Tim N. Höffler

The role of spatial ability in learning from instructional animations - Evidence for an ability-as-compensator hypothesis

In two experiments, the role of spatial ability in learning from an instructional animation versus a series of static pictures was studied. In both experiments, a statistical interaction of spatial ability and type of visualization was obtained: Low-spatial ability students showed poor learning outcome when learning from pictures while high-spatial students did not; when learning from animation, however, learning outcome was independent from spatial ability. The results are in line with an ability-as-compensator hypothesis which states that constructing mental animations from non-dynamic materials needs spatial ability; with animated learning materials, however, spatial ability is not required. No overall differences between static pictures and animation were found.

Effects of pacing and cognitive style across dynamic and non-dynamic representations

The effects of self-pacing versus system-pacing were examined in different versions of a computer-based learning environment (static pictures/animations). The role of cognitive style was also considered. While the variables investigated did not have a direct impact on either learning outcome or cognitive load, significant interaction effects were found. Concerning the difference between self- and system-pacing, results suggested that for animations, self-pacing was - as expected - effective, while for static pictures, the opposite was true. With respect to the difference between animations and static pictures, analyses showed that learners tending toward a visual cognitive style learned significantly better with animations than with static pictures. For learners tending toward a verbal style, learning outcomes were descriptively better with static pictures, although in that case the difference between animations and static pictures did not reach significance. The results indicate that self-pacing as a feature of learning environments is not universally advantageous, and highlight the importance of considering the role of individual learning differences such as cognitive style when choosing or developing computer-based learning environments. The findings are discussed considering contemporary theories of cognitive load and multimedia learning.

Profiling interest of students in science: Learning in school and beyond

Background: Interest is assumed to be relevant for students’ learning processes. Many studies have investigated students’ interest in science; most of them however have not offered differentiated insights into the structure and elements of this interest. Purpose: The aim of this study is to obtain a precise image of secondary school students’ interest for school and out-of-school learning opportunities, both formal and informal. The study is part of a larger project on measuring the students’ Individual Concept about the Natural Sciences (ICoN), including self-efficacy, beliefs and achievements next to interest variables. Sample: Next to regular school students, a specific cohort will be analyzed as well: participants of science competitions who are regarded as having high interest, and perhaps different interest profiles than regular students. In the study described here, participants of the International Junior Science Olympiad (N = 133) and regular students from secondary schools (N = 305), age cohorts 10 to 17 years, participated. Design and methods: We adapted Holland’s well-established RIASEC-framework to analyze if and how it can also be used to assess students’ interest within science and in-school and out-of-school (leisure-time and enrichment) activities. The resulting questionnaire was piloted according to quality criteria and applied to analyze profiles of different groups (boys – girls, contest participants – non-participants). Results: The RIASEC-adaption to investigate profiles within science works apparently well for school and leisure-time activities. Concerning the interest in fostering measures, different emphases seem to appear. More research in this field needs to be done to adjust measures better to students’ interests and other pre-conditions in the future. Contrasting different groups like gender and participation in a junior science contest uncovered specific interest profiles. Conclusions: The instrument seems to offer a promising approach to identify different interest profiles for different environments and groups of students. Based on the results, further studies will be carried out to form a solid foundation for the design of enrichment measures.

Fostering today what is needed tomorrow: Investigating students’ interest in science

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the structure of German sixth‐grade students’ interest in science (N = 474; age 11–12 years) by considering different subject‐related contexts (biology, chemistry, and physics) and different activities. Confirmatory factor analysis models were designed to validate the hypothetical structure of interest, connecting the whole spectrum of early school science with Hollands RIASEC model, and revealed that students’ interest in science is best described by a cross‐classified model with latent context and activity factors. Students were most interested in investigative and hands‐on activities in all contexts. Despite the young age group, there were significant gender differences with regard to interest in contexts and interest in activities. For example, girls were more interested in artistic and realistic activities among most contexts and generally in the biological context. Surprisingly, boys were more interested in social physics activities than girls. This paper discusses implications for future research, for school science curricula as well as for how to engage students in science with particular emphasis on gender differences.

