LEARNER'S COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTION IN A WEB-COURSEWARE

摘要

Web-based courseware is an alternative approach to provide ideal learning opportunities that empower the symbol systems and mental processing capabilities of learners. The quality of interface to courseware is a matter of vital importance to its learning effectiveness. The overall purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of how primary students learn in web-based courseware with respect to learners' interaction and their mental models (personal construct of interfaces) of the courseware. This study utilized document analysis, observation, and interview methods for gaining insight into the learners' background information, their mental models of the construct of learning activities in the courseware, their actual interactive behaviors during use of web-based courseware, and the results of that use. Qualitative analysis based on learners' behaviors and their explanations of the specific learning activity frame were used to explore the nature of their interactive behaviors, their instances of mental models in web-based learning environment. A summary of the study, discussion of the conclusions, implications of the study, and recommendations for further research form the focus of this report.