Hiller A. Spires

The Case for Social Agency in Computer-based Teaching: Do Students Learn More Deeply When They Interact with Animated Pedagogical Agents?.

College students (in Experiment 1) and 7th-grade students (in Experiment 2) learned how to design the roots, stem, and leaves of plants to survive in 8 different environments through a computer-based multimedia lesson. They learned by interacting with an animated pedagogical agent who spoke to them (Group PA) or received identical graphics and explanations as on-screen text without a pedagogical agent (Group No PA). Group PA outperformed Group No PA on transfer tests and interest ratings but not on retention tests. To investigate further the basis for this personal agent effect, we varied the interactivity of the agent-based lesson (Experiment 3) and found an interactivity effect: Students who participate in the design of plant parts remember more and transfer what they have learned to solve new problems better than students who learn the same materials without participation. Next, we varied whether the agents words were presented as speech or on-screen text, and whether the agents image appeared on the screen. Both with a fictional agent (Experiment 4) and a video of a human face (Experiment 5), students performed better on tests of retention and problem-solving transfer when words were presented as speech rather than on-screen text (producing a modality effect) but visual presence of the agent did not affect test performance (producing no image effect). Results support the introduction of interactive pedagogical agents who communicate with students via speech to promote meaningful learning in multimedia lessons.

Enhancing 5th graders' science content knowledge and self-efficacy through game-based learning

Many argue that games can positively impact learning by providing an intrinsically motivating and engaging learning environment for students in ways that traditional school cannot. Recent research demonstrates that games have the potential to impact student learning in STEM content areas and that collaborative gameplay may be of particular importance for learning gains. This study investigated the effects of collaborative and single game player conditions on science content learning and science self-efficacy. Results indicated that there were no differences between the two playing conditions; however, when conditions were collapsed, science content learning and self-efficacy significantly increased. Future research should focus on the composition of collaboration interaction among game players to assess what types of collaborative tasks may yield positive learning gains.

Having Our Say: Middle Grade Student Perspectives on School, Technologies, and Academic Engagement

Abstract Growing consensus among policy makers and educators alike suggests that our education system must be transformed to address the needs of a global society as well as the needs of the 21st century student. Often overlooked as a resource, students can contribute a valuable perspective on education. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to learn from middle grades students, through surveys and focus groups, what engages them to achieve in school. The findings, which centered on student perspectives of school, uses of technologies in and out of school, and academic engagement, are viewed within the context of global changes and the new demands that this trend places on education.

Problem Solving and Game-Based Learning: Effects of Middle Grade Students' Hypothesis Testing Strategies on Learning Outcomes

Targeted as a highly desired skill for contemporary work and life, problem solving is central to game-based learning research. In this study, middle grade students achieved significant learning gains from gameplay interactions that required solving a science mystery based on microbiology content. Student trace data results indicated that effective exploration and navigation of the hypothesis space within a science problem-solving task was predictive of student science content learning and in-game performance. Students who selected a higher proportion of appropriate hypotheses demonstrated greater learning gains and completed more in-game goals. Students providing correct explanations for hypothesis selection completed more in-game goals; however, providing the correct explanation for hypothesis selection did not account for greater learning gains. From the analysis, we concluded that hypothesis testing strategies play a central role in game-based learning environments that involve problem-solving tasks, thereby demonstrating strong connections to science content learning and in-game performance.

Energizing Project‐Based Inquiry: Middle‐Grade Students Read, Write, and Create Videos

In light of emerging technologies prompting new avenues for teaching and learning, students are positioned to “create” to learn, with video production being an important process for literacy development. There is a growing need for innovative instructional practices in reading and writing that are aligned with student interests and the activities they engage in outside of the classroom. Connecting video production to school reading and writing experiences taps into a students natural predisposition for media consumption and production. This article presents a project-based inquiry process that merges students’ growing interest in grassroots video with educational goals that are aligned with state and national curricular standards. Through a five-phase process—ask a compelling question; gather and analyze information; creatively synthesize information; critically evaluate and revise; and publish, share, and act—students are engaged in reading, writing, and creating a video product that captures their multimodal learning of academic content.

