Lisa P. Skaggs

Effects of Scripted Cooperation and Knowledge Maps on the Processing of Technical Material.

This study replicates and extends prior investigations of scripted cooperation and knowledge maps by examining (a) their independent and interactive effects on procedural knowledge acquisition and (b) the transfer of these effects to individual learning. The instrumental uses and limitations of knowledge maps are discussed

Knowledge Maps and the Presentation of Related Information Domains.

Abstract An experiment was conducted to assess the relative effectiveness of multiple-relationship knowledge maps and traditional text for the presentation of related information domains. A secondary purpose was to investigate comparative versus sequential presentations. Knowledge maps were found to be superior to traditional text in acquisition and affect associated with studying for one type of material. Moreover, students in the map groups reported gaining more knowledge about their information processing and study strategies that would help them in future learning than did those in the text groups. However, these results were not replicated with respect to a second sample of text on a different topic. Subject matter and structural parameters that might account for the inability to replicate the knowledge map effect across passages are identified.

Scripted Cooperation and Knowledge Map Supplements

AbstractThis study examined the independent and interactive effects of supplement format (knowledge map vs. text vs. no supplement) and strategy (cooperative learning vs. cooperative teaching vs. individual study) on learning. After training and practice sessions, subjects studied a science and math passage over which they were tested. Two individual difference measures were also taken and combined into a general ability score. Repeated-measures analysis of variance of the recall variables indicated that (a) high ability subjects outperformed low ability subjects, and (b) cooperative learning with map supplements had a mutually facilitative effect on the low ability subjects’ recall.

Learning concrete procedures: effects of processing strategies and cooperative learning

We examined the efficacy of a previously developed script for learning concrete procedures with more complex procedures than had previously been studied. The experiments examined the efficacy of peer cooperation in learning concrete procedures, the effects of learning about the necessary equipment prior to practicing the procedure, and the retention of procedural information over a 6-week delay. One hundred fourteen students participated in one of the following groups: no-script individuals, no-script dyads, simultaneous-script dyads, or successive-script dyads

Knowledge hypermaps and cooperative learning

Abstract The effects of scripted cooperation in two types of non-linear, computer-linked presentations (hypermap and hypertext) were investigated to determine differences in recall, reference accuracy and satisfaction among students learning the material. Cooperative scripts with pilot and navigator roles were developed for both environments, with the pilot using the computer presentation (hypermap and hypertext) and the navigator using large sheets of paper on which printouts of the screens (map or text) had been reproduced. No significant overall differences were found in performance on recall and reference tests. Significant differences among navigators were found in favor of the map group, indicating that maps may increase comprehension. Greater satisfaction and lower frustration was expressed by pilots than by navigators. Students using the map format expressed less frustration than those using the text format. The findings suggest a need for further study of the differential effects of hypermap and hypertext on comprehension, and of other forms of scripted cooperation in hypertext and hypermap environments.

Dyadic learning of technical material: Individual differences, social interaction, and recall

Abstract To examine the relationships among individual differences, interaction, and recall, students were paired with same-sex partners to read and study a passage describing a piece of technical equipment. This material included both procedural information (“how-to” statements) and structural/functional information (the organization and function of parts of the equipment). Both partners read the material, stopping periodically to summarize the information to one another. The verbal interactions of each of the pairs were audiotaped. Several individual difference measures were administered as well as free- and cued-recall tests over the studied material. Results revealed that verbal ability and field-independence were positively related to the recall of structural/functional information which included pictures of the equipment. Also, higher scores on a measure of “deep processing” (the ability to critically evaluate and compare and contrast information) facilitated the recall of procedural information. With regard to verbal interaction, it was found that those verbal utterances that were directly related to the content of the passage enhanced recall of the information presented visually. Several interpretations and implications of these results are discussed.

THE EFFECT OF TEXTUAL ERRORS ON DYADIC AND INDIVIDUAL LEARNING

The major objective of the present experiment was to assess the effects of textual errors on dyadic and individual learning. One hundred undergraduates were taught a four-step learning strategy, after which they studied a text passage either dyadically or individually. Half of the passages within both conditions contained syntactic errors. Total recall measures indicated that dyads performed better than individuals on recall of text in sections not containing errors, whereas the groups did not differ on recall of the material in text sections containing errors. Further, dyads outscored individuals on measures of recall of error location, error frequency, and perceived difficulty of the text sections which contained errors. In addition, subjective processing measures indicated that motivation and interest were strongly related to recall.

Promoting Functional Literacy through Cooperative Learning

The effects of cooperative learning strategy manipulations on the enactment and recall of a medical procedure were explored. One hundred and twenty-three college students completed the experiment. During training, participants were randomly assigned to a dyad in one of four conditions: (a) no-strategy, (b) baseline strategy, (c) prompting strategy, and (d) planning strategy. During testing, participants both performed and produced written recalls of the procedure instructions. Test order was counterbalanced within dyad. Training and test performances were videotaped. The planning group produced the best recalls and recalled more conditions of the procedure. The prompting group performed best. Recall of the procedure in all groups was enhanced by prior performance. However, performance was enhanced by prior recall in only two groups. The groups differed also in the nature of the transition from training to testing. Theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed.

The cooperative learner

Abstract The purpose of this article is to review a series of investigations conducted to assess the role that individual learner characteristics play in scripted cooperative learning. These results point to three general conclusions. First, individual differences have consistently been found to play an important role in determining the effectiveness of scripted cooperation. Students strong in cognitive skills, high in extroversion, and average in test anxiety appear to benefit most from this method. Second, the efficacy of this learning tool can be enhanced through the consideration of learner characteristics. For example, those low in cognitive abilities benefit most from scripted cooperation when paired with a partner who is strong in such skills. Third, Dansereaus (1986, 1988) CAMS model for group problem solving processes is largely supported by these results, in that three of the four components of the model (i.e., cognition, affect, and social processes) appear to have a significant impact in determining the effectiveness of cooperative learning, in terms of individual differences.