A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Learning electric circuit principles in a simulation environment with a single representation versus "concreteness fading" through multiple representations
Authors: Tomi Jaakkola, Koen Veermans
Publisher: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Publication year: 2020
Journal: Computers and Education
Journal name in source: COMPUTERS & EDUCATION
Journal acronym: COMPUT EDUC
Article number: ARTN 103811
Volume: 148
Number of pages: 17
ISSN: 0360-1315
eISSN: 1873-782X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103811
Abstract
This study explored how learning in a simulation environment with a single representation compares to learning with concreteness fading in the domain of electric circuits in secondary school. Concreteness fading, an instructional technique where representations change from concrete to more abstract during a learning sequence, has been proposed as an approach to combine the strengths of each representation and to promote transfer, but the empirical evidence is not unequivocal. One reason may be that defining "concrete" and "abstract" for the purpose of concreteness fading is less straightforward in practice than in theory, as illustrated in the conceptualization of concreteness fading in this study. The results showed no differences in content coverage and total learning time between conditions, but the transition between representations temporarily increased learning time in the fading condition. An analysis of the learning revealed no differences between conditions on circuits similar in appearance to the simulation environment, but the single representation resulted in better application of the learned knowledge to realistic circuits. The discussion explores the results from the perspective of concreteness fading and alternative conceptualizations of the learning environment. One of these, resulting from the difficulty in positioning computer simulations within concrete-abstract dimensions, is that computer simulations can include concrete and abstract in a single representation, which may be easier (and more effective) in classroom settings than multiple representations. This suggests that a well-designed simulation can be a reckoned alternative to concreteness fading and to multiple representations in general in science education.
This study explored how learning in a simulation environment with a single representation compares to learning with concreteness fading in the domain of electric circuits in secondary school. Concreteness fading, an instructional technique where representations change from concrete to more abstract during a learning sequence, has been proposed as an approach to combine the strengths of each representation and to promote transfer, but the empirical evidence is not unequivocal. One reason may be that defining "concrete" and "abstract" for the purpose of concreteness fading is less straightforward in practice than in theory, as illustrated in the conceptualization of concreteness fading in this study. The results showed no differences in content coverage and total learning time between conditions, but the transition between representations temporarily increased learning time in the fading condition. An analysis of the learning revealed no differences between conditions on circuits similar in appearance to the simulation environment, but the single representation resulted in better application of the learned knowledge to realistic circuits. The discussion explores the results from the perspective of concreteness fading and alternative conceptualizations of the learning environment. One of these, resulting from the difficulty in positioning computer simulations within concrete-abstract dimensions, is that computer simulations can include concrete and abstract in a single representation, which may be easier (and more effective) in classroom settings than multiple representations. This suggests that a well-designed simulation can be a reckoned alternative to concreteness fading and to multiple representations in general in science education.
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