The role of process information in narrations while learning with animations and static pictures

The role of process information in annotating narrations used for learning with animations compared to static pictures is examined. In two experiments, seventh and eighth graders from German high schools were randomly assigned to learning environments which differed in the combination of visualization (no visualization vs. static pictures vs. animation) and type of narration (no narration vs. non-process narration vs. process narration). Results revealed that visualizations were necessary for this kind of instructional material to gain a deeper understanding. Moreover, the results consistently show a significant superiority of animations over static pictures. Concerning narrations, results display a significant superiority of process descriptions only in Experiment 1. Contrary to prior assumptions, the interaction of specific information in narrations with the type of visualizations was not significant. Animations are superior to static pictures when learning chemical processes.The presence of visualizations and the presence of narrations facilitated learning.Type of narrations does not moderate learning with animations and static pictures.

Interest in science: a RIASEC-based analysis of students’ interests

ABSTRACT Considering the reported lack of interest in the STEM-domain and the consequential difficulties in recruiting talented and interested young academics, the development of effective enrichment measures is indispensable. This requires a precise picture of students’ interests. The paper presents an approach to characterize interest profiles in explicitly science-related activities. Adapting Hollands RIASEC-model, an instrument was developed and tested which allows the description of interest in activities along Hollands dimensions (and a seventh dimension networking) within the confined science domain. The findings of a study with N = 247 students (age cohorts 12–19 years) uncovered interest differences for the environments school, enrichment, and (prospective) vocation. The mutual importance of the performed activity and the environment the activity is performed in is confirmed by a cross-classified model. Contrasting different subgroups revealed multiple results, e.g., girls showed more interest in artistic and social activities within the science domain. High achieving students showed more interest in science-related activities in all dimensions. In conclusion, using our adapted model, students’ interest structure can be described in a differentiated manner. This could lay the foundation for further analyses of students’ interest profiles and thereby contribute to future development of effective and congruent enrichment measures, thus enhancing interest in science.

More Evidence for Three Types of Cognitive Style: Validating the Object‐Spatial Imagery and Verbal Questionnaire Using Eye Tracking when Learning with Texts and Pictures

Summary There is some indication that people differ regarding their visual and verbal cognitive style. The Object‐Spatial Imagery and Verbal Questionnaire (OSIVQ) assumes a three‐dimensional cognitive style model, which distinguishes between object imagery, spatial imagery and verbal dimensions. Using eye tracking as a means to observe actual gaze behaviours when learning with text–picture combinations, the current study aims to validate this three‐dimensional assumption by linking the OSIVQ to learning behaviour. The results largely confirm the model in that they show the expected correlations between results on the OSIVQ, visuo‐spatial ability and learning behaviour. Distinct differences between object visualizers, spatial visualizers and verbalizers could be demonstrated.© 2016 The Authors Applied Cognitive Psychology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The effectiveness of a project day to introduce sixth grade students to science competitions

Abstract Background: Science Olympiads and science fairs are effective instruments to foster interested and talented students. However, at most schools competitions are not systematically integrated into the school mission statement so that students are unaware of these opportunities. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a newly designed competition day in terms of willingness to participate in a science competition and to learn more about students’ reasons for a prospective participation. Programme description: A project day (called ‘competition day’) for students in sixth grade was designed to encourage and motivate more students to participate in science competitions. The theoretical foundations for the design are self-determination theory and an adapted version of Holland’s RIASEC-model. Sample: The sample consisted of 474 German sixth grade students from six secondary schools. Design and methods: A pre-post-follow up-study was conducted with two intervention groups; both groups participated in the competition day and either entered a fictive competition or worked on the same tasks in school lessons. One control group not participating in the competition day was also investigated. Results: The results provide information regarding students’ interests, as well as reasons for and against participating in competitions. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the competition day is shown. Conclusions: The competition day is an effective way to introduce students to competitions and raise their willingness to participate in science contests. Combining the competition day with science competitions showed even better results. This supports the call for continuous fostering strategies.