Psychological foundations of instructional design for emerging computer-based instructional technologies: Part I

Computer-based instruction (CBI) has strong historical roots in behavioral psychology. In many cases, behavioral CBI is very effective in meeting instructional needs. Criticisms of CBI, centering around inadequate attention to higher-level learning, underline some of the shortcomings of rigid adherence to behavioral design paradigms. Recent advances in cognitive psychology have revealed alternatives rarely applied outside of experimental settings. Whereas both behavioral and cognitive influences are potentially important, few attempts have been made to extrapolate the contributions of both to the design of CBI. In this article, the contributions of behavioral and cognitive psychology to the design of CBI are reviewed and analyzed.     

Non-diagnostic intelligent tutoring systems: Teaching without student models

The keystones of traditional intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) have been complex procedures for student diagnosis and adaptive instruction based on diagnostic data. While some of these systems have been shown to be effective, they are also very expensive to develop. This paper describes another class of ITSs, non-diagnostic ITSs, which do little or no student diagnosis, and concentrate their intelligence in other areas. Intelligent features of non-diagnostic ITSs include: modeling of experts' reasoning processes and cognitive representations (often using graphic displays), coaching based on comparison of student and expert performance, and replays and summaries of student performance. While traditional diagnostic ITSs are usually intended to be used in a stand-alone fashion, non-diagnostic tutors are designed to facilitate collaborative learning among students and between teachers and students.This paper presents a framework for comparing the features of non-diagnostic and diagnostic tutors. A number of non-diagnostic and diagnostic ITSs are described, and data on the educational effectiveness of each type of ITS is presented along with estimates of the type and level of development work required for each. Finally, obstacles to wider use of non-diagnostic ITSs are discussed.     

Modeling the student in intelligent tutoring sytems: The promise of a new psychometrics

This paper reviews a number of relatively new and promising psychometric approaches to the problem of modeling student achievement (the student model) within intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). A shared characteristic of most ITSs is their need to estimate a model of the student's understanding of the domain, and use this model to modify and adapt subsequent instructional content and sequence. Sound cognitive diagnosis and the need to advance ITS technology require the development of student models that are integrated with cognitive theory and instructional science. A number of cognitively oriented psychometric approaches — including latent-trait models, statistical pattern recognition methods, and causal probabilistic networks — are described and discussed within the current ITS framework. As measurement-based student models are refined, we anticipate their compatibility with future generations of intelligent tutoring systems.     

Preparing CBI print‐based support material: an information/instructional design perspective

Computer‐based instructional (CBI) materials are frequently accompanied by student study guides. This report details Grant MacEwan Community College's experience in producing print‐based material to support its computer‐managed learning (CML) system. Thus the report is written from a CBI perspective, and attempts to place emphasis on the recognition of cognitive processes in the development of CBI and related materials. Grant MacEwan material has been developed using the instructional design principles promoted by Gagne and Briggs (1979). The first part of this report focuses on content organization. The ideas presented may be applicable to any setting requiring the development of independent study print support material.     

Matching Cognitive Styles to Computer-based Instruction: An Approach for Enhanced Learning in Electrical Engineering

An approach aimed at enhancing learning by matching individual students' preferred cognitive styles to computer-based instructional (CBI) material is presented. This approach was used in teaching some components of a third-year unit in an electrical engineering course at the Queensland University of Technology. Cognitive style characteristics of perceiving and processing information were considered. The bimodal nature of cognitive styles (analytic/imager, analytic/verbalizer, wholist/imager and wholist/verbalizer) was examined in order to assess the full ramification of cognitive styles on learning. In a quasi-experimental format, students' cognitive styles were analysed by cognitive style analysis (CSA) software. On the basis of the CSA results the system defaulted students to either matched or mismatched CBI material. The consistently better performance by the matched group suggests potential for further investigations where the limitations cited in this paper are eliminated. Analysing the differences between cognitive styles on individual test tasks also suggests that certain test tasks may better suit certain cognitive styles.     

内容教学法对高职英语学习者学习动机、学习兴趣和学习焦虑影响研究

本研究在认知及教育心理学理论框架内探讨内容教学法对高职高专英语学习者的学习动机、学习兴趣和学习焦虑的影响。研究采用定性和定量相结合的研究范式,通过课堂观察、半结构化访谈、问卷调查及学生日志等研究工具采集相关数据。研究显示:内容教学法能够激发学生学习英语的动机,培养学生学习英语的兴趣,一定程度上降低学生的学习焦虑,同时能使学生的综合语言技能得到进一步提高。     

依托式教学对学生自我调控能力及成绩的影响——以商务英语为例

内容依托式教学旨在将语言学习与学科知识相结合,在提高学生学科知识水平和认知能力的同时,促进其语言能力发展.文章主要探讨依托式教学模式对商务英语课堂中学生自我调控能力发展的影响及自我调控能力与英语成绩间的关系.通过对问卷、测试和访谈等数据的定量和定性分析,结果表明,依托式教学对学生的自我调控能力产生了非常显著的积极影响,而自我调控能力与英语成绩之间也有着较为显著的相关关系.     

