The Scientific Value of Cognitive Load Theory: A Research Agenda Based on the Structuralist View of Theories

In this paper, two methodological perspectives are used to elaborate on the value of cognitive load theory (CLT) as a scientific theory. According to the more traditional critical rationalism of Karl Popper, CLT cannot be considered a scientific theory because some of its fundamental assumptions cannot be tested empirically and are thus not falsifiable. According to the structuralist view of theories introduced by Joseph D. Sneed, a theory may be considered scientific even if it comprises nontestable fundamental assumptions. Rather, the scientific value of a theory results from the holistic empirical content of the overall theory net built around fundamental assumptions and from the successful applications of this theory net to explain and predict empirical findings. This latter view is helpful to explicate some implicit methodological assumptions of CLT research and to avoid the potential circularity of CLT’s fundamental assumptions. Additionally, the structuralist view of theories can be directly used to derive a research agenda for the future development of CLT.     

Is dealing with errors in the classroom specific for school subjects? A study of the error climate in mathematics,German, and English

A frequent observation in the school context is that opportunities to learn from errors are often missed. However, a positive error climate may support learning from errors. For the school subject of mathematics, some findings about characteristics of the error climate already exist. But, a comparison of the error climate between different school subjects is still pending. In the present study, it is analyzed whether the error climate differs in different school subjects and whether the same interrelations between the ways in which individuals deal with errors can be found in these different school subjects. In a study with 937 students from 48 classrooms from grades 5 to 7, in different secondary schools in Germany and Austria, we assessed the error climate and individual reactions following errors in mathematics, German, and English. Small mean differences between mathematics and the two language subjects were yielded. In addition, we found medium-sized correlations between the error climate measures in the three school subjects. However, the same pattern of interrelations between error climate and the way individuals deal with errors for all three school subjects could be shown. The results suggest that the perception of the error climate is rather similar in different school subjects. This has implications, for instance, for interventions that aim at fostering the error climate.

     

Kieferchirurgische Operationsplanung mit Hilfe von Techniken der virtuellen Realit?t

Zusammenfassung.   Für ein vollst?ndig computergestütztes Planungssystem zum Zwecke der kieferchirurgischen Operationsplanung ist die Bereitstellung von virtuellen Werkzeugen für den Chirurgen eine grundlegende Voraussetzung. Ausgehend von den Volumendaten mit Sch?del- und Kieferknochen des Patienten erm?glicht ein einfaches Interface unter Verwendung einer geeigneten Visualisierung und haptischer Eingabeger?te die interaktive Definition und Manipulation einzelner virtueller Knochensegmente. Wir haben moderne kraftrückgekoppelte Ger?te aus dem Niedrigpreisbereich eingebunden und auf ihre F?higkeit untersucht, das dreidimensionale Verst?ndnis im Planungsproze?durch Anlehnung an die Vorg?nge bei der chirurgischen Prozedur zu erh?hen. Durch diese Eingabeger?te ist es m?glich, die Knochensegmentierung für eine Osteotomie des Unterkiefers intuitiver und schneller durchzuführen. Die definierten Teilvolumina ergeben zusammen mit ihrer r?umlichen Neuanordnung auf Grundlage einer kephalometrischen Analyse einen Operationsplan. Nach erfolgter Planung werden die Planungsergebnisse in den Operationssaal übertragen. Die intraoperativen Techniken beinhalten die Visualisierung der Planungsergebnisse, die Steuerung der Anwendung über Sprache und die Bestimmung der Patientenposition mittels eines elektromagnetischen 3D-Trackingsystems. Eingegangen am 27. April 2000 / Angenommen am 21. Februar 2001     

Funktionelle gastrointestinale St?rungen Funktionelle Dyspepsie und Reizdarmsyndrom

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

R&D drivers and age: Are young firms different?

This study examines the relationship between R&D drivers and firm's age, taking into account the autoregressive nature of innovation.     

Wie viele Schuljahre bis zum Abitur?

Reducing the number of school years until graduation from academic-track secondary schooling (“G8”) has been one of the most important structural changes to schooling in the past few years. The reduction is one element of more compressed and accelerated processes in institutional education implemented over the last decade. The extent to which the changes in the systemic context of schooling affect organizational and instructional processes and results, or the school actors concerned (teachers, pupils and their families), has only been insufficiently investigated so far. This contribution provides an overview of this barely investigated topic. Following a review of the historical developments, the normative debates regarding reduced school time will be presented and then compared with the current state of research. The paper closes with an analysis of different models for organizing the reduction of school years and an outlook on current developments.     

Collaborating With a Skilled Peer: The Influence of Achievement Goals and Perceptions of Partners' Competence on the Participation and Learning of Low-Achieving Students

The authors examined whether motivational goals influenced the participation and performance of low-achieving students during collaborative problem solving with a high-achieving partner. Thirty-five pairs of 4th- and 5th-grade students were randomly assigned a set of instructions designed to induce students to adopt a learning goal or a performance goal. The following day, the students were individually given a posttest on problems similar to those worked on collaboratively. The low-achieving students given learning-goal instructions performed better on the posttest problems and perceived their partner's competence as more similar to their own than did the low-achieving students given performance-goal instructions. No differences in overall amount or level of low achievers' participation during collaborative problem solving were observed. Implications of the findings for the use of peer learning in heterogeneous classrooms are discussed.     

Oral History in the Classroom: A Comparison of Traditional and On-line Gerontology Classes

In this study, the effectiveness of an oral history assignment was assessed in a traditional gerontology class versus a distance education (DE) gerontology class. Attitudes toward older adults and the aging process were measured before and after students in the traditional (n = 29) and DE (n = 16) setting completed an oral history assignment. Scores were evaluated at posttest for differences between groups. The assignment positively influenced students' attitude toward older adults in both classes. Results indicate that this assignment was as effective in the DE setting as in the traditional setting. Findings suggest that oral history is an effective teaching assignment in a DE gerontology class.     

Feedback After Good Trials Enhances Learning

Recent studies (Chiviacowsky & Wulf, 2002, 2005) have shown that learners prefer to receive feedback after they believe they had a “good” rather than “poor”trial. The present study followed up on this finding and examined whether learning would benefit if individuals received feedback after good relative to poor trials. Participants practiced a task that required them to throw beanbags at a target with their nondominant arm. Vision was prevented during and after the throws. All participants received knowledge of results (KR) on three trials in each 6-trial block. While one group (KR good) received KR for the three most effective trials in each block, another (KR poor) received feedback for the three least effective trials in each block. There were no group differences in practice. However, the KR good group showed learning advantages on a delayed retention test (without KR). These results demonstrated that learning is facilitated if feedback is provided after good rather than poor trials. The findings are interpreted as evidence for a motivational function of feedback.