Dialogue between theories interpreted as research praxeologies: the case of APOS and the ATD

The notion of “praxeology” from the anthropological theory of the didactic (ATD) can be used as a framework to approach what has recently been called the networking of theories in mathematics education. Theories are interpreted as research praxeologies, and different modalities of “dialogues” between research praxeologies are proposed, based on alternatively considering the main features and proposals of one theory from the perspective of the other. To illustrate this networking methodology, we initiate a dialogue between APOS (action-process-object-schema) and the ATD itself. It starts from the theoretical component of both research praxeologies followed by the technological and technical ones. Both dialogue modalities and the resulting insights are illustrated, and the elements of APOS and the ATD that the dialogue can promote and develop are underlined. The results found indicate that a complete dialogue taking into account all components of research praxeologies appears as an unavoidable step in the networking of research praxeologies.     

Research on the effectiveness of computer-based instruction: A review

This article reviews the research on the effectiveness of computer-based instruction (CBI) conducted over the past two decades. Using student achievement as a dependent measure, research on CBI is reviewed under the headings of evaluative studies, summaries of the proportion of studies favourable and unfavourable to CBI (‘box-score reviews’) and meta-analyses. Conclusions are drawn as to the effectiveness of CBI with regard to academic and social achievement. Finally, a cost-analysis of CBI is provided.     

Evidence for confounding in computer-based instruction studies: Analyzing the meta-analyses

A thirty percent sample of the computer-based instruction (CBI) studies meta-analyzed by Kulik et al was examined for evidence of confounding. The purpose of the analysis was to explore the validity of competing claims about the contribution of the computer to measured achievement gains found in CBI studies. Some of these claims propose that CBI effects are overestimated and others argue that CBI effects are underestimated. The result of the analysis strongly suggests that achievement gains found in these CBI studies are overestimated and are actually due to the uncontrolled but robust instructional methods embedded in CBI treatments. It is argued that these methods may be delivered by other media with achievement gains comparable to those reported for computers. Construct validity cautions are offered for those who wish to use meta-analytic results as evidence for implementing CBI in schools and for the design of future CBI research.     

Visual displays and contextual presentations in computer-based instruction

The effects of two instructional strategies, visual display and contextual presentation, were investigated in the acquisition of electronic troubleshooting skills using computer-based instruction. Three types of visual displays (animation, static graphics with motion cues, and static graphics without motion cues) were used to represent structures and functions of electronic circuits and trouble-shooting procedures. The first hypothesis was that animation would be more effective than static graphics, but that static graphics with adequate motional cues representing the dynamic aspects of the task would accomplish results similar to animation. Results supported this hypothesis. The second hypothesis was that context-dependent instruction would be more efficient than context-independent instruction for solving problems in similar contexts, but that context independent instruction would be more effective in solving problems encountered in different contexts. The results supported this hypothesis. A general conclusion of this study is that the use of visual displays and contextual presentation should be based on the learning requirements of the task and the expected roles of the strategy in the learning.When this study was conducted, he was with the U.S. Army Research Institute. The opinions expressed herein are the author's and do not express or imply the views of the U.S. Department of Education or the U.S. Army Research Institute.     

Towards a theory of instruction in the 1980s

The purpose of this article is to provide a historical perspective on the contributions of learning and instruction to instructional theory and to discuss some of the major obstacles currently inhibiting the growth of “Instructional Theory.” Some suggestions for future development of this discipline are provided. In clarifying the impediments to instructional theories' development, heavy reliance is placed upon the process of theory construction as perceived by philosophers of the natural and social sciences. Some comments are made regarding the appropriate use of instructional theory in developing nations.     

