Fostering complex learning-task performance through scripting student use of computer supported representational tools
ARTICLE
B. Slof, G. Erkens, P.A. Kirschner, J. Janssen, C. Phielix
Computers & Education Volume 55, Number 4 ISSN 0360-1315 Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Abstract
This study investigated whether scripting student use of computer supported representational tools fostered students’ collaborative performance of a complex business-economics problem. Scripting the problem-solving process sequenced and made its phase-related part-task demands explicit, namely (1) determining core concepts, (2) proposing multiple solutions, and (3) coming to a final solution. The representational tools facilitated students in constructing specific representations of the domain (i.e., conceptual, causal, or mathematical) and were each suited for carrying out the part-task demands of a specific phase. Student groups in four experimental conditions had to carry out all part-tasks in a predefined order, but differed in the representational tool(s) they received during their collaborative problem-solving process. In three mismatch conditions, student groups received either a conceptual, causal, or simulation representational tool which supported them in only carrying out one of the three part-tasks. In the match condition, student groups received the three representational tools in the specified order, each matching the part-task demands of a specific problem phase. The results revealed that student groups in the match condition constructed more task-appropriate representations and had more elaborated and meaningful discussions about the domain. As a consequence, those student groups performed better on the complex learning-task. However, similar results were obtained by student groups who only received a representational tool for constructing causal representations for all part-tasks.
Citation
Slof, B., Erkens, G., Kirschner, P.A., Janssen, J. & Phielix, C. Fostering complex learning-task performance through scripting student use of computer supported representational tools. Computers & Education, 55(4), 1707-1720. Elsevier Ltd. Retrieved August 16, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/201399/.
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