ERIC Number: EJ732660
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 14
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1042-1629
EISSN: N/A
Examining the Effects of Text-Only and Text-and-Visual Instructional Materials on the Achievement of Field-Dependent and Field-Independent Learner During Problem-Solving with Modeling Software
Angeli, Charoula; Valanides, Nicos
Educational Technology Research and Development, v52 n4 p23-36 2004
Sixty-five undergraduates were classified into field-dependent, field-mixed, and field-independent learners, and were randomly assigned to two groups: text-only and text-and-visual. Participants in the text-only group received a description of a model in textual format, whereas participants in the other group received the same description in textual-and-visual format. Participants were then asked to individually explore a computer model, test hypotheses, and solve a problem related to immigration policies. Their problem-solving performance was analyzed using a 3 * 2 analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results showed that the text-and-visual group outperformed the text-only group, that performance was significantly related to field-dependence-independence, and that there was a significant interaction effect. Specifically, field-independent learners in the text-and-visual group outperformed field-dependent and field-mixed learners in both groups, and field-independent learners in the text-only group. The findings indicate that adding visuals to textual explanations can enhance understanding, and that the functional role of visuals depends on cognitive differences.
Descriptors: Statistical Analysis, Instructional Materials, Cognitive Style, Problem Solving, Visual Aids, Undergraduate Students, Computer Software
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A