Olusola O. Adesope

Learning With Concept and Knowledge Maps: A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis reviews experimental and quasi-experimental studies in which students learned by constructing, modifying, or viewing node-link diagrams. Following an exhaustive search for studies meeting specified design criteria, 67 standardized mean difference effect sizes were extracted from 55 studies involving 5,818 participants. Students at levels ranging from Grade 4 to postsecondary used concept maps to learn in domains such as science, psychology, statistics, and nursing. Posttests measured recall and transfer. Across several instructional conditions, settings, and methodological features, the use of concept maps was associated with increased knowledge retention. Mean effect sizes varied from small to large depending on how concept maps were used and on the type of comparison treatment. Significant heterogeneity was found in most subsets.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Cognitive Correlates of Bilingualism

A number of studies have documented the cognitive outcomes associated with bilingualism. To gain a clear understanding of the extent and diversity of these cognitive outcomes, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of studies that examined the cognitive correlates of bilingualism. Data from 63 studies (involving 6,022 participants) were extracted and analyzed following established protocols and procedures for conducting systematic reviews and guidelines for meta-analysis. Results indicate that bilingualism is reliably associated with several cognitive outcomes, including increased attentional control, working memory, metalinguistic awareness, and abstract and symbolic representation skills. Overall mean effect sizes varied from small to large, depending on the cognitive outcomes measured, and were moderated by methodological features of the studies.

How Effective Are Pedagogical Agents for Learning? A Meta-Analytic Review.

Research on the use of software programs and tools such as pedagogical agents has peaked over the last decade. Pedagogical agents are on-screen characters that facilitate instruction. This meta-analysis examined the effect of using pedagogical agents on learning by reviewing 43 studies involving 3,088 participants. Analysis of the results indicated that pedagogical agents produced a small but significant effect on learning. The overall mean effect size was moderated by the contextual and methodological features of the studies. The findings revealed that the use of pedagogical agents were more beneficial for K-12 students than post-secondary students. Pedagogical agents that communicated with students using on-screen text facilitated learning more effectively than agents that communicated using narration. The findings of this study have implications for advancing theory and practice, as well as highlighting productive future directions for research.

A meta-analysis of the effects of audience response systems (clicker-based technologies) on cognition and affect

Audience Response Systems (ARS) are thought to be a good way of using technology to increase engagement in the classroom and have been widely adopted by many instructors seeking to improve academic performance through student engagement. While researchers have examined the degree to which they promote cognitive and non-cognitive learning outcomes in the classroom, most of their findings are largely mixed and inconclusive. This meta-analysis seeks to resolve the conflicting findings. Specifically, the meta-analysis compared classrooms that did, and did not use ARS-based technologies on different cognitive and non-cognitive learning outcomes to examine the potential effects of using ARS. Overall, we found small but significant effects of using ARS-based technologies on a number of desirable cognitive and non-cognitive learning outcomes. Further analysis revealed that knowledge domain, class size, and the use of clicker questions, are among factors that significantly moderated the summary effect sizes observed among the studies in the meta-analysis. These findings hold significant implication for the implementation of clicker-based technologies in the classroom. Clickers have a small but significant effect on cognitive learning outcomes.Clickers have a near medium effect on non-cognitive learning outcomes.These effects are moderated by a number of moderators.Findings have implication for instructional design and research.

Pedagogical strategies for teaching literacy to ESL immigrant students: A meta‐analysis

BACKGROUND Many countries rely on immigrants for population growth and to maintain a skilled workforce. However, many such immigrants face literacy-related barriers to success in education and in the labour force. AIMS This meta-analysis reviews experimental and quasi-experimental studies to examine strategies for teaching English literacy to immigrant students. METHOD Following an exhaustive and systematic search for studies meeting pre-determined inclusion criteria, two researchers independently extracted data from 26 English as a Second Language (ESL) studies involving 3,150 participants. These participants consisted of ESL immigrant students in kindergarten through grade 6 who were exposed to English literacy instructional interventions. Measured outcomes were reading and writing. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Mean effect sizes vary from small to large, depending on instructional interventions and outcome constructs. Across several different grade levels, settings, and methodological features, pedagogical strategies used in teaching ESL to immigrant students are associated with increased competence in reading and writing. Collaborative reading interventions, in which peers engage in oral interaction and cooperatively negotiate meaning and a shared understanding of texts, produced larger effects than systematic phonics instruction and multimedia-assisted reading interventions. The results show that the pedagogical strategies examined in this meta-analysis produced statistically significant benefits for students in all grade levels. The findings also show that students from low socio-economic status (SES) background benefit from ESL literacy interventions. However, significant heterogeneity was found in each subset. Educators and policy makers are encouraged to consider specific school contexts when making decisions about optimal pedagogical strategies. It is possible that contextual factors as well as ESL learner characteristics may influence the effectiveness of these strategies. To ensure literacy acquisition for immigrant students whose primary language is not English, it is important to continue to research successful literacy practices in ways that better inform educators and policy makers.

