gender, learning style, friendship, the conscientiousness component of personality…

Technology advances quickly in today's society. This is particularly true in regard to instructional multimedia. One increasingly important aspect of instructional multimedia design is determining the type of voice that will provide the narration; however, research in the area is dated and limited in scope. Using a randomized pretest-posttest…

The study proposed a mix-mode peer response, the E-Peer Response (EPR), to overcome the bias of a single mode, and examined how students with different levels of ability react to the EPR. Two classes participated in this study. One was the experimental group (EG) with the EPR; the other was the control group (CG) with a teacher-centered writing…

This study focuses on the effects of situated learning on students' knowledge acquisition by investigating the influence of individual differences in such learning. Seventy-nine graduates were recruited from an educational department and were assigned to situated learning and traditional learning based on a randomized block design. Results…

Describes a study that investigated individual differences in the construction of mental models of recursion in LOGO programming. The learning process was investigated from the perspective of Norman's mental models theory and employed diSessa's ontology regarding distributed, functional, and surrogate mental models, and the Luria model of brain…

This article's main claim is that to support individuals' development toward becoming self-regulated learners requires certain amounts of other-regulation, i.e. scaffolding. Starting from this assertion, we discuss 6 issues that surfaced in the 5 articles of this special issue. First, we argue that designers need good reasons for taking freedom…

The use of technology, such as the Web, has become an increasingly popular means for disseminating professional development and continuing education. Often, these methods assume a set of attitudes and skills related to the computer as a pedagogic and communication tool. We argue that it is, however, important to measure the actual attitudes of…

Changing technology creates a need for additional computer-related training. A quasi-experimental study tested a theoretical framework that maintained that a playful pre-training software intervention and an individual difference, microcomputer playfulness (MCP), would combine to influence computer-related performance. Results demonstrated that…

Presents a theoretical framework for designing computer-based systems that guide students in learning strategy selection; compares theories for determining when system-assigned strategies will promote knowledge and skill acquisitions; reviews relationship between learning and instructional strategies; and outlines potential applications of…

This experimental study explored whether, and to what extent, differences in gender and experience with word processing affect how students perceive their classroom environment in high school writing classes. Treatment of experimental and control groups is described, and the classroom environment questionnaire for the experimental…

Surveys recent literature on computer programing focusing on psychological studies of the programing task and selected instructional issues related to precollege programing. The cognitive demands and outcomes of programing, the influence of instruction on learning, and individual differences in outcomes of programing are specifically addressed.…

Compares the effects of two training methods on computer attitude and performance in a World Wide Web page design program in a field experiment with high school students in Taiwan. Discusses individual differences, Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory and Learning Style Inventory, Computer Attitude Scale, and results of statistical analyses.…

In this review of the research on how current computer learning environments can foster the acquisition of complex cognitive skills, two issues emerge: (1) what cognitive accomplishments are likely in the computer environment; and (2) what factors predispose students to benefit from the environment. (MBR)