Efficiency in Teaching Vocabulary Concepts: Attainable or Not.

摘要

There are a number of performance outcomes (O sub i) associated with mastering a concept; we have identified seven and are developing seven instructional modules (M sub i), each targeted toward one O sub i. A maximally effective instructional sequence would be comprised of all the M sub i. Our research is aimed at selecting the set of M sub i, a subset of the total set, that satisfy given performance criteria. The design of the M sub i was influenced by previous studies of instructional methods, design theory prescriptions, and selected psychological theories of semantic memory. The first stages of research require calibrating the size of the direct and indirect effects of each M sub i; later stages will involve studying how selected combinations of M sub i influence levels of performance on the criterion tests and confirm or disconfirm the decision theory framework. Several experimental tests will also be used to assess the nature of the information that is learned.