Selective use of animation and feedback in computer-based instruction

The effects of two computer-based instructional strategies—visual display and feedback type—were investigated in the acquisition of electronic troubleshooting skills. Animation was used to simulate the functional behaviors of electronic circuits and to demonstrate the troubleshooting procedures. The first hypothesis tested was that animated visual displays would be more effective than static visual displays if animation was selectively used to support the specific learning requirements of a given task. Results supported this hypothesis by showing that college students in the animated visual display condition needed significantly fewer trials than those in the static visual display condition. The second hypothesis was that the effectiveness of intentionally mediated feedback (knowledge of results or explanatory information) would be minimal if natural feedback—the system's automatic functional reaction to external inputs—was available and the subject had the basic knowledge needed to understand the system functions. The results supported this hypothesis. Overall, this study implies that instructional strategies, including visual displays and feedback, should be applied selectively based on the specific learning requirements of a given task. he works at ARI as a research fellow of the Universities of the Washington Metropolitan area. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not express or imply the views of the U. S. Army Research Institute or the Department of Defense. The authors would like to thank Eric C. Neiderman and Reginald Hopkins for their assistance with this study.     

Learner preferences and prior knowledge in learner-controlled computer-based instruction

This study examined the effects of prior knowledge, learner preference for control, and type of control (learner or program) on the achievement of middle-school students in a computer-based instructional program on adding and subtracting integers. Students were blocked by preference-for-control scores and randomly assigned to either a learner-control or program-control version of instruction. A significant three-way interaction (prior knowledge × preference scores × type of control) revealed that students with high prior knowledge achieved better on the posttest when their preference for control was matched with the type of control they received, whereas students with low prior knowledge achieved better when their preference was mismatched. A significant three-way interaction on attitude reflected the same pattern found in the interaction for achievement scores. The overall results indicate that matching learner preference to the type of program they receive is an effective strategy for high-prior-knowledge students but not for those with low prior knowledge.

Item difficulty in the evaluation of computer-based instruction: an example from neuroanatomy

This article reports large item effects in a study of computer-based learning of neuroanatomy. Outcome measures of the efficiency of learning, transfer of learning, and generalization of knowledge diverged by a wide margin across test items, with certain sets of items emerging as particularly difficult to master. In addition, the outcomes of comparisons between instructional methods changed with the difficulty of the items to be learned. More challenging items better differentiated between instructional methods. This set of results is important for two reasons. First, it suggests that instruction may be more efficient if sets of consistently difficult items are the targets of instructional methods particularly suited to them. Second, there is wide variation in the published literature regarding the outcomes of empirical evaluations of computer-based instruction. As a consequence, many questions arise as to the factors that may affect such evaluations. The present article demonstrates that the level of challenge in the material that is presented to learners is an important factor to consider in the evaluation of a computer-based instructional system.     

Naturalistic inquiry and computer-based instruction: Rationale,procedures, and potential

The naturalistic paradigm offers exceptional promise for gaining the detailed, context-bound information necessary to understand the effectiveness of computer-based instruction (CBI) as it is experienced in classroom settings. Such an understanding is critical to the development of principles for designing courseware that meets the needs of the teachers and students who are its ultimate consumers. In this article, the author discusses the most significant theoretical assumptions of the paradigm as they relate to the nature of CBI and to the current needs of the field. Also described are several methods of naturalistic data collection and analysis that can be operationalized in an investigation of students' and teachers' interactions with instructional dimensions of courseware. The author suggests the kinds of insights the naturalistic paradigm can yield and the ways in which those insights can be incorporated into empirically based principles of courseware design.     

The technological gender gap: Evidence and recommendations for educators and computer-based instruction designers

The term technological gender gap refers to the idea that males and females have different technology-related attitudes, behaviors, and skills. This article reviews the mounting evidence documenting the existence of a gender gap, which, if ignored, could render large numbers of female students unprepared to meet the technological challenges of the future. Recommendations for ameliorating the technological gender gap are presented for educators and computer-based instruction (CBI) designers who are interested in providing equitable educational opportunities for male and female students.     

Effect of adaptive advisement on perception in learner-controlled,computer-based instruction using a rule-learning task

The proposition that learner control of instruction can be facilitated by directly affecting the student’s perception of learning need was investigated. Students in one experimental condition were continuously advised during instruction of their learning performance and needs (amount and sequence of content) in relationship to the desired acquisition of rules at a given mastery criterion and were allowed to make instructional decisions. It was hypothesized that this condition would prove more effective on posttest performance than conditions without advisement — either partial learner control or conventional learner control. Results are discussed in reference to an information-processing approach to the design of computer-based instruction.     

