Gilles Kermarrec

Transfer of learning in virtual environments: a new challenge?

The aim of all education is to apply what we learn in different contexts and to recognise and extend this learning to new situations. Virtual learning environments can be used to build skills. Recent research in cognitive psychology and education has shown that acquisitions are linked to the initial context. This provides a challenge for virtual reality in education or training. A brief overview of transfer issues highlights five main ideas: (1) the type of transfer enables the virtual environment (VE) to be classified according to what is learned; (2) the transfer process can create conditions within the VE to facilitate transfer of learning; (3) specific features of VR must match and comply with transfer of learning; (4) transfer can be used to assess a VE’s effectiveness; and (5) future research on transfer of learning must examine the singular context of learning. This paper discusses how new perspectives in cognitive psychology influence and promote transfer of learning through the use of VEs.

Shared Understanding and Coordination in Team Sports - Contribution of Viewpoints Changes and Shared Information Displays for Team Situation Awareness Training

The paper aims at examining the interest of viewpoints changes and shared information displays for promoting shared understanding and decision-making coordination in team sports. The role of technological device such as virtual reality and video-cued training are examined. The paper starts with a description of major features in shared understanding elicited in sport psychology, and then focuses on review and choices concerning the use of virtual reality (VR). Finally, an exploratory study in soccer is presented, supported the idea that, using two properties of VR (viewpoint changing, and displaying player’s judgments), an innovative 2-D video-cued training should enhance shared understanding between four defensive players. First results suggest that such technological device could enhance sharing processes and modify sharedness (i.e. shared knowledge structure).

Effects of situational interest dimensions on students’ learning strategies in physical education

Previous studies have shown that situational interest, as a primary motivator for students, affects student cognitive engagement. Considering this, the purpose of this study was to examine, within a situated perspective, the effects of situational interest dimensions on students’ learning strategies in physical education. A total of 148 tenth-grade students (mean age = 16.1, 15–17 years, standard deviation = 1.3, 40% boys) participated in a 30-minute body-conditioning learning task. Students’ situational interest and learning strategies were measured using validated self-reported questionnaires. Using correlations and regression analyses, the results showed that exploration intention positively predicts the learning strategies used by students. To motivate students and enhance their learning strategies, teachers could consider designing learning tasks that require higher-order cognitive processes demanding active exploration.

Contribution des méthodes d’analyse quantitative à la compréhension de phénomènes de loisirs sportifs : de l’apport et des limites de l’outil statistique

Résumé L’objet de cet article est de présenter une contribution à la compréhension de phénomènes de loisirs sportifs par des étudiants de 3e année d’université à l’aide d’un enseignement de découverte de méthodes d’enquête par questionnaire, et de la présentation de quelques principes d’analyse quantitative. Plus qu’une recherché aboutie, il s’agit ici de présenter une revue de questions appliquées à un cas concret d’enseignement d’une méthode de recherche. Par cet article d’un type peu répandu par nature dans la littérature scientifique (mais cependant essentiel sur un plan épistémologique), nous visons principalement à lier la théorie et la pratique par la présentation d’une mise en oeuvre concrète. De l’enseignement de connaissances de base à l’exploitation critique de certains résultats, les étudiants concernés ont vécu l’ensemble de la procédure, en passant par la conception de l’enquête et la collecte des données. Ainsi, cet article relate les bases de la construction progressive du contenu d’un enseignement visant à faire acquérir des savoirs, des savoir-faire et des savoir-être à ces étudiants, et pose des questions quant aux usages et à l’enseignement des méthodologies de recherche dans les cycles supérieurs, avec pour objet les loisirs sportifs et pour thème les opinions.