High Prior Knowledge Learners Research Articles

An investigation of personalized entertaining three-tier tests: a prior knowledge perspective

ABSTRACT This study proposed a three-tier test to help students learn English grammar. To reduce students' anxiety, game-based learning was incorporated into the three-tier test, where personalization was also implemented to accommodate students' different needs. More specifically, we developed a Personalized Entertaining Three-Tier Test (PET3), which consisted of the three-tier test, game-based learning and personalization. On the other hand, diversities exist among learners, especially prior knowledge. To this end, this study aimed to provide the complete understandings of the effects of prior knowledge in the PET3 context, in terms of test performance, task performance, learning behavior and gaming behavior. Regarding test performance, high prior knowledge learners (HPK) performed better than low prior knowledge learners (LPK). Regarding task performance, HPK was superior to LPK in two aspects, i.e., the reasons of the main questions and advanced questions, while LPK performed better than HPK in the aspect of the review questions. Regarding learning behavior, HPK and LPK favored to use different hints. Regarding gaming behavior, HPK tended to be a winner while LPK had a tendency to be looser. Based on these findings, we developed a framework, which could help designers and instructors to know the preferences of diverse learners.

The influences of academic emotion and prior knowledge in the context of online tests

ABSTRACT Online tests offer many advantages but they still belong to assessment, which may make learners have anxiety. Thus, students may experience certain emotion. Academic emotion is a branch of emotion and has great effects on student learning. Such effects can be associated with individual differences, especially prior knowledge. To this end, this study examined the influences of academic emotion and prior knowledge in the context of an online test. The results indicated that the positive academic emotion of high prior knowledge learners (HPKs) and low prior knowledge learners (LPKs) was connected with their pre-test scores while no connection was found for their post-test scores. Additionally, HPKs had higher positive academic emotion and lower negative academic emotion than LPKs. On the other hand, HPKs got better pre-and post-test scores than LPKs whereas LPKs had higher gain scores. Furthermore, HPKs and LPKs exhibited different behavior sequences. More specifically, LPKs tended to acquire small-scaled information from the Chinese hint only while HPKs preferred to obtain both small-scaled information and large-scaled information from the Chinese hint and sentence hint, respectively. According to the findings of this study, we develop a framework, which can be applied to help understand the needs of HPKs and LPKs.

How Much Cueing Is Needed in Instructional Animations? The Role of Prior Knowledge

This study explored the effects of prior knowledge and cueing on the learning (retention, transfer, and matching) and mental effort of learners who studied an instructional animation with accompanying narration about photosynthesis. A 4 × 2 between-subjects factorial design with four levels of cueing (no cueing, label cueing, picture cueing, and label and picture cueing) and two levels of prior knowledge (low vs. high) was used. A total of 216 undergraduate students from various majors in a large Southwestern university volunteered to participate in this study. The results revealed no significant effect of cueing on learning or mental effort. However, high prior knowledge learners outperformed low prior knowledge learners on a retention test and reported investing more mental effort than low prior knowledge learners. Although it was not significant, high prior knowledge learners had higher transfer and matching scores when no cues were provided.

Effect of Prior Knowledge on Attitudes, Behavior, and Learning Performance in Video Lecture Viewing

ABSTRACTOnline video lectures are widely used in e-learning environments. They provide several advantages for students such as preparing for class and controlling their learning pace. However, essential features of videos, such as transient information and learner control, can also increase learners’ cognitive load and disorientation, particularly for learners with low prior knowledge. This study analyzed data collected from a questionnaire, students’ examination and homework scores, and system logs to examine the effects of prior knowledge on the engagement level, frequency of viewing strategies used, attitudes, and learning performance of students who watched video lectures. The results showed that the students demonstrated the same engagement levels of watching video lectures, regardless of whether they had high or low prior knowledge. However, high prior knowledge learners used a higher frequency of viewing strategies, had a more positive attitude toward watching the video lectures, and exhibited higher learning performance than the low prior knowledge learners did. These results are discussed in this article, and several suggestions for personalized prior knowledge support are proposed.

Learning from instructional animations: How does prior knowledge mediate the effect of visual cues?

