Mixed effects of retrieval practice on the acquisition of procedural knowledge in verb spelling education

The effect of task complexity and expert system type on the acquisition of procedural knowledge: Some new evidence

Previous research (for example, Bonner and Walker, 1994) has investigated the impact of alternative forms of instruction and practice on both the acquisition of procedural knowledge and task performance. Responding to the call to consider alternative forms of instruction, this study reports the results of an experiment designed to distinguish between the effects of understanding rules and a worked example. Worked examples (such as previously prepared working papers, analysis sheets and spreadsheet templates) are of particular interest as they constitute an important source, frequently used by novice accountants, for understanding and performing various tasks.The results indicate that understanding rules increase task performance through the acquisition of procedural knowledge, while a worked example provides task‐specific heuristics that increase task performance but not procedural knowledge. The different benefits of the two forms of instruction emphasise the importance of matching instruction methods to learning objectives. Furthermore, combining the two forms of instruction lead to the highest levels of task performance even with limited practice and no feedback. JEL classification: I20; M41

This study analyzed how self-generated elaboration, instructor-assisted elaboration, and self-generated followed by instructor-assisted elaboration, affect accounting students’ acquisition of procedural knowledge, intellectual skills, and their attitudes towards learning. The results indicate that the self-generated elaboration instructional strategy improves accounting students’ acquisition of procedural knowledge and intellectual skills more than the instructor-assisted elaborations. However, the effects of these instructional strategies on attitudes are not significantly different. Also, our three-way ANOVA results indicate that the students who have higher GPAs and pretest scores tend to have more intellectual skills, but not necessarily more procedural knowledge or more positive learning attitudes, using the self-generated elaboration instructional strategy.

This study examines the differences in the acquisition of procedural knowledge between the utilization of video versus illustrated audio in computer assisted instruction (CAI). One hundred and forty-five students from two major southwestern universities participated in the study. Results indicate that there are no differences in the acquisition of procedural knowledge between using these educational technologies. It was also determined that several participant demographic characteristics and a participant's learning style - determined by the Gregorc Style Delineator - did not significantly moderate their acquisition of procedural knowledge.

Approaches to the automatic construction of parts of the knowledge base in a system for image understanding are the topic of this chapter. Again the treatment is devoted to knowledge acquisition or learning in a semantic network, but not to knowledge acquisition in general, although some of the techniques introduced in the following are of general applicability. The main emphasis is on the acquisition of declarative knowledge, and some remarks are made on the acquisition of procedural knowledge. Often the term knowledge acquisition also refers to the interaction between a knowledge engineer and a domain expert in order to elicit the knowledge relevant for solving a particular problem. This important aspect is excluded here due to space limitations.

BACKGROUND:The nursing module teaches basic nursing principles and procedures to undergraduate nursing students. This course is important for the acquisition of procedural and psychomotor skills. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the influence of blended training on the acquisition of practical skills related to gastric insertion tubes.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A quasi-experimental study was undertaken, containing three groups: The blended group benefited from e-learning, followed by simulation), while the two groups benefited from theoretical teaching and procedural simulation. Then, the degrees of acquisition of declarative and procedural knowledge and the time of completion were measured.RESULTS:The declarative knowledge grade was higher in the Simulation (16.07) and Blended (15.21) groups than in the Traditional Group (11.66), with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). The results also showed a statistically significant difference between the procedural knowledge grades of the three groups (P < 0.001). A statistically significant correlation was detected between declarative and procedural knowledge scores (r = 0.58, P < 0.001) and a negative correlation between procedural knowledge and the time of completion (r = -0.422, P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS:The results of this experimentation confirm the positive effect of the blended learning approach on the acquisition of declarative and procedural knowledge as well as the time management allocated to teaching.

