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This study investigates whether teaching materials combining multimedia animation and multidimensional concept maps (MAMCMs) improve learning achievement, retention, and satisfaction more than multidimensional concept maps (MCMs), as suggested by Huang et al. (2012) in Computers & Education. Learning retention, learning achievement, and learning satisfaction associated with two sets of course materials were compared in this quasi-experimental study. In total, 114 students from two classes at one private university in Taiwan participated in this 6-week teaching experiment. Analytical results indicate that learning achievement, learning satisfaction, and learning retention of the MAMCM group were better than those of the MCM group. ...

The purpose of this experimental study was to explore the instructional effectiveness of integrating varied instructor-provided concept maps into an online hypertext learning environment, and the effect of learners’ self-directed learning abilities on their learning performance. The research adopted a randomized posttest with two-control-group design. Two major instructional treatments were traditional and interactive concept maps embedded in the online hypertext material. One hundred twenty-six undergraduate students from a public university in the U.S. participated in the study. Student participants were segregated into two levels of self-directed learning groups. Three criterion tests, including identification, terminology, and comprehension tests, were used to ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of impaired reading skills and visual discomfort on the reading rate and comprehension of university students when reading texts presented at a high school (Grade 9) or university (Grade 12) level of difficulty. Groups included impaired readers (n = 18) and normal readers with (n = 13) or without visual discomfort (n=5). Regardless of text difficulty the impaired reader group had a significantly slower reading rate and poorer comprehension than the normal reader control group. However, when reading rate and ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of modality (written text vs. spoken text) and visual cueing (low cueing vs. high cueing) on the learning and mental effort of participants studying a computer-based static diagram at their own pace. Participants were randomly assigned to four versions of the computer-based materials formed into a 2x2 factorial design by crossing modality with cueing. The results revealed a reverse modality effect, wherein participants studying written text outperformed those studying spoken text on tests of free recall, matching, comprehension, and spatial recall, but not mental effort. Information cueing did not significantly affect ...

The notion of operating and maintenance manuals being validated as fit for purpose is based largely on conjecture, as causal factors contributing to rule-based (procedure-based) human error at sea are under-theorised and under-researched. Human factors theories offer little in terms of framework as to the constitution of a bad rule. In this study, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) operating and maintenance manual was assessed against two rule-based error-provoking markers identified through literature review. The contribution of the original and subsequently modified OEM operating and maintenance manuals towards both behaviour modification and rule-based error was assessed through a workshop-based study. Randomly ...

The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has suggested including a ‘headline section’ in patient information leaflets, which gives an overview of the key information related to the safe and effective use of the medicine. What is the value of such a headline section on the perception and effectiveness of the leaflet? A user test with eighty participants did not reveal differences in how well participants could find and understand the information in the leaflets. However, when asked for their general impressions of the headline section, most participants evaluated it positively. ...

Argument mapping (AM) is a method of visually diagramming arguments to allow for easy comprehension of core statements and relations. A series of three experiments compared argument map reading and construction with hierarchical outlining, text summarisation, and text reading as learning methods by examining subsequent memory and comprehension performance. Effects of study environment, argument size, learning strategy (active and passive) and recall interval (immediate and delayed) were also examined. Results revealed that argument map reading and construction significantly increased subsequent immediate recall for arguments in both passive and active learning settings. These findings indicate that AM is a useful learning ...

Language can be viewed as a set of cues that modulate the comprehender’s thought processes. It is a very subtle instrument. For example, the literature suggests that people perceive direct speech (e.g., Joanne said: ‘I went out for dinner last night’) as more vivid and perceptually engaging than indirect speech (e.g., Joanne said that she went out for dinner last night). But how is this alleged vividness evident in comprehenders’ mental representations? We sought to address this question in a series of experiments. Our results do not support the idea that, compared to indirect speech, direct speech enhances the accessibility ...

The requirements specification is a central artefact in the software engineering (SE) process, and its quality (might) influence downstream activities like implementation or testing. One quality defect that is often mentioned in standards is the use of passive voice. However, the consequences of this defect are still unclear. Goal: We need to understand whether the use of passive voice in requirements has an influence on other activities in SE. In this work we focus on domain modelling. Method: We designed an experiment, in which we ask students to draw a domain model from a given set of requirements written in active ...

Theories of motivation propose that moderate difficulty can be beneficial for student engagement and learning. However, research on the effect of difficulty has been inconsistent. The primary goal of the present study was to investigate the possibility that interest-based text preference moderates the effect of difficulty on engagement and learning. To test this hypothesis, participants studied four instructional texts on research methods topics in a 2 × 2 interest-based text preference (preferred vs. non-preferred texts) × text difficulty (easy vs. difficult) within-subjects experiment. The manipulation of interest-based text preference asked participants to rank four text titles based on their perceived interest in reading the ...