Multimedia and Hypermedia Solutions for Promoting Metacognitive Engagement, Coherence, and Learning

Danielle S. Mcnamara; Amy M. Shapiro

Journal of Educational Computing Research Vol. 33, No. 1 (2005) pp. 1–29

Users of educational hypertext are faced with the challenge of creating meaning both within and between texts. Cohesion is an important factor contributing to whether a reader is able to capture meaning and comprehend text. When readers are required ...

Computer-Based Scaffolding to Facilitate Students' Development of Expertise in Academic Writing

Antje Proske; Susanne Narciss; Danielle S. McNamara

Journal of Research in Reading Vol. 35, No. 2 (May 2012) pp. 136–152

Research on expert performance suggests that deliberate practice provides optimal opportunities for expertise development. This study examined whether the provision of computer-based scaffolding (CBS) guiding deliberate practice facilitates students'...

Predicting Second Language Writing Proficiency: The Roles of Cohesion and Linguistic Sophistication

Scott A. Crossley; Danielle S. McNamara

Journal of Research in Reading Vol. 35, No. 2 (May 2012) pp. 115–135

This study addresses research gaps in predicting second language (L2) writing proficiency using linguistic features. Key to this analysis is the inclusion of linguistic measures at the surface, textbase and situation model level that assess text...

Prior knowledge, reading skill, and text cohesion in the comprehension of science texts

Yasuhiro Ozuru; Kyle Dempsey; Danielle S. McNamara

Learning and Instruction Vol. 19, No. 3 (June 2009) pp. 228–242

This study examined how text features (i.e., cohesion) and individual differences (i.e., reading skill and prior knowledge) contribute to biology text comprehension. College students with low and high levels of biology knowledge read two biology...

Language: English

Computational Assessment of Lexical Differences in L1 and L2 Writing

Scott A. Crossley; Danielle S. McNamara

Journal of Second Language Writing Vol. 18, No. 2 (June 2009) pp. 119–135

The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed analysis of how lexical differences related to cohesion and connectionist models can distinguish first language (L1) writers of English from second language (L2) writers of English. Key to this...

Readerbench: Automated Evaluation of Collaboration Based on Cohesion and Dialogism

Mihai Dascalu; Stefan Trausan-Matu; Danielle S. McNamara; Philippe Dessus

International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Vol. 10, No. 4 (December 2015) pp. 395–423

As Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) gains a broader usage, the need for automated tools capable of supporting tutors in the time-consuming process of analyzing conversations becomes more pressing. Moreover, collaboration, which...

Emergent Behaviors in Computer-Based Learning Environments: Computational Signals of Catching Up

Erica L. Snow; G. Tanner Jackson; Danielle S. McNamara

Computers in Human Behavior Vol. 41, No. 1 (2014) pp. 62–70

Self-regulative behaviors are dynamic and evolve as a function of time and context. However, dynamical fluctuations in behaviors are often difficult to measure and therefore may not be fully captured by traditional measures alone. Utilizing system...

Game-Based Practice versus Traditional Practice in Computer-Based Writing Strategy Training: Effects on Motivation and Achievement

Antje Proske; Rod D. Roscoe; Danielle S. McNamara

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 62, No. 5 (October 2014) pp. 481–505

Achieving sustained student engagement with practice in computer-based writing strategy training can be a challenge. One potential solution is to foster engagement by embedding practice in educational games; yet there is currently little research...

What's so Simple about Simplified Texts? A Computational and Psycholinguistic Investigation of Text Comprehension and Text Processing

Scott A. Crossley; Hae Sung Yang; Danielle S. McNamara

Reading in a Foreign Language Vol. 26, No. 1 (April 2014) pp. 92–113

This study uses a moving windows self-paced reading task to assess both text comprehension and processing time of authentic texts and these same texts simplified to beginning and intermediate levels. Forty-eight second language learners each read 9...

Scaffolding Deep Comprehension Strategies Through Point&Query, AutoTutor, and iSTART

Arthur C. Graesser; Danielle S. McNamara; Kurt VanLehn

Educational Psychologist Vol. 40, No. 4 (2005) pp. 225–234

It is well-documented that most students do not have adequate proficiencies in inquiry and metacognition, particularly at deeper levels of comprehension that require explanatory reasoning. The proficiencies are not routinely provided by teachers and ...

Linguistic Features of Writing Quality

Danielle S. McNamara; Scott A. Crossley; Philip M. McCarthy

Written Communication Vol. 27, No. 1 (2010) pp. 57–86

In this study, a corpus of expert-graded essays, based on a standardized scoring rubric, is computationally evaluated so as to distinguish the differences between those essays that were rated as high and those rated as low. The automated tool, Coh...

Deep-Level Comprehension of Science Texts: The Role of the Reader and the Text

Rachel M. Best; Michael Rowe; Yasuhiro Ozuru; Danielle S. McNamara

Topics in Language Disorders Vol. 25, No. 1 (2005)

Many students from elementary school through college encounter difficulty understanding their science textbooks, regardless of whether they have language disorders. This article discusses some of the particular difficulties associated with science...

