Introducing Desirable Difficulties into Science Learning Jason R
Introducing Desirable Difficulties into Science Learning Jason R. Finley, Lindsey E. Richland, Robert A. Bjork University of California, Los Angeles Abstract Sample Stimuli Participants saw pages of information presented in the WISE platform: Introducing Desirable Difficulties for Educational Applications in Science (IDDEAS) is designed to build bridges from the science of cognition to educational practices, investigating whether learning principles well documented with basic laboratory stimuli generalize to complex educational phenomena, as well as to the less controlled context of the classroom. a. Interleaving: learning two sets of information in blocks (serial order) versus interleaved order. 1. Interleaving materials will result in a higher level of integration of learning materials and higher retention 3. after a delay than blocked presentation. 4. Results Interleaving and Generation effects were analyzed on Posttest performance. Selected results shown. The “journal” feature within WISE was used to construct participants’ generate or re-read opportunities during the learning module. Materials to be Learned WISE is a user-friendly platform (available at: http: //wise. berkeley. edu), created and maintained by Marcia Linn and collaborators at UC Berkeley. WISE provides a library of existing or customizable modules on science content, enabling rich classroom use of technology (Linn & Hsi, 2000). Stimuli for the current study were two sets of materials about Astronomy. Facts from two domains that affect a planet’s habitability were presented: Posttest: tested recall for single facts and for integration of learning materials. Participants were 96 undergraduates at the University of California, Los Angeles who participated for course credit. Figure 1. Interleaving by type of question. Figure 2: Generation effects on single fact materials Questions requiring more complex integration between two information domains were more difficult but showed an interleaving benefit, while single fact questions showed a small benefit for blocked training (F(1, 61) = 5. 54, p<. 05). Generation improved retention of information more than reading F (1, 58) = 23. 71, P<. 001, but only for those facts generated successfully. Design and Procedure 1. A 2 x 2 design was used to examine the differential effects of Presentation Order and Generation. 2. A control group received the posttest only. 3. Experimental groups completed a WISE module in which materials were either presented blocked or interleaved. 1) the distance between a planet and its sun 2) the mass of a planet. 2. Generating will result in higher retention than reading for materials presented earlier. b. Generation: reading versus generating information presented earlier. This study uses: Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE). 1. Based on laboratory findings with simple materials, we made several predictions. 2. Desirable Difficulties are design principles that have been demonstrated, within laboratory contexts, to impair test performance during learning but to enhance retention and generalization of the material over time (Bjork 1994, 1999) In the current study we explore the role of two desirable difficulties: Predictions 4. During the module, participants read or generated a subset of the materials. 5. Posttest: after a 2 day delay to test retention and generalization of their learning. For more Information Ongoing results, papers and experiments will be posted on our website: www. psych. ucla. edu/iddeas Summary 1. Ongoing Research: Desirable Difficulties have been well researched in laboratory contexts using basic materials (e. g. Landauer & Bjork, 1978; Mannes & Kintsch, 1978) but this program of research will extend findings to educationally relevant materials and classroom contexts. Difficulty was imposed in the current study through 1) Interleaved vs Blocked presentation order and 2) Generation versus Reading during study opportunities. 2. Key Findings: A. Interleaving materials during instruction enhanced participants’ integration of concepts on a delayed posttest though not retention for individual facts. Interleaving seems to support generalization and integration of complex materials. B. Generation during study enhanced memory for materials generated successfully more than reading during study, which was no different from performance on materials not studied. Generation facilitates retention and recall of facts. Acknowledgements This research was supported by a Cognition and Student Learning Grant from the Institution of Education Sciences (IES) #R 305 H 020113 to Robert Bjork & Marcia Linn.
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