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Full-Text Articles in Education

Advancing The Practice Of Cognitive Task Analysis: A Call For Taxonomic Research, Kenneth A. Yates, David F. Feldon Nov 2011

Advancing The Practice Of Cognitive Task Analysis: A Call For Taxonomic Research, Kenneth A. Yates, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Cognitive task analysis (CTA) captures unobservable cognitive processes, decisions and judgments of expert performance. Over 100 different CTA methods are identified in prior literature. However, existing classifications typically sort techniques by process rather than outcome, application or causal mechanism. Therefore, techniques can be misapplied and comparative analysis of methods made difficult. Based on the frequency distribution of CTA methods in 1065 studies, a subsample representing 60% of the most frequently published methods was coded based on elicitation and analysis techniques. Consistency of resulting applications was assessed. Inconsistent matching of CTA methods and subsequent applications indicate CTA is currently more craft …


Graduate Students’ Teaching Experiences Improve Their Methodological Research Skills, David F. Feldon, James Peugh, Briana E. Timmerman, Michelle A. Maher, Melissa Hurst, Denise Strickland, Joanna A. Gilmore, Cindy Stiegelmeyer Aug 2011

Graduate Students’ Teaching Experiences Improve Their Methodological Research Skills, David F. Feldon, James Peugh, Briana E. Timmerman, Michelle A. Maher, Melissa Hurst, Denise Strickland, Joanna A. Gilmore, Cindy Stiegelmeyer

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate students are often encouraged to maximize their engagement with supervised research and minimize teaching obligations. However, the process of teaching students engaged in inquiry provides practice in the application of important research skills. Using a performance rubric, we compared the quality of methodological skills demonstrated in written research proposals for two groups of early career graduate students (those with both teaching and research responsibilities and those with only research responsibilities) at the beginning and end of an academic year. After statistically controlling for preexisting differences between groups, students who both taught and conducted …


Translating Expertise Into Effective Instruction: The Impacts Of Cognitive Task Analysis (Cta) On Lab Report Quality And Student Retention In The Biological Sciences, David F. Feldon, Briana Crotwell Timmerman, Krik A. Stowe, Richard Showman Dec 2010

Translating Expertise Into Effective Instruction: The Impacts Of Cognitive Task Analysis (Cta) On Lab Report Quality And Student Retention In The Biological Sciences, David F. Feldon, Briana Crotwell Timmerman, Krik A. Stowe, Richard Showman

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Poor instruction has been cited as a primary cause of attrition from STEM majors and a major obstacle to learning for those who stay [Seymour and Hewitt [1997]. Talking about leaving: Why undergraduates leave the sciences. Boulder, CO: Westview]. Using a double-blind design, this study tests the hypothesis that the lack of explicit instructions in scientific inquiry skills is a major factor in both low STEM retention and academic underperformance. This project delivered supplemental instruction to students in a laboratory-based undergraduate biology course (n = 314) that was derived either from cognitive task analyses (CTAs) conducted with expert biologists (treatment) …


A Call For Performance-Based Data In The Study Of Stem Ph.D. Education, David F. Feldon, Michelle A. Maher, Briana E. Timmerman Jul 2010

A Call For Performance-Based Data In The Study Of Stem Ph.D. Education, David F. Feldon, Michelle A. Maher, Briana E. Timmerman

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the scholarly development of Ph.D. students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is vital to the preparation of the scientific workforce. During doctoral study, students learn to be professional scientists and acquire the competencies to succeed in those roles. However, this complex process is not well studied. Research to date suffers from overreliance on a narrow range of methods that cannot provide data appropriate for addressing questions of causality or effectiveness of specific practices in doctoral education. We advocate a shift in focus from student and instructor self-report toward the use of actual performance data as a remedy …


Do Psychology Researchers Tell It Like It Is? A Microgenetic Analysis Of Research Strategies And Self-Report Accuracy, David F. Feldon Jul 2010

