Effects of Situated Learning on Students' Knowledge Acquisition: An Individual Differences Perspective

Abstract

This study focuses on the effects of situated learning on students' knowledge acquisition by investigating the influence of individual differences in such learning. Seventy-nine graduates were recruited from an educational department and were assigned to situated learning and traditional learning based on a randomized block design. Results revealed differences between traditional and situated learning as well as between field dependent (FD) and field independent (FI) learners in situated learning. A correlation analysis showed that situated learning was significantly correlated with learners' performance and individual differences defined as FD and FI in this study. The findings of the study have significant implications in learning and research in that they: (a) revealed the differences between traditional and situated learning; (b) identified the interaction between individual differences and instructional condition that influenced learners' learning outcome; and (c) showed crucial relationships among the variables in situated learning.

CitySection

“…There are three interrelated dimensions of situated learning (Utley 2006;Zheng 2010): a culture of social interaction, the gaining of problem-solving strategies in authentic activities (also called "activities that matter"), and the creation of a learning community. There are three interrelated dimensions of situated learning (Utley 2006;Zheng 2010): a culture of social interaction, the gaining of problem-solving strategies in authentic activities (also called "activities that matter"), and the creation of a learning community.…”

“…As well, in situated learning, students try to answer questions and solve problems based in a social and physical environment (Ling and Choo 2005). The activities that make up the CitySection assignments are authentic in that they are situated in urban environments and involve practices including field research and primary research (Zheng 2010). The goal for the instructors is to create the circumstances under which a culture of social interaction can develop.…”

“…The focus in situated learning is on the context of learning and the social characteristics of that context, leading to learning activities that are termed authentic. There are three interrelated dimensions of situated learning (Utley 2006; Zheng 2010): a culture of social interaction, the gaining of problem-solving strategies in authentic activities (also called “activities that matter”), and the creation of a learning community. Each of these dimensions is engaged in CitySection.…”

Pregraduation clinical training program improves clinical competence of nurse students in Taiwan: An interventional study

“…In subsequent studies that empirically tested the Situated Learning Theory, findings presented strong and significant evidence in support of learning in the real environment. For example, one study examined the effects of situated learning on students' knowledge acquisition by comparing two groups of students using traditional and situated learning teaching strategies, and revealed that there is a significant correlation between situated learning and learners' performance [21] .…”

Development of Verification and Validation Engineering Design Skills through a Multi-year Cognitive Apprenticeship Laboratory Experience

“…To further prepare students for a biomedical engineering career, students need to learn experimental design in the context in which it will be used, situated learning 21 . Situated learning has been shown to enhance student's performance, particularly in project work, when compared to traditional instructional methods 22 . Learning the statistical information in the context of a lecture course is insufficient; few, if any, homework sets allow for practical employment of statistical principles.…”