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of cueing and prior knowledge on learning and mental effort of students studying an animation with narration. This study employed a 2 (no cueing vs. visual cueing) × 2 (low vs. high prior knowledge) between‐subjects factorial design. The results revealed a significant interaction effect between prior knowledge and cueing on learning. Low prior knowledge learners had higher scores after studying an instructional animation with visual cues, compared to those who studied the same instructional animation without visual cues. Conversely, when cues were not provided, high prior knowledge learners outperformed those high prior knowledge learners who studied with the cued version of an instructional animation. These results indicated that the effects of cueing in an instructional animation change depending on the learners' level of prior knowledge. Specifically, low prior knowledge learners benefited more when visual cues were provided, whereas cues did not facilitate learning for high prior knowledge learners.

Who benefits from a low versus high guidance CSCL script and why?

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) scripts can foster learners’ deep text comprehension. However, this depends on (a) the extent to which the learning activities targeted by a script promote deep text comprehension and (b) whether the guidance level provided by the script is adequate to induce the targeted learning activities effectively; both may be moderated by the learners’ prior knowledge. Inspired by the ICAP framework (Chi and Wylie in Educ Psychol 49:219–243, 2014), we designed a low (LGS) and a high guidance script (HGS) to support learners in performing interactive activities. These activities include generating outputs that go beyond the text, while simultaneously referring to the co-learner. In an experiment, 88 undergraduates were assigned randomly to either the LGS or HGS condition. After reading a text paragraph, LGS participants thought about discussion points for the upcoming collaborative discussion, while HGS participants were (a) prompted to generate outputs individually that go beyond the text and (b) exchange them with their co-learner to provide information about the co-learner’s comprehension state (awareness induction). Subsequently, dyads in both conditions discussed the paragraph in a chat to improve their text comprehension. Prior knowledge moderated the effect of the script guidance level on deep text comprehension: low prior knowledge learners benefitted from the HGS, whereas high prior knowledge learners profited from the LGS. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that these effects can be traced back to patterns of learning activities which differed regarding learners’ prior knowledge. Based on these results, possible directions for future research on CSCL scripting and ICAP are discussed.

Effects of type of exploratory strategy and prior knowledge on middle school students’ learning of chemical formulas from a 3D role-playing game

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the type of exploratory strategy and level of prior knowledge on middle school students’ performance and motivation in learning chemical formulas via a 3D role-playing game (RPG). Two types of exploratory strategies—RPG exploratory with worked-example and RPG exploratory without worked-example—and two levels of prior knowledge—high prior knowledge and low prior knowledge—were examined in the study. The 5E Instructional Model was employed as a learning framework in the RPG game design of The Alchemist’s Fort. One hundred and fifteen eighth-grade students from a Taiwanese school voluntarily participated in the 3-week experiment. The results indicate that (1) significant worked-example effect was revealed on knowledge comprehension and marginal worked-example effect occurred on knowledge application; (2) regardless of the type of exploratory strategy employed, learners showed mild positive motivation toward learning chemistry via a 3D RPG game; (3) higher prior-knowledge learners outperformed their lower prior-knowledge peers on performance measures; and (4) high prior-knowledge learners showed a higher degree of motivation in self-efficacy and science learning value than did the low prior-knowledge learners; however, lower prior-knowledge learners revealed higher learning environment stimulation than did their high prior-knowledge peers.

Pedagogical Agent Signaling of Multiple Visual Engineering Representations: The Case of the Young Female Agent

AbstractBackgroundPrior studies have shown that visual signaling improves learning from text or narration in conjunction with one depictive visual representation; however, engineering instruction typically employs multiple descriptive and depictive visual representations. Animated pedagogical agents (APAs) positively influence student attitudes about engineering. Whether APA signaling improves engineering learning and which APA characteristics are most conducive to learning is largely unknown.PurposeWe examined the effects of visual signaling in engineering learning materials with multiple descriptive and depictive visual representations. We compared visual signaling by a young female APA with arrow signaling.Design/MethodIn the APA signaling condition, at appropriate points within a narration about electric circuits, the relevant areas in a circuit diagram, a sequence of equation calculations, and a Cartesian graph were signaled using APA gestures. In the arrow signaling condition, the same relevant areas were signaled using a dynamic arrow; the no‐signaling (control) condition had no visual signaling. Student learning and perceptions were measured with a problem‐solving posttest and a survey.ResultsResults indicated an aptitude‐treatment interaction. Low prior knowledge learners had higher learning gains in the APA signaling condition, compared with the no signaling condition; high prior knowledge learners did not benefit from visual signaling.ConclusionsPrecollege students with low prior knowledge benefit from the signaling by a young female APA in instruction with multiple visual representations; high prior knowledge learners do not benefit from such support.