Designing game-based learning environments for elementary science education: A narrative-centered learning perspective

Game-based learning environments hold significant promise for STEM education, yet they are enormously complex. Crystal Island: Uncharted Discovery, is a game-based learning environment designed for upper elementary science education that has been under development in our laboratory for the past four years. This article discusses curricular and narrative interaction design requirements, presents the design of the Crystal Island learning environment, and describes its evolution through a series of pilots and field tests. Additionally, a classroom integration study was conducted to initiate a shift towards ecological validity. Results indicated that Crystal Island produced significant learning gains on both science content and problem-solving measures. Importantly, gains were consistent for gender across studies. This finding is key in light of past studies that revealed disproportionate participation by boys within game-based learning environments.

Learning from a lecture: Effects of comprehension monitoring

Abstract The effects of explicit instruction in how to take notes during a lecture were investigated. Subjects were college freshmen enrolled in a developmental reading class at a major southeastern university. Six sections of the class were randomly assigned to three treatment conditions: explicit instruction in notetaking, explicit instruction with self‐questioning, and a control group. Dependent measures included an immediate assessment of quality of notes, a multiple‐choice test on the content of the lecture, and a student‐generated summary of the content of the lecture. Delayed measures in the form of a multiple‐choice test and a student‐generated summary were also administered. Results lend preliminary support for providing explicit instruction with a self‐questioning strategy in how to take notes from a lecture. This approach was effective in improving quality of notes and immediate comprehension of lecture information with low performing college freshmen. Future research should focus on replicatio...

The New Learning Ecology of One-to-One Computing Environments: Preparing Teachers for Shifting Dynamics and Relationships.

Abstract Despite growing research and evaluation results on one-to-one computing environments, how these environments affect learning in schools remains underexamined. The purpose of this article is twofold: (a) to use a theoretical lens, namely a new learning ecology, to frame the dynamic changes as well as challenges that are introduced by a one-to-one laptop computing initiative; and (b) to highlight the shifting dynamics and relationships in the new learning ecology that emerging research has shown have implications for better preparing teachers and students to manage the change. The new learning ecology is an evolving attempt to create a multifaceted theoretical frame that takes into account the complexity of one-to-one teaching and learning environments. Future scholarly activity on one-to-one environments should provide coherence around research and theoretical agendas so that practitioners can better operationalize findings in their practice.

Effects of Schema-Based and Text Structure-Based Cues on Expository Prose Comprehension in Fourth Graders

Abstract We investigated the effects of schema-based cues (i.e., previewing) and text structure-based cues (i.e., structure cueing) on comprehension of expository prose. Seventy-four fourth-grade subjects were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions: previewing, structure cueing, and control. The procedures for both experimental groups consisted of a (a) training activity, (b) silent reading of a passage, (c) multiple-choice test, and (d) student-generated summary. Subjects in the previewing strategy group received instruction in focusing on preview statements preceding targeted portions of the text. Subjects in the structure cueing strategy group received instruction in text organizational patterns focusing on problem/solution and comparison/contrast formats. The control group received no instruction. Subjects participated in six 50-minute instructional and testing sessions over a 3-week period. Dependent measures consisted of initial and delayed multiple-choice tests, student-generated su...

Hemispheric Processing Characteristics for Lexical Decisions in Adults with Reading Disorders

The present study measured unilateral tachistoscopic vocal reaction times and error responses of reading-disordered and normally reading adults to single words and nonwords in a series of lexical decision tasks at two linguistic levels (concrete and abstract words). Analysis of variance on reaction times indicated that main effects of stimulus type, visual field, and the interaction of these variables were not significant for the reading-disordered group, but visual field and an interaction of visual field and stimulus type were for the normally reading adults. Error rate showed a significant interaction of stimulus x visual field for the reading-disordered group but not for the normal reading group. Post hoc tests showed significant differences in error rates between visual fields for concrete lexicon but not for abstract or nonsense lexicon for the reading-disordered group. These findings suggest a deficit in interhemispheric lexical transfer occurs for reading-disordered samples and suggest use of a callosal relay model wherein the left hemisphere is allocated responsibility for performing central operations underlying lexical decisions by adults with reading disorders.