Ming Puu Chen

A computer game as a context for non-routine mathematical problem solving: The effects of type of question prompt and level of prior knowledge

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of type of question prompt and level of prior knowledge on non-routine mathematical problem solving. A computer game was blended within the pattern reasoning tasks, along with question prompts, in order to demonstrate and enhance the connections between viable problem-solving strategies and the content knowledge in a visible manner. Seventy-eight 9th graders from two classes in a public junior high school participated in the 6-week experimental instruction. Participants were randomly assigned to the specific-prompt group and the general-prompt group to receive the one-hour weekly treatment. The results revealed that (a) the interaction of question prompts and prior knowledge was not significant, and (b) for the problem-solving performances, the specific-prompt group outperformed the general-prompt group and the high prior-knowledge group outperformed the low prior-knowledge group. Further, students receiving specific prompts outperformed those receiving general prompts in the problem-solving performance: reasoning for two variables. Students with high prior knowledge outperformed those with low prior knowledge in the two problem-solving performances: reasoning for one variable and reasoning for two variables. It was also found that prior knowledge and comprehensive mathematical ability were important predictors for the two problem-solving performances: reasoning for one variable and reasoning for two variables. However question prompts and mathematics attitude were not significant predictors for predicting the problem-solving performance of reasoning for one variable. Lastly, implications for these results and recommendations for future research were discussed.

The Effects of Goal Specificity and Scaffolding on Programming Performance and Self-Regulation in Game Design.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of goal specificity and scaffolding on the programming performance and self-regulation of elementary students engaged in learning game design. This study recruited 232 students for the experimental activities. Two levels of goal specificity were employed: specific and nonspecific. Structuring and problematizing scaffolds were also used to support students in the process of learning. Our results reveal the following: (1) nonspecific goals and structuring scaffolds led to superior comprehension of programming, (2) nonspecific goals with problematizing scaffolds led to better problem-solving performance, (3) problematizing scaffolds were more effective than structuring scaffolds in the development of self-regulation behavior, and (4) nonspecific goals were more effective than specific goals in the promotion of resource management associated with self-regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Game-play as Knowledge Transformation Process for Learning

Through a pedagogically meaningful process of game-play, content, skills and attitudes can be integrated in the gaming environment to engage learners and enhance learning by game-play. This study examined the process of game-play from the perspective of knowledge transformation. Pedagogical perspectives were proposed to serve as learning frameworks for learning from game-play. It is suggested that effective knowledge transformation in the learners can be achieved by means of deliberate design of the game-play process as well as the role of the learners.

The Effects of Prior Computer Experience and Gender on High School Students' Learning of Computer Science Concepts from Instructional Simulations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of prior computer knowledge and gender on high school novices’ learning of computer science concepts from instructional simulations designed based an experiential-based pedagogical perspective. There were 94 10th-graders taking the introductory course on computer science identified as the low and high prior computer knowledge in this study. Participants’ motivation and perceived-usefulness toward the employed instructional simulations and performance were evaluated. A quasi-experimental study was employed to examine the effects of prior computer knowledge and gender on dependent measures. The results indicated that (a) the high-prior-knowledge learners possessed higher motivation and perceived-usefulness toward the employed instructional simulations, (b) males revealed higher motivation and perceived-usefulness than females, (c) females outperformed males on the performance evaluation, and finally, (d) the low prior computer knowledge learners performed as well as the high-prior-knowledge learners while learning from instructional simulations.

Enhancing AR-based Science Exploration through Learning Cycle

The purpose of this study was to explore whether employing a learning cycle model helps students science exploration within an AR-based environment. Two types of guiding strategies were implemented within the learning cycle, including the procedural guidance and the question guidance. A pilot test was conducted to examine the design of AR-based science exploration using a learning cycle framework and the effect of type of guidance on participants learning performance and attitudes. The results revealed that when learning from the augmented-reality environment, the question-guidance group achieved better knowledge application performance than the procedural-guidance group and learners of both groups showed positive attitudes toward the employed learning activity.

Effects of Question Prompts and Self-explanation on Database Problem Solving in a Peer Tutoring Context

In the prior research, using the computing system (HCCS) indeed identified the gaps between doing and knowing when students learned concepts and performed problem solving tasks of database management. To bridge the emerged gaps by interacting with well-designed question prompts and self-explanations treatments, the purpose of this study is to examine the effects of question prompts, self-explanation, and the interaction of question prompts and self-explanation on undergraduate students’ database conceptual knowledge and problem solving performance in a peer tutoring context. One hundred and fifty-one undergraduates from three classes in a private university participated in the 8-week experimental instruction. The results reveals that (a) the interaction of question prompts and self-explanation was not significant, and (b) for the problem solving performances, the integral question prompt group outperformed the gradual question prompt group and the scenario-based self-explanation group outperformed the elaboration-based self-explanation group.

The Relationships of Social Economic Status and Learners' Motivation and Performance in Learning from a Game-Design Project

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships of social economic status (SES) and learners¡¦ motivation and performance in a game-design project. There were 362 junior high school students participated in the game-design project. The 4W strategy was employed to help learners understand who, where, when and how to operate the stage and sprite in the game-design activity. The game design topics include design of sprites, move sprites, sensing sprites and scoring. The results showed that the 4W strategy could facilitate high SES learners to comprehend and apply the programming concepts into project production. The high SES learner possessed higher learning motivation and outperformed the low SES learners on project performance. However, how to improve low SES learners¡¦ motivation and performance needs to be further investigated.