Dissertation Information for Curtis P. Ho NAME: - Curtis P. Ho
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Education
SCHOOL:
- Arizona State University (USA) (1983)
ADVISORS: - None COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - None
MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected
Title: PICTURES, ADJUNCT QUESTIONS, AND LEARNING FROM TEXT
Abstract: "Research on adjunct aids indicates that both text-embedded questions and text-redundant pictures are effective in facilitating learning from text under certain conditions. However, the effects of a combination of pictures and questions have not been thoroughly investigated. Evidence on the influence of questions on learning of unquestioned content is also inconclusive. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of pictures and adjunct questions, both individually and in combination, on learning from written text. Effects of questions on learning unquestioned content were also examined.
The sample consisted of 311 fourth graders. Subjects were blocked into high and low reading levels based on standardized reading scores and were then randomly assigned within level to experimental treatments. The six treatment groups resulted from crossing three question conditions (questions embedded after odd paragraphs, questions after even paragraphs, and no questions) with two picture conditions (pictures and no pictures). The odd and even paragraph conditions were included to permit counterbalancing of questioned and unquestioned content.
The instructional materials, an 800-word passage on the killer whale, had a readability index of 4.37. The passage was prepared in six versions corresponding to the six experimental treatments.
A 24-item short-answer completion test was administered following the treatment. Data were analyzed using a 3 (question) x 2 (picture) x 2 (reading level) ANOVA with total and partial (odd paragraphs and even paragraphs) test scores as dependent variables.
Significant differences were obtained for all three experimental variables favoring questions over no questions, pictures over no pictures, and high over low reading ability. Pictures and questions in combination were significantly more effective than either condition alone. Questions neither facilitated nor inhibited performance on unquestioned content.
The results raised several considerations for designing textual material. A picture-question combination appears to be most effective, at least at the fourth-grade level. Cost and efficiency are also important. Whereas illustrations typically cost more to produce than questions, questions required significantly more learning time than pictures in the present study. The importance of each of these factors in the specific situation must be taken into account in making decisions about development of instructional materials."
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MPACT Scores for Curtis P. Ho A = 0
C = 7
A+C = 7
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2009-06-08 19:35:39
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