Multimedia Instruction Presented by Integrated Context to Enhance Understanding of Compass-and-Straightedge Construction

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of an integrated context approach to the instruction of basic compass-and-straightedge construction. The formulation of a perpendicular bisector of a segment was used as a knowledge module to guide students from the preattention level to the elaboration level of information processing. The students were expected to select and organize information in their working memory for integration with prior knowledge. The knowledge module was presented in a multimedia environment using a pre-training and rehearsal approach. In immediate and delayed test results, integrated context learning proved significantly more effective than the traditional context in preparing students to deal with retention problems and transfer problems, regardless of the students' prior knowledge. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of integrated context in the instruction of compass-and-straightedge construction; however, the factors that actually facilitate learning have yet to be fully elucidated.

The effect of structured stepwise presentations on students’ fraction learning: an eye-tracking study

“…Thus, the stepwise presentation can guide students' attention to dynamic elements by presenting different stimuli or posing different questions in each step. Under the guidance of the stepwise presentation, a new object, as the learning input can be quickly captured by students' perceptual system (Chen et al, 2016;Lei et al, 2017), and meanwhile, students' attention can be attracted to the location where the new objects occurred (Yantis and Jonides, 1996).…”

Enhancing Understanding through the Use of Structured Representations

“…Using cues in both time and space, structure and verbal guidance can help students generate a sense of context, which connects elements of the current problem with the prior experiences of students. Contextual integration triggers schemas for subsequent integration in the learning of concepts (Chen, Lee, Lei, Tso, & Lin, 2017). Two other indicators must also be taken into account: (a) communicability: the degree to which students can grasp the information necessary for selection and organization, and (b) connectivity: the linking of information with the prior experiences of students to form schemas for the integration of concepts.…”