The study investigates the effect of using Distance learning (DL) on students’ acquisition of conceptual and procedural knowledge in mathematics. The study used the quasi-experimental approach, where the study was applied by two groups of ninth grade students (experimental, 25 students, and control, 26 students), the experimental group was taught by using Distance learning, and the control group was taught in the usual way, after verifying the validity coefficients. And reliability for testing conceptual and procedural knowledge. The results demonstrated statistically significant differences favoring the experimental group, suggesting that Distance learning has a beneficial impact on mathematics instruction. The study included recommendations on the necessity of promoting Distance learning usage among students and teachers additionally the function of educational technology in the process of teaching and learning mathematics.

Hypothesis testing in science: group consensus and the acquisition of conceptual and procedural knowledge

Increasing constraints on personnel and resources have led to a focus on alternative methods of transmitting knowledge to novices, whether university students or newly hired staff. This chapter focuses on one such alternative through the use of a technology-based educational delivery system (TBEDS). Prior research has addressed individual components of technology-supported systems or performed experiments of limited time and direct external relevance to the participants, but has not addressed the effect of a holistic approach to technology-based learning on users. This study capitalizes on a unique, holistically designed TBEDS to longitudinally examine the impact of systems on novices' procedural knowledge acquisition under conditions of actual usage. The longitudinal data also illustrates the role of user-determined experiential practice on achievement as moderated by comfort with technology. The findings indicate a strong relationship between the use of a TBEDS for repeated experiential practice and procedural knowledge acquisition. Individual components of effort (quantity of problems attempted, frequency of practice sessions, and quality of practice) are examined, with quantity being significantly positively related to performance, as is quality when the user is accountable to an external authority for that quality.

A model for an automatic knowledge acquisition tool for expert systems is presented. The model combines knowledge engineering and cognitive science methods to construct knowledge bases employing several knowledge representation languages. For the elicitation of declarative knowledge the tool contains automated interview methods and content analysis. The acquisition of procedural knowledge is achieved by protocol analysis techniques. The goal structure of the elicitation methods is an intermediate knowledge representation language on which frame and rule generators operate to build up the final knowledge bases. Pattern directed invocation methods are used for consistency checks on different levels of the knowledge acquisition process.

BackgroundThe flipped skills lab is a student-centred approach which incorporates pre-class preparation (pre-skill conceptualization) followed by repeated, hands-on practice for practical skills training. Objective measures of skills acquisition in the flipped literature are few and conflicting. The importance of pre-skill conceptualization in flipped skills training suggests that pedagogically informed pre-skill conceptualization can enhance outcomes.MethodsA mixed quasi-experimental study was conducted on 41 final year medical students who followed a flipped newborn resuscitation skills lab. Pre-class preparatory material covered conceptual and procedural knowledge. Students in the traditional group (n = 19) and those in the interventionalmental group (n = 22) received identical reading material covering conceptual knowledge. Procedural knowledge was shared with the interventional group as demonstration videos, while the traditional group received a PowerPoint presentation with text and images covering the same material. Knowledge acquisition was assessed by 20 single best answer questions before and after hands-on practice in the skills lab and skill performance was tested post-intervention with a simulated scenario. Students’ perceptions were collected by survey. Quantitative data was analysed using Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test and Mann–Whitney U test as appropriate. Qualitative data was analysed by thematic analysis.ResultsOverall student rating of the intervention was positive with ratings of 4.54 and 4.46 out of 5 by the traditional group and the experimental group respectively. Post-intervention skill performance in the experimental group was significantly better (p < .05) in the interventional group (M = 87.86%, SD = 5.89) than in the traditional group (M = 83.44, SD = 5.30) with a medium effect size (r = .40). While both groups showed significant knowledge gains, only students in the experimental group showed a statistically significant gain in procedural knowledge (p < .05) following the flipped skills lab. Finally, while both groups self-reported feeling more knowledgeable and confident following the intervention, the level of confidence was superior in the experimental group.ConclusionsFlipping the skills lab with pre-skill conceptualisation combining text-based conceptual knowledge and video-based procedural knowledge followed by simulation-based hands-on practice improves procedural knowledge and skills acquisition in newborn resuscitation training for medical students. This study shows that in addition to temporal benefits, pedagogically informed pre-skill conceptualization can confer procedure-specific cognitive and emotional benefits supporting skills acquisition.