Beyond intelligent tutoring systems: Using computers as METAcognitive tools to enhance learning?

Framed by the existing theoretical andempirical research on cognitive and intelligenttutoring systems (ITSs), this commentaryexplores two areas not directly or extensivelyaddressed by Akhras and Self (this issue). Thefirst area focuses on the lack of conceptualclarity of the proposed constructivist stanceand its related constructs (e.g., affordances,situations). Specifically, it is argued that aclear conceptualization of the novelconstructivist stance needs to be delineated bythe authors before an evaluation of theirambitious proposal to model situationscomputationally in intelligent learningenvironments (ILEs) can be achieved. The secondarea of exploration deals with the similaritiesbetween the proposed stance and existingapproaches documented in the cognitive,educational computing, and AI in educationliterature. I believe that the authors are at acrossroads, and that their article presents aninitial conceptualization of an important issuerelated to a constructivist-based approach tothe computational modeling of situations inILEs. However, conceptual clarity isdefinitively required in order for theirapproach to be adequately evaluated and used toinform the design of ILEs. As such, I invitethe authors to re-conceptualize their frameworkby addressing how their constructivist stancecan be used to address a particular researchagenda on the use of computers as metacognitivetools to enhance learning.     

The effectiveness of intelligent tutoring systems on K-12 students' reading comprehension: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of improving reading comprehension for students in K-12 classrooms using intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs), a computer-based learning environment that provides customizable and immediate feedback to the learner. Nineteen studies from 13 publications incorporating approximately 10 000 students were included in the final analysis; using robust variance estimation to account for statistical dependencies, the 19 studies yielded 88 effect size estimates. The meta-analysis indicated that the overall random effect size of ITSs on reading comprehension was 0.60 (using a mix of standardized and researcher-designed measures) with a 95% confidence interval 0.36 to 0.85 (p < 0.001). This review confirms previous studies comparing ITSs to human tutoring: ITSs produced a small effect size when compared to human tutoring (0.20, 0.02–0.38, p = 0.036, n = 21). All comparisons to human tutoring used standardized measures. This review also found that ITSs produced a larger effect size on reading comprehension when compared to traditional instruction (0.86) for mixed measures and (0.26) for standardized measures. These findings may be of interest to practitioners and policy makers seeking to improve reading comprehension using consistent and accessible ITSs. Recommendations for researchers include conducting studies to understand the difference between traditional and updated versions of ITSs and employing valid and reliable standardized tests and researcher-designed measures.     

Cognitively based models of courseware development

Many researchers are attempting to develop automated instructional design systems to guide subject matter experts through the courseware authoring process, a process that usually includes analysis, design, production, implementation, and maintenance. What is lacking in many existing efforts, however, is a systematic method for analyzing the interplay between user characteristics, the authoring environment, and the resulting quality of computer-based instruction (CBI). In this article, a cognitively oriented method for developing a useful and predictive model of the process of designing CBI is proposed, and its use in three small-scale case studies in Air Force training settings is reported.     

英语专业CBI改革中暗示性语法教学实证研究

文章以大连外国语学院英语专业基础阶段CBI暗示性语法改革实验为基础,运用了问卷,访谈和测试等研究方法,在内容依托教学的框架下,针对暗示性语法改革对学生的语法知识及应用能力的影响进行了实证研究。研究重点探讨了内容依托模式下语法教学的策略和可行性模式。研究结果表明,取消语法课对提高学生的语法水平起到了积极的促进作用;暗示性语法教学既关注内容教学,又关注语言教学。它对中国的英语专业的语法教学具有一定的启示意义。     

主题式CBI教学模式在商务英语精读教学中的可行性研究

本文简要介绍了CBI教学理念及主要教学模式,重点从课程定位、教学对象和教材三个方面对商务英语精读课程进行全面分析,旨在论证将主题式CBI教学模式应用在高校商务英语精读课程教学中是切实可行的。     

CBI在ESP教学中的应用

ESP（English for Special Purpose）指从事某种工作或职业所使用的英语。CBI（Content-based Instruction）是基于内容的语言教学理念,基本思想是通过在内容学习中对语言的使用来习得语言。CBI教学模式对于促进学科知识的增长,提高学生学习外语的动机等方面都有显著的成效。调查研究表明CBI模式对于改进ESP教学,提高ESP教学的实效性具有重要指导价值。     

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.     

