Process Highlighters in a Computer Simulation: Facilitation of Theory-Oriented Problem Solving

Abstract

This experiment investigates whether or not process highlighters, incorporated in a computer simulation, facilitate the knowledge representation of early adolescent children. Process highlighters are perceptual cues (usually visual) that are designed to focus attention toward critical features of events and processes occurring in a problem domain. The two questions addressed in this study are: a) do process highlighters increase the percentage of subjects who employ theory-oriented explanation?, and b) do process highlighters increase the percentage of subjects who demonstrate an understanding of the concept presented in the simulation? Thirty-two twelve-year-old children from two middle schools played a computer game about light reflecting off flat mirrors, presenting the physical law that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. Each child played either the game with process highlighters or the game without process highlighters for forty minutes. Three independent evaluators analyzed each subject's transcript to determine his/her mode of explanation (random, concrete, or hypothetical) and also the level of understanding (none, preliminary, or good). The results indicate that the use of process highlighters is positively correlated with the subject's level of understanding, but is less conclusive with respect to encouraging students to use theory-oriented problem solving. The results are interpreted with respect to clarifying the relationship between a student's understanding of a concept and his or her expressing that understanding in concrete or hypothetical terms.