Abstract
The purpose of our research was to investigate the nature of expertise in the interpretation of cultural artifacts, in particular, the Concheros dance of Mexico. The discovery environment for the development of interpretive skill was a CD-ROM-based multimedia computer system which provided users with footage of the dance and related historical and cultural information pertaining to the Concheros community. The experimental version of the multimedia system was structured to require the use of expert strategies, including hypothesis formation, use of conditional and probabilistic language, and the marking of resources for interest and relevance. Our analysis showed that, compared to a control group, higher ability students exposed to the experimental version of our computer-based learning environment demonstrated a greater capacity to render an interpretive account of the Concheros dance. One implication is that our approach reframes the vexing question of how much guidance should be designed into multimedia learning environments by shifting the focus from how much? to what kind?
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