Enhancing Learners' Cognitive and Metacognitive Processes via Self-Generated Elaboration

Abstract

The present study investigated the utility of the query method for enhancing learners' cognitive (e.g., knowledge organization, knowledge acquisition) and metacognitive (e.g., comprehension monitoring) processes. The query method involves a guided, sentence generation task requiring elaboration of key concepts in the training material which encourages learners to ‘stop and think’ about the information already presented before proceeding to new concepts in the training. This study also investigated the effect of varying the level of elaboration (low or high) prompted by the queries. Overall, results showed that incorporating low-level elaboration queries into the training resulted in improved integration and application of task-relevant knowledge, more accurate comprehension monitoring, and higher instructional efficiency. High-level elaboration queries consistently failed to produce significantly better post-training outcomes, possibly due to the increased cognitive load imposed on learners during training. Results are discussed in terms of learner control, cognitive load theory, the design of distributed training environments.