Appreciation of problem structure is critical to successful learning. Two experiments investigated effective ways of communicating problem structure in a computer-based learning environment and tested whether verbal instruction is necessary to specify solution steps, when deep structure is already embellished by instructional examples.…

The effects of prior encodings of manipulatives (red and blue plastic chips) on children's ability to use them as representations of quantity were tested. First graders (N = 73) were assigned to four conditions in which the encoding of plastic chips was experimentally manipulated. All children then participated in an addition activity that relied…

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of imagination and learner-generated drawing on comprehension, reading time, cognitive load, and eye movements, and whether prior knowledge moderated the effects of these two strategies. Sixty-three undergraduate students participated in a pretest-posttest between-subjects study with the…

Despite the general effectiveness of multimedia instruction, students do not always benefit from it. This study examined whether students' learning from multimedia can be improved by teaching them relevant learning strategies. On the basis of current theories and research on multimedia learning, the authors developed a strategy training for…

Worked examples, commonly used in technical domains, are rarely used in language areas such as English literature. In 3 experiments, Korean university students for whom English was a foreign language received worked examples intended to facilitate problem solving in the ill-structured domain of English literature. During the learning phase, half…

The authors investigated the comparative effect of the learning cycle and expository instruction on 8th-grade students' achievement in genetics. They adopted the nonequivalent control group design as a type of quasiexperimental design. The experimental group (N = 104) received learning cycle instruction, and the control group (N = 109) received…

The structure of conceptual interrelationships in a group of college students was assessed and intervention techniques to alter the conceptual structure were designed and implemented. A technique reducing the number of concepts identified for alteration and requiring students to compare concepts produced a substantial shift in students' concept…

Impact of situated cognition on map skill retention and cognitive style effects on learning were studied with 45 fourth graders. Immediate postperformance assessment did not differ for experimental and conventional instruction groups, and conventional instruction groups performed better after delay. Cognitive style affected learning only in the…

Examines possible relationships between the analytic/global dimension of cognitive style, as defined by Davis and Klausmeier (1970) and measured by the Children's Embedded Figures Test (CEFT), and two modes of instruction varying in the level of written guidance (Intermediate and Maximal) provided the learner. (Author/RK)

The instructional effectiveness and efficiency of organizational chunking and batched postquestions within the framework of an information processing approach to learning and memory were investigated. Results indicated that the chunked treatment was a more efficient learning strategy. The intervening postquestion strategy helped reduce completion…

This study investigates the relative effectiveness with which varied rehearsal strategies facilitate student achievement when instruction is received via visualized prose instruction. Results indicate that different rehearsal strategies, used to complement visualized instruction, are not equally effective in improving student achievement of…

Academic achievement of pupils working in small cooperation groups was compared to that of students taught in the traditional whole-class approach. Pupils in grades 2, 4 and 6 from small-group classrooms excelled on high level items; the groups did not differ on items measuring low level cognitive functioning. (Author/GSK)

The type of ordering criteria which students use to organize conceptual information was investigated. It was concluded that the ordering criteria reflected knowledge of a specific domain and were a function of developmental level. This information can be used by teachers as a basis for grouping. (Author/MH)