ERIC Number: EJ1036785
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Dec
Pages: 28
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-726X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Designing Instructional Text in a Conversational Style: A Meta-Analysis
Ginns, Paul; Martin, Andrew J.; Marsh, Herbert W.
Educational Psychology Review, v25 n4 p445-472 Dec 2013
This article reviews research on the effects of conversational style on learning. Studies of conversational style have variously investigated "personalization" through changing instances of first-person address to second or third person, including sentences that directly address the learner; including more polite forms of address; and making the views and personality of the author more visible. Meta-analyses provided mixed support for a model of learning processes; statistically reliable average effects were found on self-reports of friendliness (d?=?0.46) and effective cognitive processing (d?=?0.62), but not learning assistance (d?=?0.16) and interest (d?=?0.15). Statistically reliable average effects on retention (d?=?0.30) and transfer (d?=?0.54) learning outcomes supported conversational-style redesigns across a range of potential moderators; the clearest apparent boundary condition for learning outcomes across the moderators under analysis was instructional time, with small, non-significant effects being found in studies longer than 35 min. Recommendations for future investigations are discussed.
Descriptors: Language Styles, Meta Analysis, Models, Learning Processes, Personality Traits, Cognitive Processes, Retention (Psychology), Transfer of Training, Outcomes of Education, Time on Task, Discourse Analysis, Correlation, Teaching Methods
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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