Do Psychology Researchers Tell It Like It Is? A Microgenetic Analysis Of Research Strategies And Self-Report Accuracy, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Acquiring research skills is considered to be a highly challenging aspect of developing expertise in the social sciences. Because instruction and mentoring in these skills are typically grounded in the self-report of researchers, difficulties in learning the material may be due to the content and accuracy of these explanations. Using a mixed-method, microgenetic design, this study examines the explanations of problem-solving processes by researchers along a continuum of expertise during simulated experiment design and subsequent data analysis. Findings indicate that participants’ self-explanations are largely inaccurate. Further, frequency of inaccurate statements is positively associated with the frequency of abstract cognitive processes, …


Investigating The “Why” In Whypox: Explorations Of A Virtual Epidemic, Yasmin B. Kafai, Maria Quintero, David F. Feldon Jan 2010

Investigating The “Why” In Whypox: Explorations Of A Virtual Epidemic, Yasmin B. Kafai, Maria Quintero, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Learning scientists have created and used virtual worlds to support players’ historical, scientific, and ecological inquiries. Much less explored has been the impact of community events on players’ investigations in virtual worlds. The authors present here the case of a community event Whypox, a virtual epidemic whose annual outbreak in Whyville affects players’ communication and appearance. The authors analyze the different levels of participation ranging from casual to systematic in which players searched out more information about the Whypox, participated in online discussions about its causes and investigated different scenarios with simulations. The discussion examines ethical concerns, the contributions of …


Mixed Methods For Mixed Reality: Overcoming Methodological Challenges To Understand User Activities In Virtual Worlds, David F. Feldon, Yasmin B. Kafai Dec 2008

Mixed Methods For Mixed Reality: Overcoming Methodological Challenges To Understand User Activities In Virtual Worlds, David F. Feldon, Yasmin B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper examines the use of mixed methods for analyzing users’ avatar-related activities in a virtual world. Server logs recorded keystroke-level activity for 595 participants over a six-month period in Whyville.net, an informal science website. Participants also completed surveys and participated in interviews regarding their experiences. Additionally, the study included online ethnographic observations of Whyville and offline observations of a subset of 88 users in classroom and after-school settings during their participation. A mixed-methods analysis identified a major user emphasis on avatar appearance and customization that was invariant across user typologies. Implications for the use of mixed methods in online …


Topscholar™ Revised Brochure, Cindy Troutman, Connie Foster Nov 2007

Topscholar™ Revised Brochure, Cindy Troutman, Connie Foster

TopSCHOLAR® Presentations and Reports

A revised brochure that gives basic points, contacts, and guidelines for TopSCHOLAR™, the research and creative activity database of Western Kentucky University, launched May 1, 2007.


Cognitive Load And Classroom Teaching: The Double-Edged Sword Of Automaticity, David F. Feldon Jul 2007

Cognitive Load And Classroom Teaching: The Double-Edged Sword Of Automaticity, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Research in the development of teacher cognition and teaching performance in K–12 classrooms has identified consistent challenges and patterns of behavior that are congruent with the predictions of dual-process models of cognition. However, cognitive models of information processing are not often used to synthesize these results. This article reviews findings from the research on teaching and teacher education through the lens of a dual-process model and emphasizes the role that cognitive load plays in driving teaching performance. Data reflecting the salience of automaticity and its relationship with cognitive overload are highlighted, and implications for teacher preparation and inservice training strategies …


Implications Of Research On Expertise For Curriculum And Pedagogy, David F. Feldon Jun 2007

Implications Of Research On Expertise For Curriculum And Pedagogy, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Instruction on problem solving in particular domains typically relies on explanations from experts about their strategies. However, research indicates that such self-reports often are incomplete or inaccurate (e.g., Chao & Salvendy, 1994; Cooke & Breedin, 1994). This article evaluates research on experts’ cognition, the accuracy of experts’ self-reports, and the efficacy of instruction based on experts’ self-reports. Analysis of this evidence indicates that experts’ free recall of strategies introduces errors and omissions into instructional materials that hinder student success. In contrast, when experts engage in structured knowledge elicitation techniques (e.g., cognitive task analysis), the resultant instruction is more effective. Based …


Topscholar™ Brochure, Cindy Troutman, Connie Foster May 2007

Topscholar™ Brochure, Cindy Troutman, Connie Foster

TopSCHOLAR® Presentations and Reports

A brochure that gives basic points, contacts, and guidelines for TopSCHOLAR™, the research and creative activity database of Western Kentucky University, launched May 1, 2007.