实验与理论教学一体化探析

论述了实验教学与教师及教学方法的关系,并指出实验与理论教学一体化的教学模式是解决当前高校实验教学存在问题的根本方法,从而对其内涵、特点及意义做了必要的论述,并且对基于实验与理论教学一体化的教材体系建设、教师队伍建设进行了阐述,并阐述了实施这一教学模式的看法。     

Problems with learning from computer-based simulations: a case study in economics

This article reports research into student learning from a computer-based simulation in economics. The author argues that learning can be restricted by ambiguities in feedback and by sheer information overload. This view is supported by empirical evidence.     

Intrinsic integration in learning games and virtual instruction

This paper responds to a 2016 systematic literature review of the research on learning games by Ke (Educ Technol Res Dev 64(2):219–244, 2016). The review paper unpacked the idea of intrinsic integration in learning games, analyzing important emergent themes. The key ideas and the value of this review are discussed in the context of the recent shift to virtual instruction. The limitations, impact, and future implications are also described, with the perspective of this response focused on education theory. Intrinsic integration is an important consideration when designers create the next generation of digital games, and as researchers try to untangle the affordances of different educational games for student learning.

     

Uses and effects of learner control of context and instructional support in computer-based instruction

The present study examines uses and effects of learner-control of the context or theme of practice examples on a statistics lesson in combination with learner control of the number of examples examined. Subjects were 227 undergraduate students assigned to 15 treatments formed by crossing five context conditions (learner control, education, business, sports, no-context) with three instructional support conditions (learner-control, maximum, minimum). No differences in achievement were attained as a function of either treatment variable. Findings showed, however, that learners who received preferred contexts (i.e., learner-control-context subjects) selected a greater number of examples than those who received prescribed contexts. In addition, achievement was positively related to the frequency with which subjects varied the number of examples selected across lessons. Despite the absence of achievement benefits, the learner-control-context strategy elicited highly favorable student reactions as a learning orientation.     

The relative effectiveness of learning options in multimedia computer-based fifth-grade spelling instruction

The study examined the effectiveness of learning options in two researcher-designed interactive multimedia instructional spelling programs, one offering predominantly behaviorist-visual learning options of the type employed by many current commercial spelling instructional programs and one offering predominantly cognitivist-phonological learning options of the type recommended by spelling research. The pretest-posttest control group study lasted one school month with students working each day for 10 minutes with their assigned computer program. Although both treatment groups demonstrated significant increases in spelling ability, there was no significant difference in adjusted posttest performance between the two groups. Examination of the influence of individual learning options in the two programs demonstrated that Spot It, a behaviorist-visual option, and Word Crunch, a cognitivist-phonological option, appear to account for most of the power in their treatments. The authors discuss how clusters of learning options affect performance and consider possible explanations for differences in relative effectiveness among learning options.This article reports Dr. Susan C. Goodling's dissertation work under him.     

English-medium instruction in Chinese higher education: a case study

With the relentless internationalization and marketization of higher education in the past decades, English has been increasingly adopted as a medium of instruction at universities across the world. Recent research, however, has shown that despite its various optimistically envisioned goals, English-medium instruction (EMI) is not without problems in practice. This article reports a case study of an EMI Business Administration program for undergraduate students at a major university of finance and economy in mainland China. Informed by Spolsky’s language policy framework, the study made a critical analysis of national/institutional policy statements and interviews with professors and students to uncover EMI-related language ideologies, language practices, and language management mechanisms. Findings evinced a complex interplay of these three constitutive components of language policy in the focal EMI program and revealed considerable misalignment between policy intentions and actual practices in the classroom. These findings raise concerns about the quality and consequences of EMI in Chinese higher education. The article concludes with recommendations for further research on EMI policies and practices in China.