A knowledge acquisition approach to developing Mindtools for organizing and sharing differentiating knowledge in a ubiquitous learning environment

Previous studies have reported the importance and benefits of situating students in a real-world learning environment with access to digital-world resources. At the same time, researchers have indicated the need to develop learning guidance mechanisms or tools for assisting students to learn in such...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computers and education 2011-08, Vol.57 (1), p.1368-1377
Main Authors: Hwang, Gwo-Jen, Chu, Hui-Chun, Lin, Yu-Shih, Tsai, Chin-Chung
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Butterflies
Comparative Analysis
Computer Software
Control Groups
Education
Educational Environment
Entomology
Environmental impact statements
Experimental Groups
Grade 5
Identification
Instructional Effectiveness
Interactive learning environments
Knowledge acquisition
Learning
Mindtools
Mobile and ubiquitous learning
Natural Sciences
Organizing
Repertory grid
Science Curriculum
Students
Teaching Methods
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Summary:Previous studies have reported the importance and benefits of situating students in a real-world learning environment with access to digital-world resources. At the same time, researchers have indicated the need to develop learning guidance mechanisms or tools for assisting students to learn in such a complex learning scenario. In this study, a grid-based knowledge acquisition approach is proposed and a Mindtool is developed to help students organize and share knowledge for differentiating a set of learning targets based on what they have observed in the field. An experiment has been conducted in an elementary school Natural Science course for differentiating different species of butterflies. Forty-one fifth-grade students have been assigned to a control group and an experimental group to compare the effect of the conventional approach and that of the proposed approach. The experimental results show that the proposed approach not only improves students’ learning achievements, but also significantly enhances their ability of identifying species in the field.
ISSN:0360-1315
1873-782X
DOI:10.1016/j.compedu.2010.12.013