Discussion of “The effect of task complexity and expert system type on the acquisition of procedural knowledge: Some new evidence”

Despite the widespread use of multimodal pedagogies in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) contexts, empirical studies specifically focusing on the impact of hands-on learning on target vocabulary and procedural knowledge acquisition in CLIL Social Studies, particularly in Taiwan, are relatively uncommon. Grounded in embodied learning theories, this study investigated the comparative impact of hands-on learning versus worksheet-based instruction on fourth graders’ target vocabulary acquisition and procedural knowledge within a CLIL Social Studies setting in Taiwan. The study also explored students’ perceptions of their learning experiences with these instructional methods. This quasi-experimental study involved four intact fourth-grade CLIL Social Studies classes from three elementary schools in Taiwan, comprising 40 students in the Experimental Group (EG), who engaged in hands-on learning, and 34 students in the Control Group (CG), who engaged in worksheet-based learning. Activities included Chinese dumpling making, bird’s nest building, and designing a pot of succulents. Data were collected through pre- and post-tests to assess target vocabulary acquisition and procedural knowledge, followed by learner experience surveys to evaluate students’ perceptions of their learning experiences. The analysis included paired-samples t-tests, independent-samples t-tests, and thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses. Results revealed that the EG significantly outperformed the CG in both target vocabulary acquisition and procedural knowledge across all three activities, with large effect sizes (d = 1.05–1.51 for target vocabulary and 0.95–2.89 for procedural knowledge), demonstrating the effectiveness of hands-on learning. However, while significant differences were observed in memory retention of target vocabulary and procedural knowledge from the survey results, no significant differences were found between the EG and CG in terms of perceived ease of learning. These findings suggest that hands-on learning offers substantial benefits over traditional worksheet-based instruction in CLIL settings, though the transition to hands-on methods may require additional support. Practical implications include the strategic selection of relevant vocabulary, the implementation of structured hands-on approaches, and the emphasis on behavioral reinforcement to enhance learning outcomes.

The potential of Virtual Reality (VR) in enhancing learning and training is being widely explored. The relationship of immersion, as one of the core technical features of VR, with knowledge types has not been fully explored. This study aims to investigate how VR immersion levels (high vs. low) affect the acquisition of declarative and procedural knowledge, as well as related cognitive and affective factors. A 2 × 2 mixed design was adopted, with 64 college students who had no VR experience and no background in professional medical knowledge being randomly assigned to either a high-immersion group (using HTC Vive Pro headsets) or a low-immersion group (using desktop monitors). Participants completed learning tasks on thyroid and related diseases (declarative knowledge) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (procedural knowledge), followed by knowledge tests and self-report questionnaires to measure presence, motivation, self-efficacy, cognitive load, and emotional states. Results showed that high immersion significantly improved learning outcomes for both types of knowledge with large effect sizes. In both knowledge domains, high immersion also enhanced presence, intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and positive emotions. However, cognitive load was reduced only for declarative knowledge, and no significant effects were observed for self-regulation. These findings highlight the differential impact of VR immersion on knowledge acquisition and provide insights for optimizing VR-based educational interventions.

Procedural knowledge is the knowledge required to perform certain tasks. It forms an important part of expertise, and is crucial for learning new tasks. This paper summarises existing work on procedural knowledge acquisition, and identifies two major challenges that remain to be solved in this field; namely, automating the acquisition process to tackle bottleneck in the formalization of procedural knowledge, and enabling machine understanding and manipulation of procedural knowledge. It is believed that recent advances in information extraction techniques can be applied compose a comprehensive solution to address these challenges. We identify specific tasks required to achieve the goal, and present detailed analyses of new research challenges and opportunities. It is expected that these analyses will interest researchers of various knowledge management tasks, particularly knowledge acquisition and capture.