The influence of prior knowledge on the retrieval‐directed function of note taking in prior knowledge activation

Prior knowledge activation facilitates learning. Note taking during prior knowledge activation (i.e., note taking directed at retrieving information from memory) might facilitate the activation process by enabling learners to build an external representation of their prior knowledge. However, taking notes might be less effective in supporting prior knowledge activation if available prior knowledge is limited. This study investigates the effects of the retrieval-directed function of note taking depending on learners' level of prior knowledge. It is hypothesized that the effectiveness of note taking is influenced by the amount of prior knowledge learners already possess. Sixty-one high school students participated in this study. A prior knowledge test was used to ascertain differences in level of prior knowledge and assign participants to a low or a high prior knowledge group. A 2×2 factorial design was used to investigate the effects of note taking during prior knowledge activation (yes, no) depending on learners' level of prior knowledge (low, high) on mental effort, performance, and mental efficiency. Note taking during prior knowledge activation lowered mental effort and increased mental efficiency for high prior knowledge learners. For low prior knowledge learners, note taking had the opposite effect on mental effort and mental efficiency. The effects of the retrieval-directed function of note taking are influenced by learners' level of prior knowledge. Learners with high prior knowledge benefit from taking notes while activating prior knowledge, whereas note taking has no beneficial effects for learners with limited prior knowledge.

Fostering active processing of instructional explanations of learners with high and low prior knowledge

Despite the potential advantages of instructional explanations, evidence indicates that they are usually ineffective. Subsequent work has shown that in order to make instructional explanations effective indeed, one successful strategy is to combine them with indications of the limitations in learners' understanding that they are intended to revise, which makes learners deeply process the explanations. We explored whether this is so for both learners with low and those with high prior domain knowledge. In one experiment, 77 participants with low and high prior knowledge learned about plate tectonics from a multimedia presentation. In addition to the presentation, half the participants received instructional explanations combined with indications, whereas the rest received instructional explanations with no indications. After using the materials, the participants solved retention and transfer tests. Results showed that low prior knowledge learners learned more from explanations including indications of their misunderstandings, whereas high prior knowledge learners profited from instructional explanations either with or without the indications. We discussed theoretical and practical implications.

Polite web-based intelligent tutors: Can they improve learning in classrooms?

Should an intelligent software tutor be polite, in an effort to motivate and cajole students to learn, or should it use more direct language? If it should be polite, under what conditions? In a series of studies in different contexts (e.g., lab versus classroom) with a variety of students (e.g., low prior knowledge versus high prior knowledge), the politeness effect was investigated in the context of web-based intelligent tutoring systems, software that runs on the Internet and employs artificial intelligence and learning science techniques to help students learn. The goal was to pinpoint the appropriate conditions for having the web-based tutors provide polite feedback and hints (e.g., “Let’s convert the units of the first item”) versus direct feedback and hints (e.g., “Convert the units of the first item now”). In the study presented in this paper, 132 high school students in a classroom setting, grouped as low and high prior knowledge learners according to a pre-intervention knowledge questionnaire, did not benefit more from polite feedback and hints than direct feedback and hints on either an immediate or delayed posttest, both of which contained near transfer and conceptual test items. Of particular interest and contrary to an earlier lab study, low prior knowledge students did not benefit more from using the polite version of a tutor. On the other hand, a politeness effect was observed for the students who made the most errors during the intervention, a different proxy for low prior knowledge, hinting that even in a classroom setting, politeness may be beneficial for more needy students. This article presents and discusses these results, as well as discussing the politeness effect more generally, its theoretical underpinnings, and future directions.

