Gary R. Morrison

The role of rewording and context personalization in the solving of mathematical word problems

The impact of both personalizing mathematical word problems and rewording them for explic-itness was tested with 68 second-grade students and 59 fifth-grade students in a within-subjects design

In Search of a Happy Medium in Instructional Technology Research: Issues Concerning External Validity, Media Replications, and Learner Control.

Due in part to the diverse characteristics and training of its researchers, the field of instructional technology is currently plagued by much uncertainty regarding meaningful research questions and accepted paradigms for investigating them. Major areas in which these uncertainties are manifested concern the degree of emphasis to be placed on basic versus developmental research and considerations involving the separation of media from methods in research designs. To help researchers achieve a “happier medium” in balancing instructional technology goals with the performance of well-designed and scientifically sound studies, greater attention to three concerns is advocated: the external validity of studies to increase the relevance of findings to applied technologies; usage of media replications to test the generalizability of findings obtained with individual media and to demonstrate delivery applications; and learner control as a potentially effective and practical means of adapting validated instructional strategies to individuals. Each of these issues is discussed in relation to research conducted by the authors and to suggested designs for future studies.

Principles for using animation in computer-based instruction: theoretical heuristics for effective design

As tools for multimedia and computer-based instruction (CBI) increase in sophistication, it becomes easier for instructional designers to incorporate a range of animations in instructional software. Designers, however, should ask whether animation has the potential to contribute to student learning before investing the resources in development. This paper addresses the viability of using animations in multimedia and CBI. The functions of animations are explored as well as issues related to surface structure and fidelity. The relationship between content structures and the use of animation in CBI is also discussed. Based on these characteristics and purposes, heuristics are provided to guide the use of animation in CBI. Implications of these heuristics are explored and suggestions are provided for future research.

Learner control of context and instructional support in learning elementary school mathematics

Learner-control strategies for selecting problem context and the level of instructional support were examined separately and in combination on a computer-based mathematics unit on the metric system. Subjects were 240 sixth-grade students assigned to 15 treatments formed by crossing five context conditions (animals, sports, clothing, nocontext, and learner control) with three instructional support conditions (minimum, maximum, and learner control). As hypothesized, comparisons of instructional support conditions on posttest achievement showed performance to be lowest under learner control. Subjects opted to view very few items and to decrease the amount they selected over the course of the instruction. No effects were associated with the context variable, although on one of the three lessons, learner-control subjects made significantly fewer on-task errors than did no-context subjects. Further analyses showed a strong tendency by learner-control context subjects to vary their selection of contexts across lessons. Subjects in the context and instructional support learner-control strategies indicated positive attitudes toward the strategies.

Uses and Effects of Learner Control of Context and Instructional Support in Computer-Based Instruction.

The present study examines uses and effects of learner-control of the context or theme of practice examples on a statistics lesson in combination with learner control of the number of examples examined. Subjects were 227 undergraduate students assigned to 15 treatments formed by crossing five context conditions (learner control, education, business, sports, no-context) with three instructional support conditions (learner-control, maximum, minimum). No differences in achievement were attained as a function of either treatment variable. Findings showed, however, that learners who received preferred contexts (i.e., learner-control-context subjects) selected a greater number of examples than those who received prescribed contexts. In addition, achievement was positively related to the frequency with which subjects varied the number of examples selected across lessons. Despite the absence of achievement benefits, the learner-control-context strategy elicited highly favorable student reactions as a learning orientation.

Research on Cognitive Load Theory: Application to E-Learning

The purpose of this article is to review and critique each of the research studies published in this special issue. We will critique each article, derive one or more instructional design heuristics based on the findings for each study, and provide recommendations for extending particular lines of research. Three suggestions are provided concerning cognitive load theory and instructional design adaptations for e-learning.

Moving from Computer Literate to Technologically Competent: The Next Educational Reform.

This article proposes that educators must go beyond computer literacy to achieve technological competence if successful integration of technology into the classroom is to occur. An educator who is technologically competent understands the relationship between basic computer functions and student learning. They use this understanding to design, facilitate, and manage a student-centered multidimensional learning environment that embeds the use of technology into the curriculum. Technological competence also requires a transition from using the computer as an instructional delivery system (traditional computer-based instruction) to one of using the computer as a learning tool (computer-supported instruction). With the computer-supported instruction approach, students do not learn about computers, but rather learn with computers by using them in the same way as they are used in the workplace to solve real-world, meaningful problems.

Obtaining more out of less text in CBI: Effects of varied text density levels as a function of learner characteristics and control strategy

Learning from expository text in computer-based instruction (CBI) was examined as a function of text density level (high, low, or learner-controlled) and learner characteristics in achievement, attitudes, and reading ability. Low-density text was found to be as effective for learning as high-density text, but was more popular among students and also reduced completion time. The highest achievement was obtained in the learner-control condition, with low-ability readers showing a greater tendency to select high-density text than did high-ability readers. Reading ability was also positively related to achievement in learning from high-density computer text and to preferences for learning from CBI relative to print. Based on the resulte, use of low-density text is suggested as a standard feature or learner-control option for CBI lessons.

Text Density Level as a Design Variable in Instructional Displays.

Presenting narrative text in computer-based instruction (CBI) is more difficult than in print lessons due to limited screen resolution and display area. The present research aimed at achieving a more compatible match between lesson content and the attributes of the presentation media. Subjects received either a print or CBI statistics lesson containing low-density (concise) narrative text, high-density (conventional) text, or the density type they preferred (learner-control). Results showed the low-density lesson to reduce completion time relative to the high-density version, while yielding equivalent achievement. Subjects receiving the lesson in the print mode had shorter completion times and higher achievement than their CBI counterparts. Attitude results showed that CBI was favorably regarded, but perceived as longer and slow-moving than print. Implications of results for designing instructional material in accord with CBI attributes and learner characteristics are discussed.

Using Experimental Methods in Higher Education Research.

EXPERIMENTAL METHODS have been used extensively for many years to conduct research in education and psychology. However, applications of experiments to investigate technology and other instructional innovations in higher education settings have been relatively limited. The present paper examines ways in which experiments can be used productively by higher education researchers to increase the quality and rigor of studies. Specific topics include types of experiments, common validity threats, advantages and disadvantages of experiments, operational procedures for designing and conducting experiments, and reporting and disseminating results. Emphasis is given to helping prospective researchers evaluate the circumstances that favor or disfavor usage of experimental designs relative to other methods.