Abstract
<?Pub Dtl=""?> Novice learners are typically unfamiliar with abstract engineering symbols. They are also often unaccustomed to instructional materials consisting of a combination of text, diagrams, and equations. This raises the question of whether instruction on elementary electrical circuit analysis for novice learners should employ contextualized representations of the circuits with familiar components, such as batteries, or employ abstract representations with the abstract engineering terms and symbols. A further question is if text labels in the circuit diagrams would aid these learners. This study examined these research questions with a “2 <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$\, \times \,$</tex></formula> 3” experimental design, in which the two forms of representation (abstract or contextualized) were considered under three types of diagram labeling (no labels, static labels, or interactive labels). The design was implemented in an instructional module on elementary circuit analysis for novice learners. Results indicated that abstract representations led to higher near- and far-transfer post-test scores, and that interactive (student-generated) labeling resulted in higher near-transfer scores than either the no-labels or static-labels conditions. These findings suggest that abstract representations promote the development of deep, transferrable knowledge and that generative methods of integration, such as interactive diagram labeling, can facilitate learning with multiple external representations.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.