Comprehension and Writing Strategy Training Improves Performance on Content-Specific Source-Based Writing Tasks

Jennifer L. Weston-Sementelli; Laura K. Allen; Danielle S. McNamara

International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education Vol. 28, No. 1 (2018) pp. 106–137

Source-based essays are evaluated both on the quality of the writing and the content appropriate interpretation and use of source material. Hence, composing a high-quality source-based essay (an essay written based on source material) relies on...

Partial Verbal Redundancy in Multimedia Presentations for Writing Strategy Instruction

Rod D. Roscoe; Matthew E. Jacovina; Danielle Harry; Devin G. Russell; Danielle S. McNamara

Grantee Submission Vol. 29, No. 1 (2015) pp. 669–679

Multimedia instructional materials require learners to select, organize, and integrate information across multiple modalities. To facilitate these comprehension processes, a variety of multimedia design principles have been proposed. This study...

Metacognitive Overload!: Positive and Negative Effects of Metacognitive Prompts in an Intelligent Tutoring System

Kathryn S. McCarthy; Aaron D. Likens; Amy M. Johnson; Tricia A. Guerrero; Danielle S. McNamara

International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education Vol. 28, No. 3 (2018) pp. 420–438

Research suggests that promoting metacognitive awareness can increase performance in, and learning from, intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs). The current work examines the effects of two metacognitive prompts within iSTART, a reading comprehension...

The Linguistic Correlates of Conversational Deception: Comparing Natural Language Processing Technologies

Nicholas D. Duran; Charles Hall; Philip M. McCarthy; Danielle S. McNamara

Applied Psycholinguistics Vol. 31, No. 3 (July 2010) pp. 439–462

The words people use and the way they use them can reveal a great deal about their mental states when they attempt to deceive. The challenge for researchers is how to reliably distinguish the linguistic features that characterize these hidden states....

Does agency matter?: Exploring the impact of controlled behaviors within a game-based environment

Erica L. Snow; Laura K. Allen; Matthew E. Jacovina; Danielle S. McNamara

Computers & Education Vol. 82, No. 1 (2015) pp. 378–392

When students exhibit control and employ a strategic plan of action over a situation they are said to be demonstrating agency (Bandura, 2001). The current work is comprised of two studies designed to investigate how agency manifests within students' ...

Language: English

Changing How Students Process and Comprehend Texts with Computer-Based Self-Explanation Training

Christopher A. Kurby; Joseph P. Magliano; Srikanth Dandotkar; James Woehrle; Sara Gilliam; Danielle S. McNamara

Journal of Educational Computing Research Vol. 47, No. 4 (2012) pp. 429–459

This study assessed whether and how self-explanation reading training, provided by iSTART (Interactive Strategy Training for Active Reading and Thinking), improves the effectiveness of comprehension processes. iSTART teaches students how to self...

The Writing Pal Intelligent Tutoring System: Usability Testing and Development

Rod D. Roscoe; Laura K. Allen; Jennifer L. Weston; Scott A. Crossley; Danielle S. McNamara

Computers and Composition Vol. 34, No. 1 (December 2014) pp. 39–59

The Writing Pal (W-Pal) is an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) designed to improve students’ writing proficiency via a unique combination of explicit strategy instruction, game-based practice, essay writing practice, and automated formative...

Language: English

Spendency: Students' Propensity to Use System Currency

Erica L. Snow; Laura K. Allen; G Tanner Jackson; Danielle S. McNamara

International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education Vol. 25, No. 3 (September 2015) pp. 407–427

Using students' process data from the game-based Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) iSTART-ME, the current study examines students' propensity to use system currency to unlock game-based features, (i.e., referred to here as "spendency")....

L2 Writing Practice: Game Enjoyment as a Key to Engagement

Laura K. Allen; Scott A. Crossley; Erica L. Snow; Danielle S. McNamara

Language Learning & Technology Vol. 18, No. 2 pp. 124–150

The Writing Pal (W-Pal) is an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) designed to provide students with explicit writing strategy instruction and practice. W-Pal includes a suite of educational games developed to increase writing engagement and provide...

Taking Control: Stealth Assessment of Deterministic Behaviors within a Game-Based System

Erica L. Snow; Aaron D. Likens; Laura K. Allen; Danielle S. McNamara

International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education Vol. 26, No. 4 (2016) pp. 1011–1032

Game-based environments frequently afford students the opportunity to exert agency over their learning paths by making various choices within the environment. The combination of log data from these systems and dynamic methodologies may serve as a...

Changes in Reading Strategies as a Function of Reading Training: A Comparison of Live and Computerized Training

Joseph P. Magliano; Stacey Todaro; Keith Millis; Katja Wiemer-Hastings; H Joyce Kim; Danielle S. McNamara

Journal of Educational Computing Research Vol. 32, No. 2 (2005) pp. 185–208

The purpose of this study was to compare the relative effectiveness of live (SERT) and computer-based (iSTART) reading strategy training. Prior to and after training, participants read scientific texts and self-explained after each sentence. They...

Improving Adolescent Students' Reading Comprehension with iSTART

Danielle S. McNamara; Tenaha P. O'Reilly; Rachel M. Best; Yasuhiro Ozuru

Journal of Educational Computing Research Vol. 34, No. 2 (2006) pp. 147–171

This study examines the benefits of reading strategy training on adolescent readers' comprehension of science text. Training was provided via an automated reading strategy trainer called the Interactive Strategy Trainer for Active Reading and...