A Systematic Review of Pedagogical Agents’ Persona, Motivation, and Cognitive Load Implications for Learners

Abstract After more than a decade of pedagogical agent research, this review synthesizes the affective implications of learning with pedagogical agents. The review investigates different affective measures within 99 pedagogical agent outcome measures. The results suggest that learners may prefer pedagogical agents compared to non-agent control conditions, and pedagogical agents may provide motivational benefits for some populations under certain conditions. However, it is unclear whether pedagogical agents impose extraneous cognitive load. Overall, consistent with research around learning outcomes (Mayer, Dow, & Mayer, 2003), the results suggest that the image of the agent may not be necessary for the learner to receive the affective benefits of the interaction. We delineate limitations of the current study and future research directions.

Learning from Animated Concept Maps with Concurrent Audio Narration

An animated concept map is a presentation of a network diagram in which nodes and links are sequentially added or modified. An experiment compared learning from animated concept maps and text by randomly assigning 133 undergraduates to study 1 of 4 narrated animations presenting semantically equivalent information accompanied by identical audio narration. Two of the animations presented text; one with concurrent audio and another with delayed audio. Two of the animations presented concept maps; one in black and white and the other with nodes colored to represent semantic relatedness. The concept map groups outperformed the text groups on free recall (p < .05). The black-and-white concept map group outperformed the text groups on a multiple-choice knowledge test (p < .05). No advantages were statistically detected for color enhancements of the animated map. The results indicate that verbal information can be effectively communicated by learner-paced animated concept maps accompanied by audio narrations.

Rethinking the Use of Tests: A Meta-Analysis of Practice Testing:

The testing effect is a well-known concept referring to gains in learning and retention that can occur when students take a practice test on studied material before taking a final test on the same material. Research demonstrates that students who take practice tests often outperform students in nontesting learning conditions such as restudying, practice, filler activities, or no presentation of the material. However, evidence-based meta-analysis is needed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the conditions under which practice tests enhance or inhibit learning. This meta-analysis fills this gap by examining the effects of practice tests versus nontesting learning conditions. Results reveal that practice tests are more beneficial for learning than restudying and all other comparison conditions. Mean effect sizes were moderated by the features of practice tests, participant and study characteristics, outcome constructs, and methodological features of the studies. Findings may guide the use of practice tests to advance student learning, and inform students, teachers, researchers, and policymakers. This article concludes with the theoretical and practical implications of the meta-analysis.

Efficacy beliefs, job satisfaction, stress and their influence on the occupational commitment of English-medium content teachers in the Dominican Republic

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of efficacy, job satisfaction, job stress and their influence on the occupational commitment of English-medium content teachers. A total of 109 practicing English-medium and Spanish-medium content teachers from the Dominican Republic volunteered to participate in the study. Findings suggest both teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy measures were inversely but significantly correlated with occupational commitment and positively correlated with job satisfaction. The results also showed significant differences between English-medium and Spanish-medium content teachers’ self-efficacy, job satisfaction, job stress and occupational commitment. These findings have significant implications for advancing theory and practice. Recommendations for further research are discussed.

How Effective are Intelligent Tutoring Systems in Computer Science Education

A meta-analysis on the effectiveness of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) in computer science education compared the learning outcomes of ITS and non-ITS instruction. A search of the literature found 22 effect sizes (involving 1,447 participants) that met the pre-defined inclusion criteria. Although most of the ITS were used to teach programming, other topics such as database design and computer literacy were also represented. There was a significant overall effect size favoring the use of ITS. There was a significant advantage of ITS over teacher-led classroom instruction and non-ITS computer-based instruction. ITS were more effective than the instructional methods to which they were compared regardless of whether they modeled misconceptions and regardless of whether they were the primary means of instruction or were an integrated component of learning activities that included other means of instruction.