Introductory circuit analysis learning from abstract and contextualized circuit representations: Effects of diagram labels

IEEE Transactions on Education

Volumn 57, Issue 3, 2014, Pages 160-168

  Johnson, Amy M ^a   Butcher, Kirsten R ^b   Ozogul, Gamze ^c   Reisslein, Martin ^d  

^a ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF UTAH   (United States)

^c INDIANA UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^d Arizona State University   (United States)

Author keywords

Circuit analysis instruction; circuit diagram; diagram label; electrical circuit analysis; multiple external representations; novice learner

Indexed keywords

ABSTRACTING; ELECTRIC NETWORK PARAMETERS; TIMING CIRCUITS;

ABSTRACT REPRESENTATION; CIRCUIT DIAGRAMS; ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT; FORMS OF REPRESENTATION; INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS; INSTRUCTIONAL MODULES; MULTIPLE EXTERNAL REPRESENTATIONS; NOVICE LEARNER;

ELECTRIC NETWORK ANALYSIS;

EID: 84890295509     PISSN: 00189359     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1109/TE.2013.2284258     Document Type: Article

References (76)

1. A. Johri and V. Lohani, "A framework for improving engineering representational literacy through the use of pen-based computing, " Int. J. Eng. Educ., vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 958-967, 2011.
2. A. Johri and B. Olds, "Situated engineering learning: Bridging engineering education research and the learning sciences, " J. Eng. Educ., vol. 100, no. 1, pp. 151-185, Jan. 2011.
3. T. J. Moore, R. L. Miller, R. A. Lesh, M. S. Stohlmann, and Y. R. Kim, "Modeling in engineering: The role of representational fluency in students' conceptual understanding, " J. Eng. Educ., vol. 102, no. 1, pp. 141-178, Jan. 2013.
4. L. C. McDermott and P.S. Shaffer, "Research as a guide for curriculum development: An example from introductory electricity. Part I: Investigation of student understanding, " Amer. J. Phys., vol. 60, no. 11, pp. 994-1003, Nov. 1992.
5. R. Moreno, G. Ozogul, and M. Reisslein, "Teaching with concrete and abstract visual representations: effects on students' problem solving, problem representations, and learning perceptions, " J. Educ. Psychol., vol. 103, no. 1, pp. 32-47, Feb. 2011.
6. B. P. Butz, M. Duarte, and S. M. Miller, "An intelligent tutoring system for circuit analysis, " IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 216-223, May 2006.
7. F. De Coulon, E. Forte, and J. M. Rivera, "KIRCHHOFF: An educational software for learning the basic principles and methodology in electrical circuits modeling, " IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 19-22, Feb. 1993.
8. E. R. Doering, "CircuitViz: A new method for visualizing the dynamic behavior of electric circuits, " IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 297-303, Aug. 1996. (Pubitemid 126768012)
9. H. E. Hanrahan and S. S. Caetano, "A knowledge-based aid for dc circuit analysis, " IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 448-453, Nov. 1989.
10. L. Huelsman, "Symbolic analysis-a tool for teaching undergraduate circuit theory, " IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 243-250, May 1996. (Pubitemid 126768005)
11. L. Weyton, P. Rombouts, B. Catteau, and M. DeBock, "Validation of symbolic expressions in circuit analysis e-learning, " IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. 54, no. 4, pp. 564-568, Nov. 2011.
12. ASEE Technological Literacy Constituent Committee, "Engineering for non-engineers and technological literacy: Bibliography and reference resources, " Jun. 2011 [Online]. Available: http://www.hope.edu/ academic/engineering/ PDFs/TechLit-Bibliography-2011-v1.pdf
13. M. Mina, "Work in progress-The role of engineering colleges in providing technological literacy, " in Proc. IEEE Frontiers Educ. Conf., 2008, pp. F3F 25-26.
14. G. Pearson and A. T. Young, Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know More About Technology. Washington, DC: Nat. Acad. Press, 2002.
15. J. Krupczak, D. Ollis, W. B. Carlson, J. D. Klein, K. Neeley, W. G. Norton, B. Oakley, R. Pimmel, G. Pearson, and J. F. Young, "Panel-The technological literacy of undergraduates: Developing standard models, " Proc. IEEE/ASEE Frontiers Educ., pp. F2F-1-F2F-2, Oct. 2007.
16. M. Winzker and A. Schwandt, "Teaching embedded system concepts for technological literacy, " IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 210-215, May 2011.
17. P. Davidovits, "Courses on technology for students not majoring in the sciences, " IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. E-16, no. 4, pp. 200-201, Nov. 1973.
