ERIC Number: EJ1260813
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0363-4523
EISSN: N/A
Instruction, Example Order, and Student Learning: Reducing Extraneous Cognitive Load by Providing Structure for Elaborated Examples
Bolkan, San; Goodboy, Alan K.
Communication Education, v69 n3 p300-316 2020
This experiment examined learning differences between students who read instructional examples that varied in the order that information was presented. In an online lesson about advice giving, 275 students were randomly assigned to a learning condition where the order of instructional information moved either from (a) concrete examples to abstract definitions or from (b) abstract definitions to concrete examples. Data were analyzed to examine differences in students' test scores as a consequence of their perceived extraneous cognitive burden. Results of a mediation model revealed that, compared with students exposed to concrete examples first, students who initially read an abstract definition scored higher on a test of recall and application because they experienced less of a cognitive burden impeding their learning. Results from this experiment provide preliminary evidence that the ordering of examples matters when attempting to optimize student learning.
Descriptors: Cognitive Processes, Difficulty Level, Demonstrations (Educational), Sequential Approach, Recall (Psychology), Definitions, Instructional Effectiveness, Short Term Memory, Scores, Grade Point Average, College Students, Familiarity, Prior Learning
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A