Jessica Phillipp
[Person] [Project]
Jessica Phillipp, Dipl. Psych.
Short Vita
- 1976:
- Born in Karlsruhe (Germany).
- 1996-2002:
- Study of Psychology at the University of Heidelberg (Germany).
- Since March 2003:
- PhD student of the VGK.
Contact
Phone: ++49 (0)761 / 682-914
FAX: --49 (0)761 / 682-922
email: phillipp@ph-freiburg.de
WWW: My homepageUniversity of Education
Institute of Educations Science I
Learning Technology
Kunzenweg 21
D-79117 Freiburg (Germany)
Ph.D. Project
Topic: Reasoning with External Representations in Multimedia Learning EnvironmentsSupervisor: Prof. Dr. R. Ploetzner (Freiburg)
Start of the Ph.D. project: March 2003
Summary
The solution of many problems, e.g. in physics or maths, requires the use of external representations. Multimedia learning environments facilitate many forms of presenting, constructing and manipulating such external representations like graphs and diagrams. But little is known about the effectiveness of activities like constructing or interpreting regarding learning and transfer outcomes.
Literature on reasoning with external representations considers either subjects interpreting presented representations or subjects constructing their own representations (e.g. Wilkin, 1997; Katz & Anzai, 1991). How these two situations differ in cognitive terms and in learning outcomes has not been thoroughly explored so far. However, to design interactive learning environments it is important to consider cognitive processes underlying representation interpretation and construction.
A few studies considering individual reasoning with self-constructed representations in contrast to reasoning with presented diagrams found the first activity to be more successful with respect to learning and transfer (e.g., Grossen & Carnine, 1990; Stern, Aprea & Ebner, 2003). Cox (1999) hypothesizes that effects similar to those associated with self-explaining may occur when learners actively construct representations. But the effects observed in the studies described above are relatively small and only occur under certain conditions. In the studies of Stern et al. (2003) learners with poor mathematical knowledge and moderate domain-specific knowledge profited from the construction of graphical representations if they were provided with appropriate opportunities for practice and were given some hints for transfer.
Altogether the empirical basis is too small to assume a universal positive effect of self-constructed external representations in learning and transfer. The present study will therefore analyse whether self-construction of representations or the use of given representations is most succesful in supporting learners (1) to understand representational systems and (2) to apply these representational systems as a reasoning tool. Regarding several transfer paradigms (e.g. Bransford & Schwartz, 1999), different combinations of interpreting and constructing diagrams will be considered. Furthermore the influence of pre-knowledge and of task complexity will be examined and short and long term effects will be compared. In further studies self-explaining effects will be considered in this context.
References
Bransford, J.D. & Schwartz, D.L. (1999). Rethinking transfer: A simple proposal with multiple implications. In A. Iran-Nejad & P.D. Pearson (Eds.), Review of Research in Education (pp. 61-101). Washington: American Educational Research Association.
Cox, R. (1999). Representation construction, externalised cognition and individual differences. Learning and Instruction, 9, 343-363.
Grossen, B. & Carnine, D. (1990). Diagramming a logic strategy: effects on difficult problem types and transfer. Learning disability quarterly: Journal of the division for cildren with learning disabilities, 13, 168-182.
Katz, I.R. & Anzai, Y. (1991). The construction and use of diagrams for problem solving. In R. Lewis & S. Otsuki (Eds.), Advanced research on computers in education (p. 27-36). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Stern, E., Aprea, C. & Ebner, H.G. (2003). Improving cross-content transfer in text processing by means of active graphical representation. Learning and Instruction, 13, 191-203.
Wilkin, B. (1997). Learning from explanations: Diagrams can "inhibit" the self-explanation effect. In M. Anderson (Ed.), Reasoning with diagrammatic representations II (pp. 136-143). Menlo Park, CA: AAAI Press.
[Top of Page] [Person] [Project] Jessica Phillipp
Last update: 19 May 2004, Erik Ründal
URL: www.vgk.de/projects/phillipp/index.html