A sequence of learning processes in an intelligent tutoring system from topic-related appraisals to learning gains

Although intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) are increasingly used, it is unclear which psychological processes precede students' learning gains. Using a pre- and posttest design, the present study examined a sequence of psychological processes informed by control value theory. We investigated (a) whether secondary school students' topic-related cognitive appraisals (value and control) affected their task-related affective (enjoyment and boredom) and cognitive (engagement and performance) outcomes while using the ITS and (b) whether task-related outcomes affected learning. Path analyses showed that students’ topic-related interest, but not perceived utility, personal importance or self-efficacy, was associated with task-related enjoyment. In turn, enjoyment showed reciprocal effects on and of engagement and ongoing task performance, which predicted final performance and, ultimately, learning gains. The influence of boredom, in contrast, was minimal along this sequence. More generally, the findings highlight the difficulty of establishing a clear pattern of sequential causation derived from control value theory for the current ITS context, with evidence demonstrating the systematic influence of confounders accounting for the predicted relations among components. Despite these limitations, we identified key psychological processes involving the contribution of affective and cognitive processes to learning in the ITS context.     

Techniques for Creating Computer-Based Instructional Text: Programming Languages,Authoring Languages,and Authoring Systems

This article examines the use of computers to deliver instructional text. The focus is on procedures for the creation of computer-based instruction (CBI) lessons. The development of CBI lessons is separated into two aspects: the design of the lesson and the authoring of the lesson. Three primary techniques for authoring CBI lessons are the use of general-purpose computer programming languages, CBI authoring languages, and CBI authoring systems. These authoring techniques are described, including the advantages and limitations of each. Authoring systems are divided into three categories according to the type of CBI lesson they will support. Considerations are given for selecting from among the authoring techniques. Emerging trends in authoring techniques are discussed.     

Community-based inquiry improves critical thinking in general education biology

National stakeholders are becoming increasingly concerned about the inability of college graduates to think critically. Research shows that, while both faculty and students deem critical thinking essential, only a small fraction of graduates can demonstrate the thinking skills necessary for academic and professional success. Many faculty are considering nontraditional teaching methods that incorporate undergraduate research because they more closely align with the process of doing investigative science. This study compared a research-focused teaching method called community-based inquiry (CBI) with traditional lecture/laboratory in general education biology to discover which method would elicit greater gains in critical thinking. Results showed significant critical-thinking gains in the CBI group but decreases in a traditional group and a mixed CBI/traditional group. Prior critical-thinking skill, instructor, and ethnicity also significantly influenced critical-thinking gains, with nearly all ethnicities in the CBI group outperforming peers in both the mixed and traditional groups. Females, who showed decreased critical thinking in traditional courses relative to males, outperformed their male counterparts in CBI courses. Through the results of this study, it is hoped that faculty who value both research and critical thinking will consider using the CBI method.     

Using the Attribute Hierarchy Method to Make Diagnostic Inferences about Examinees’ Cognitive Skills in Critical Reading

The purpose of this study is to apply the attribute hierarchy method (AHM) to a subset of SAT critical reading items and illustrate how the method can be used to promote cognitive diagnostic inferences. The AHM is a psychometric procedure for classifying examinees’ test item responses into a set of attribute mastery patterns associated with different components from a cognitive model. The study was conducted in two steps. In step 1, three cognitive models were developed by reviewing selected literature in reading comprehension as well as research related to SAT Critical Reading. Then, the cognitive models were validated by having a sample of students think aloud as they solved each item. In step 2, psychometric analyses were conducted on the SAT critical reading cognitive models by evaluating the model‐data fit between the expected and observed response patterns produced from two random samples of 2,000 examinees who wrote the items. The model that provided best data‐model fit was then used to calculate attribute probabilities for 15 examinees to illustrate our diagnostic testing procedure.     

Collaborative Reasoning: Expanding Ways for Children to Talk and Think in School

This article presents a framework to help teachers facilitate small group discussions about stories children read. Collaborative reasoning discussions are intended to create a forum for children to listen to one another think out loud as they learn to engage in reasoned argumentation. Children use personal experiences and evidence from the stories to support their conclusions and consider each other's points of view. Excerpts from an ongoing study of 12 fourth-grade classrooms in rural, urban, and suburban settings are used to illustrate four characteristics of cognitive reasoning: (1) children's response to text; (2) children's use of text to consider multiple possibilities; (3) children's use of tools for persuading others; and (4) children's control of topic and turn-taking.     

Development of an instrument for measuring cognitive conflict in secondary‐level science classes

Based on conceptual change theory, cognitive conflict is known as an important factor in conceptual change even though there are still questions about its positive and negative effects on science learning. However, there is no reliable method by which to assess the cognitive conflict students experience in their learning. The purpose of this research was to develop an instrument for measuring secondary students' cognitive conflict levels as they learned science. The results of this study indicate that our instrument is a valid and reliable tool for measuring cognitive conflict levels. Factor analysis supported the model that cognitive conflict consists of four constructs: recognition of an anomalous situation, interest, anxiety, and cognitive reappraisal of the conflict situation. Implications for instruction and possibilities for future research are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 585–603, 2003