Teaching strategic text review by computer and interaction with student characteristics

An interaction between student's prior knowledge and explanations indicated that explanation facilitated the learning of students with little familiarity with the material, while slightly impairing knowledgeable students' performance.

Abstract

The effect of explaining the value of text review was studied. Students (n = 136) were randomly assigned to read a text passage displayed by computer with or without an explanation and in three presentation modes: required or optional review when answer to adjunct questions were incorrect, or reading the text without questions. Review groups learned more than those merely reading the text, and an interaction between student's prior knowledge and explanations indicated that explanation facilitated the learning of students with little familiarity with the material, while slightly impairing knowledgeable students' performance. The implications of these findings for using computers for such training and for ATI research are discussed.