Previous research has shown that implementing graphic organizers and giving the needed instruction to use and study content information increases academic gain of students with learning disabilities. In the present study students actively engaged in using graphic organizers, which helped them demonstrate their learning on multiple choice questions. On the multiple choice test, the overall mean gain for the experimental group was 45%. The control group's overall mean gain on the multiple choice test was 30%. While the posttest scores for students in the graphic organizer group were significantly higher than posttest scores of students in the control group, few students mastered the material. On a short answer test in which students answered definition, compare and contrast questions, students in traditional instruction outperformed students who received graphic organizer instruction. On the short answer test the mean gain for the experimental group across question types was 17% and the mean gain for the control group was 21%. These results are discussed relative to the available research on graphic organizers.

No description available.

Seductive details (SDs) are interesting, but not necessarily relevant, information that may be included in text to capture students’ attention. Unfortunately, including such details often hinders learning. Schraw (1998) differentiated between context-independent (i.e., interesting without surrounding context) and context-dependent (i.e., interesting only in light of surrounding context) SDs. In the first study, 388 undergraduate students read six paragraphs describing Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual stages (i.e., target material). Participants in four groups also read one of two biographical paragraphs. The biographical paragraphs contained SDs about Freud that were either context-dependent or -independent to the target material and presented before (primacy) or after (recency) the target-material paragraphs or not at all (Control). After reading, students took a quiz. Quiz performance was not influenced by the type of SDs but rather its placement relative to the target text. Students in the primacy conditions performed worse than students in the recency and control conditions. Thus, both types of SDs reduced learning when they were presented at the beginning of the text. Study 2 examined a potential interaction between SDs and a graphic organizer (GO). GOs are designed to help learners make connections among ideas in the text by visually representing the concepts to be learned (Ausubel, 1960; Robinson & Kiewra, 1995). In Study 2, 207 undergraduate students read the same target material from Study 1. Depending on condition, the participants also read the context-dependent biographical paragraph (SD only), read a GO that linked the SDs to the target material (GO only), read both (GO + SD), or only read the target material (Control). After reading, students took a quiz. Participants in the GO only group and the Control group performed significantly better on the quiz items than participants in the SD only group. There was no significant difference between the Control group and the GO + SD group. Results from both studies suggest that the GO mitigated the seductive details effect but did not reverse it. There is evidence for both the diversion hypothesis (priming inappropriate schema) and the distraction hypothesis (focusing the reader’s attention on the SDs as opposed to the target material).

In recent years, there has been a growth of using visuals and vocabulary in mathematics and mathematics classes. The purpose of this Master’s Report is to illuminate research done in the realm of mathematics education related to the increasing use of visuals and visual devices as models for mathematical concepts, as well as visuals for quick reference or “short cuts.” Also discussed is mathematics vocabulary, the words most likely seen on mathematics exams, standardized state tests, and overall, any vocabulary most likely to trigger problem solving strategies and solutions. Trends such as “word walls” and “graphic organizers,” as well as vocabulary strategies aimed at oral, visual, and kinesthetic learners have all emerged in the classroom. Other strategies implemented and researched include student mathematics journals, student created mathematics dictionaries, children’s literature, graphic organizers, and written explanations of open ended word problems. All proved to enhance students’ mathematical vocabulary, increase comprehension and increase ability in communication of mathematical ideas. Furthermore, the use of visual models has emerged in mathematics courses in order to promote more mathematical understanding. “Proofs without words” and patterns and pictures are growing in their use to explain mathematical concepts and ideas. Visual devices that help students arrive at probable answers also have grown in their implementation in the classroom and beyond. Overall, has the increased use of visuals and vocabulary in both mathematics education and mathematics in general improved the mathematical understanding of our society? What research, if any, has been done to document the effects of word walls, graphic organizers, and etcetera? The research will show that, yes, an overwhelming amount of data shows that the implementation of such visual and vocabulary strategies can improve the mathematical understanding of those exposed to the strategies and devices. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Riverside, 2009. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-83). Issued in print and online. Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations.

Thesis (M.Ed. )--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 2006. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2704. Typescript. Abstract precedes thesis as 1 leaf (iii). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-46).

ABSTRACT We know that many students with learning disabilities struggle throughout their school years with the writing process. High school is no exception. Writing is a life skill that can directly impact the quality of life for older students preparing to graduate and progress to college, a career, or simply the world of work. A need in society exists to improve the writing of all students including those who are on the threshold of high school graduation. Students with learning disabilities enter their ninth year of school with a performance gap of 4 to 5 years placing their equivalent learning in the late elementary years. Few studies however have investigated the impact of explicit written expression strategy instruction for students with mild disabilities in high school. Thus, expanding the knowledge base for this group of students becomes especially critical. The present study examines the effects of explicitly teaching a writing strategy to high school students with learning disabilities. A multiple baseline design across subjects was used to observe changes in student writing. A total of 11 students in three subject groups participated in the study. Eleventh grade students in three learning strategies classes were pretested to determine the level of their organizational skills for written products. Scoring criteria were described to students using a written expression rubric to provide them with the specific expectations for their daily writing. Mind-mapping, an organizational strategy for writing, was explicitly taught to each of three classes during their daily learning strategy period. Data were collected relative to the students' rubric scores and visually inspected for changes in writing performance before, during, and following the strategy instruction. Pre- and post-tests were administered to the student groups. Following data collection and the post-test, interviews were conducted with the teacher and each of the participants. Findings indicate that the mind-mapping intervention had limited success in improving students' written products when measured by the multiple baseline across subjects design. Pre- and post-test data, however, show that writing quality certainly did improve. The participants' teacher specifically noted during her interview that, in her perception, improvements in student writing as a result of using the mind-mapping strategy did occur. The teacher also felt strongly enough about the efficacy of the mind-mapping intervention that she plans to teach the strategy to her future students. Most of the students reported during their interviews that they felt that learning mind-mapping helped them to become better writers. The vast majority of students also stated that they planned to use the strategy for tests and writing assignments.

