Vincent Hoogerheide

Comparing the effects of worked examples and modeling examples on learning

Two experiments examined how the design of examples affects learning.Written text+picture, auditory text+picture, and demonstration examples were compared.Adolescents learned how to solve probability calculation problems from these examples.Results showed that all examples were equally effective and efficient for learning.Presence of human models did not influence self-efficacy or perceived competence. Example-based learning is an effective instructional strategy for students with low prior knowledge, and is increasingly being used in online learning environments. However, examples can take many different forms and little is known about whether and how form affects learning outcomes. Therefore, this study investigated whether worked examples and modeling examples with and without a visible model would be equally effective in fostering learning of a problem-solving task. In Experiment 1, secondary education students (N=78) learned how to solve a probability calculation problem by watching two videos that, depending on the assigned condition, provided worked examples (written text, pictures of problem states), modeling examples with a visible model (spoken text, a demonstration of the task), or modeling examples without a visible model (spoken text, pictures of problem states). Results showed that all three conditions were equally effective at fostering learning, near transfer, effort reduction, self-efficacy, and perceived competence. Experiment 2 (N=134) replicated these results with a younger student population that only studied one example. These findings suggest that the format of examples does not affect learning outcomes for this task; future research should investigate whether this would generalize to other problem-solving tasks.

It's All a Matter of Perspective: Viewing First-Person Video Modeling Examples Promotes Learning of an Assembly Task.

The present study tests whether presenting video modeling examples from the learner’s (first-person) perspective promotes learning of an assembly task, compared to presenting video examples from a third-person perspective. Across 2 experiments conducted in different labs, university students viewed a video showing how to assemble an 8-component circuit on a circuit board. Students who viewed the assembly video recorded from a first-person perspective performed significantly better than those who viewed the video from a third-person perspective on accuracy in assembling the circuit in both experiments and on time to assemble the circuit in Experiment 1, but not in Experiment 2. Concerning boundary conditions, the perspective effect was stronger for more complex tasks (Experiment 1), but was not moderated by imitating the actions during learning (Experiment 1) or explaining how to build the circuit during the test (Experiment 2). This work suggests a perspective principle for instructional video in which students learn better when video reflects a first-person perspective. An explanation based on embodied theories of learning and instruction is provided.

Testing the model-observer similarity hypothesis with text-based worked examples

abstract Example-based learning is a very effective and efficient instructional strategy for novices. It can be implemented using text-based worked examples that provide a written demonstration of how to perform a task, or (video) modelling examples in which an instructor (the ‘model’) provides a demonstration. The model-observer similarity (MOS) hypothesis predicts that the effectiveness of modelling examples partly depends on the degree to which learners perceive the models to be similar to them. It is an open question, however, whether perceived similarity with the person who created the example, would also affect learning from text-based worked examples. Therefore, two experiments were conducted to investigate whether MOS would also play a role in learning from worked examples. In Experiment 1 (N = 147), students were led to believe via pictures and a short story that the worked examples were created by a male or female peer student. Males showed higher performance and confidence, but no effects of MOS on learning were found. In Experiment 2 (N = 130), students were led to believe that a peer student or a teacher created the examples. Again, no effects of MOS were found. These findings suggest that the perceived origin of text-based worked examples is not important for learning.

Enhancing example-based learning: Teaching on video increases arousal and improves problem-solving performance.

Recent findings show that after studying a text, teaching the learned content on video to a fictitious peer student improves learning more than restudying the content. This benefit may be in part due to increased arousal associated with the teaching activity. The present experiment investigated whether teaching on video is also effective for acquiring problem-solving skills from worked examples, and explored the role of cognitive load, worry, and arousal. Participants (N = 61 university students) first studied two worked examples on electrical circuits troubleshooting and completed a practice problem. Then they either taught the content of a worked example of the practice problem on video (teaching condition) or studied that worked example (control condition) for the same amount of time. Self-reported cognitive load was measured after each task and self-reported worry after the final task. Effects on arousal were explored via the Empatica wristband measuring electrodermal activity (EDA; i.e., galvanic skin response). Teaching the content of the worked example on video was not associated with more worry, but did result in higher perceived cognitive load, more arousal, and better performance on isomorphic and transfer problems on the posttest. Although this finding has to be interpreted with caution, teaching also seemed to moderate the effect of prior knowledge on transfer that was present in the study condition. This suggests that teaching is particularly effective for students who initially have low prior knowledge.

How to bring the news … peak-end effects in children’s affective responses to peer assessments of their social behavior

ABSTRACT The retrospective evaluation of an event tends to be based on how the experience felt during the most intense moment and the last moment. Two experiments tested whether this so-called peak-end effect influences how primary school students are affected by peer assessments. In both experiments, children (ages 7–12) assessed two classmates on their behaviour in school and then received two manipulated assessments. In Experiment 1 (N  = 30), one assessment consisted of four negative ratings and the other of four negative ratings with an extra moderately negative rating added to the end. In Experiment 2 (N  = 44), one assessment consisted of four positive ratings, and the other added an extra moderately positive rating to the end. Consistent with the peak-end effect, the extended assessment in Experiment 1 and the short assessment in Experiment 2 were remembered as more pleasant and less difficult to deal with, which shaped children’s peer assessment preferences and prospective choices of which assessment to repeat. These findings indicate that the process of peer assessment can be improved by ending the feedback with the most positive part of the assessment.