The effects of worked examples in computer-based instruction: focus on the presentation format of worked examples and prior knowledge of learners

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of presentation formats of worked examples and the interaction effects between the presentation formats of worked examples and the prior knowledge of learners. An investigation with 97 middle school students working in four conditions (CPWE, CWE, PWE, and the control group) was conducted. The results indicate that CPWE was the most effective condition in retention and transfer. In addition, a partial expertise reversal effect was revealed in the element transfer test. High prior knowledge learners in both CPWE and PWE were superior to those who were in CWE and the control group, while low prior knowledge learners in CPWE were superior to those who were in other conditions.

Semantic scaffolds in hypermedia learning environments

In knowledge acquisition from hypermedia, learners have to orient themselves in a non-linear information space, navigate in this space and build a knowledge structure from the information there. Research on learning from hypermedia has focused primarily on enhancing orientation and navigation, with only minor attention on possibilities for supporting semantic processing. In a first experiment, 98 students from senior high school and university undergraduates learned about a complex subject matter either without or with semantic scaffolds, which were presented either in an obligatory (non-removable) or in an optional mode. High prior knowledge learners profited from adequately used semantic scaffolds, whereas low prior knowledge learners did not. In a second experiment, 53 senior high school students and university undergraduates received the learning material with semantic scaffolds presented either in an obligatory mode (but removable on demand) or in an optional mode. Learners with low prior knowledge performed better with optional presentation. Learners with high prior knowledge performed better with obligatory presentation, which allowed removing scaffolds on demand. Learners generally preferred the optional presentation of learning scaffolds.

Prior knowledge in learning from a non-linear electronic document: Disorientation and coherence of the reading sequences

A study was carried out to investigate the effects of prior knowledge on learning with a non-linear electronic document including an interactive conceptual map. Cognitive Load Theory was used as theoretical framework to investigate effects on cognitive load and disorientation in learning from non-linear documents. Forty-four future high school biology teachers were required to learn the multiplication cycle of a virus from either a hierarchical structure (organisational links) or a network structure (relational links). For the low prior knowledge learners, the results showed that the hierarchical structure supported better free recall performance and reduced feelings of disorientation. In contrast, the high prior knowledge learners performed better and followed more coherent reading sequences in the network structure. However, no interaction effect between prior knowledge and the type of structure was observed on mental effort and disorientation ratings. The results and the construct of disorientation are discussed in light of the processing demands in non-linear documents.

Saying the wrong thing: improving learning with multimedia by including misconceptions

Abstract In this study, 364 first‐year physics students were randomly assigned to one of four online multimedia treatments on Newton's First and Second Laws of Motion: (1) the ‘Exposition’, a concise lecture‐style presentation; (2) the ‘Extended Exposition’, the Exposition with additional interesting information; (3) the ‘Refutation’, the Exposition with common misconceptions explicitly stated and refuted; or (4) the ‘Dialogue’, a student–tutor discussion of the same material as in the Refutation. Students were tested using questions from mechanics conceptual inventories before and after watching the multimedia treatments. Results show the Refutation and Dialogue produced the greatest learning gains, with effect sizes of 0.79 and 0.83, respectively, compared with the Exposition. Students with low prior knowledge benefited most, however high prior knowledge learners were not disadvantaged by the misconception‐based approach. The findings suggest that online multimedia can be greatly improved, promoting conceptual change in students with all levels of experience, by including a discussion of misconceptions.

Learner Achievement and Attitudes under Different Paces of Transitioning to Independent Problem Solving

AbstractThis study examined the effect of the pace of transitioning from worked examples to independent problem solving for students with three different levels of prior knowledge. Three paces of transitioning were examined: immediate transitioning, fast fading, and slow fading. The study was conducted with engineering college freshmen in the engineering knowledge domain of introductory electrical circuit analysis and found a significant interaction between the particpants' prior knowledge and the pace of transitioning to independent problem solving on retention posttest performance. The high prior knowledge participants achieved significantly higher retention scores under the fast and immediate transitioning than under the slow transitioning, whereas the low prior knowledge participants achieved significantly higher retention scores under the slow transitioning. The interaction result for retention indicates that by selectively employing slow fading for low prior knowledge learners and fast fading or immediate transitioning for high prior knowledge learners, significant improvements in learning may be achieved.