Approximately 5 to 14% of school age children are affected by mathematics learning disabilities. With the implementation of inclusion, many of these children are now being educated in the regular education class- room setting and may require additional support to be successful in algebra. Therefore, teachers need to know what interventions are available to them to facilitate the algebraic learning of students with mathemat- ics learning disabilities. This systematic literature review aims to identify, and critically analyze, interventions that could be used when teaching algebra to these students. The five included articles focused on interven- tions that can be used in algebra, specifically when solving equations. In the analysis of the five studies two types of interventions emerged: the concrete-representational-abstract model and graphic organizers. The concrete-representational-abstract model seems to show it can be used successfully in a variety of scenarios involving solving equations. The use of graphic organizers also seems to be helpful when teaching higher- level algebra content that may be difficult to represent concretely. This review discovered many practical implications for teachers. Namely, that the concrete-representational-abstract model of intervention is easy to implement, effective over short periods of time and appears to positively influence the achievement of all students in an inclusive classroom setting. The graphic organizer showed similar results in that it is easy to implement and appears to improve all students’ learning. This review provided a good starting point for teachers to identify interventions that could be useful in algebra; however, more research still needs to be done. Future research is suggested in inclusive classroom settings where the general education teacher is the instructor and also on higher-level algebra concepts.

Les données issues de la littérature montrent que l’ajout d’aides visuelles (i.e., graphiques organisateurs, plans) à des documents multimédias améliore non seulement la mémorisation des étudiants mais également leur compréhension en représentant les informations essentielles du document ainsi que les relations hiérarchiques qu’elles entretiennent. De plus, de nombreux auteurs recommandent d’engager les apprenants dans le traitement profond des informations, par exemple, en leur demandant de générer eux-mêmes des aides visuelles. Actuellement, les quelques études s’étant intéressées à la comparaison de groupes où une aide visuelle est fournie avec le document (apprenant « passif ») à des groupes où l’aide est auto-générée (apprenant « actif ») rapportent des résultats contrastés, l’auto génération entraînant parfois des effets bénéfiques (hypothèse de génération) et parfois des effets néfastes (hypothèse de charge cognitive). Dans cette thèse, une série de cinq études a été réalisée afin d’étudier plus précisément les effets de l’auto-génération de graphiques organisateurs sur les performances d’apprentissage des étudiants. Les résultats de ces études répliquent les effets bénéfiques de l’ajout d’aides visuelles (graphiques ou plans) sur l’apprentissage. Cependant, des effets négatifs de l’auto-génération ont été quasi systématiquement obtenus démontrant ainsi la complexité de ce type d’activité. Ces effets n’étaient toutefois plus observés lorsque la génération du graphique était guidée dans nos dernières études (scaffolding, génération partielle) ce qui ouvre de nombreuses pistes de recherches. / The literature shows that adding visual aids (i.e., graphic organizers, outlines) to multimedia documents increases students’ memorization and comprehension by depicting the main ideas of the document and their interrelationship. Moreover, numerous authors recommend turning students into active learners in their learning and involving them in processing information deeply, by asking them to self-generate a visual aid. Nowadays, the few studies which have compared groups where a visual aid is given (“passive” learner) to groups where it is self-generated (active learner) yield contrasting results, showing either positive effects of self-generation (generative hypothesis) or detrimental ones (cognitive load hypothesis). In this dissertation, a series of five studies was conducted to precisely assess self-generation effects of graphic organizers on students’ learning performances. The results replicated the beneficial effects of adding visual aids (graphics or outlines) on learning. Yet, negative self-generation effects were almost always obtained. However, these effects disappeared when the self-generation of the organizer was guided (scaffolding, partial self-generation) which opens the way to further research.

Researchers have determined that concept maps serve as effective tools in the traditional science classroom. The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate concept mapping as a tool for student knowledge acquisition in 10th grade science for students in distance learning situations. Research questions were designed to investigate the influence of concept mapping on rate and quality of student knowledge acquisition and retention. This study was a pretest-posttest 2-group comparison study, constructivist in nature and based on the theory of cognitive learning. Participants included 36 students in the 10th grade at an inner-city school in the United States. Control and treatment groups participated in completing pre and posttesting to establish standards for initial understanding and knowledge acquired. Pretest scores were used in a 2-tailed t test to establish equivalence between groups at the beginning of the study. ANOVA was used with test gains to determine differences between treatment and control groups. Cronbach's alpha was conducted to test for concept map interrater reliability. A 2-tailed t test for matched groups was used with concept map scores and treatment group test gains to determine any relationship. No statistically significant relationship between the use of concept maps and distance learning was found. Recommendations for future research include a wider age range for participants and investigations of academic areas such as reading, writing, mathematics, and language acquisition, native and foreign. Implications for positive social change include research with altered parameters to identify an existing tool that may be used by students in the traditional classroom as well as in distance-learning scenarios.