Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Education

Toward Creating Computer-Based Math Learning Favoring High-School Females, Yanghee Kim Jun 2009

Toward Creating Computer-Based Math Learning Favoring High-School Females, Yanghee Kim

Yanghee Kim

Research indicates that teenage females prefer to work and perform better at the learning environment that supports frequent interactions and allows them to build relationships with others. This paper will introduce a computer-based algebra-learning environment MathGirls equipped with pedagogical agents (digital life-like characters) that simulate real-world social interactions and relations. The goal of MathGirls is to help young women of high-school age build positive attitudes toward and self-efficacy in math learning through this simulated social context. To investigate the efficacy of MathGirls, a classroom experiment was conducted with 83 high-school females. The experiment examined the effects of agent attributes (female …


The Role Of Learner Attributes And Affect Determining The Impact Of Agent Presence, Yanghee Kim Jan 2009

The Role Of Learner Attributes And Affect Determining The Impact Of Agent Presence, Yanghee Kim

Yanghee Kim

This paper introduces two experimental studies that examined the potential of animated virtual peers (VP) to build social relations with learners in online learning environments. VP emotions and learner characteristics were foci of interest. Study I investigated the impact of VP emotional expressions (positive vs. negative vs. neutral) and gender and learner gender on college students’ perceptions of agent persona, motivation, and learning. Study II investigated the interaction effects of VP presence and learner gender and learner sociability on high-school students’ task-related attitudes, self-efficacy beliefs, and learning. Overall, the results revealed the interaction effects of VP/learner attributes on the learners’ …