Is Strategy Instruction Effective in Facilitating Students' Ability to Regulate their Learning with Hypermedia?

摘要

Can students be trained to regulate their learning of complex systems with hypermedia? We examined the effectiveness of strategy instruction in facilitating students' learning as indicated by both performance and process data. Undergraduate students (N = 131) were randomly assigned to either a strategy instruction condition (SI, n = 63) or a no strategy instruction (NO SI, n = 68) condition, and were trained to use a hypermedia environment to learn about the circulatory system. Students in the SI group were given a 30-minute training period on the use of specific empirically-based SRL variables designed to foster their conceptual understanding. Pretest, posttest, and verbal protocol data were collected. Findings revealed that the SI condition facilitated the shift in learners' mental models significantly more than did the NO SI condition. Verbal protocol data indicate that this significant change in SI students' conceptual understanding is based on their ability to use the SRL variables taught during strategy instruction. SI participants regulated their learning by planning and activating their prior knowledge, engaging in several metacognitive monitoring activities, using several effective strategies, handling task difficulties and demands by planning their time and effort, and expressing interest in the topic. We discuss how the findings can be used to inform the design of MetaCognitive tools -adaptive hypermedia environments designed to foster students' self-regulated learning of complex topics.