Scaffolding Performance in IR Instruction: Exploring Learning Experiences and Performance in Two Learning Environments

Abstract

In order to design information retrieval (IR) learning environments and instruction, it is important to explore available pedagogical solutions and their impact on learning experiences and performance in learning situations. The particular focus of this study is the demonstration of how pedagogical solutions like scaffolding and anchored instruction can be implemented in IR instruction and what effects it has on learning experiences and performance compared to a more traditional learning environment and instruction. The study of these solutions is a novel approach in information science. The 65 participants of an introductory course on IR were selected for this study, and the analysis illustrates their learning experiences and performance. The method for empathy-based stories (MEBS) as well as course feedback questionnaire and log files of search exercises were used to collect data. The results indicated that anchoring and scaffolding are promising strategies to make learning experiences meaningful and create learners' ownership of one's learning. Performance analysis indicates that scaffolding with an instructional tool, the IR Game, with performance feedback and scaffolding and anchoring by tutors, enables students to construct more effective queries. Results of the study, in terms of the benefits of anchoring and scaffolding, are not categorical because of the range of intervening variables; and the difficulty of setting up a field experiment which tried to be naturalistic, but at the same time tried to focus on a specific aspect.

Assessing learning outcomes in two information retrieval learning environments

“…• An investigation on students' learning experiences and performance in two learning environments (Halttunen 2003b). …”

Teaching and learning in information retrieval

“…In Halttunen (2003) and Halttunen (2007), the implementation of two pedagogical approaches, scaffolding and anchored instruction, to the field of IR is presented. The former tries to give some support to learners through their interaction with teachers and tools for search, so they can develop new skills.…”

“…semantically rich environments that integrate concepts in the curricula and set real problems to solve. The author proposes an implementation of the scaffolding technique based on the QPA system (Halttunen, 2002;Friman et al, 2005), which gives feedback about the performance of queries allowing the student to learn about formulating queries and improve their knowledge of this task. The application used in the anchored instruction method was search tasks in the context of journalism using newspaper text and image databases.…”

“…Another educational goal is to improve the search skills of the students (Halttunen, 2003;Brajnik et al, 2003;Fourie & van Brakel, 1995). Jacobson & Ignacio (1997) in addition to improving search skills, set pedagogical goal of learning to retrieve information using a variety of systems, include their main features and how these can be applied to particular tasks.…”

“…Examples of studies centred on the evaluation of learning outcomes using a tool as the basis for instruction can be found in Halttunen & Järvelin (2005) and Halttunen (2003;. This research is focused on the comparison of traditional and experimental IR learning environments in the context of an introductory subject to IR.…”