18. K. A. Korzeniowksi and D. Mechtel, "Teaching engineering to nonelectrical engineering majors, " in Proc. ASEE Annu. Conf., 1998.
19. J. J. Krupczak, "Science and technology of everyday life: A course in technology for liberal arts students, " in Proc. ASEE Annu. Conf., 1996.
20. J. J. Krupczak and D. Ollis, "Technological literacy and engineering for non-engineers: Lessons from successful courses, " in Proc. ASEE Annu. Conf., 2006.
21. R. E. Mayer, "Cognitive theory of multimedia learning, " in The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning, R. E. Mayer, Ed. New York, NY, USA: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2005, pp. 31-48.
22. A. D. Baddeley, Working Memory. Oxford, England: Clarendon, 1986.
23. P. Chandler and J. Sweller, "Cognitive load theory and the format of instruction, " Cogn. Instruct., vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 293-332, 1991.
24. A. L. Holmes, "Work in progress-Quantifying intrinsic cognitive load in DC circuit problems, " in Proc. IEEE Frontiers Educ. Conf., 2009, pp. 693-694.
25. M. Mina and A. W. Moore, "Work in progress-Using cognitive development approaches in teaching electrical engineering concepts, " in Proc. IEEE Frontiers Educ. Conf., 2010, pp. F3G-1-F3G-2.
26. J. S. Brown, A. Collins, and P. Duguid, "Situated cognition and the culture of learning, " Educ. Res., vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 32-42, Jan. 1989.
27. D. I. Cordova and M. R. Lepper, "Intrinsic motivation and the process of learning: Beneficial effects of contextualization, personalization, and choice, " J. Educ. Psychol., vol. 88, no. 4, pp. 715-30, Dec. 1996.
28. R. L. Goldstone and Y. Sakamoto, "The transfer of abstract principles governing complex adaptive systems, " Cogn. Psychol., vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 414-466, Jun. 2003. (Pubitemid 36880987)
29. K. R. Koedinger and M. J. Nathan, "The real story behind story problems: Effects of representations on quantitative reasoning, " J. Learning Sci., vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 129-64, 2004. (Pubitemid 38614619)
30. E.-M. Yang, T. J. Greenbowe, and T. Andre, "The effective use of an interactive software program to reduce students' misconceptions about batteries, " J. Chem. Educ., vol. 81, no. 4, pp. 587-595, Apr. 2004.
31. C. M. Jennings, J. E. Jennings, J. Richey, and L. Dixon-Krauss, "Increasing interest and achievement in mathematics through children's literature, " Early Childhood Res. Quart., vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 263-267, Jun. 1992.
32. L. Tiancheng and D. H. Jonassen, "The effect of lesson structures on predication and inference, " in Proc. Sel. Res. Dev. Presentations, Nat. Convention Assoc. Educ. Commun. Technol., 1996, pp. 423-429.
33. N. M. McNeil, D. H. Uttal, L. Jarvin, and R. J. Sternberg, "Should you show me the money? Concrete objects both hurt and help performance on mathematics problems, " Learning Instruct., vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 171-184, Apr. 2009.
34. K. R. Butcher, "Learning from text with diagrams: Promoting mental model development and inference generation, " J. Educ. Psychol., vol. 98, no. 1, pp. 182-97, Feb. 2006. (Pubitemid 43551091)
35. J. H. Joseph and F. M. Dwyer, "Effects of prior knowledge, presentationmode, and visual realismon student achievement, " J. Exper. Educ., vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 110-121, 1984.
36. D. DeBock, L. Verschaffel, W. VanDooren, J. Deprez, andM. Roelens, "Abstract or concrete examples in learning mathematics? A replication and elaboration of Kaminski, Sloutsky, and Heckler's study, " J. Res. Math. Educ., vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 109-126, Mar. 2011.
37. J. A. Kaminski, V. M. Sloutsky, and A. F. Heckler, "The advantage of abstract examples in learning math, " Science, vol. 320, no. 5875, pp. 454-455, Apr. 2008. (Pubitemid 351590651)
38. M. Reisslein, R. Moreno, and G. Ozogul, "Pre-college electrical engineering instruction: The impact of abstract vs. contextualized representation and practice on learning, " J. Eng. Educ., vol. 99, no. 3, pp. 225-235, Jul. 2010.
39. R. Moreno, M. Reisslein, and G. Ozogul, "Pre-college electrical engineering instruction: Do abstract or contextualized representations promote better learning?, " in Proc. ASEE/IEEE FIE, 2009, pp. 1-6.
40. A. M. Johnson, K. Butcher, G. Ozogul, and M. Reisslein, "Learning from abstract and contextualized representations: The effect of verbal guidance, " Comput. Human Behav., vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 2239-2247, Nov. 2013.
41. T. Jaakkola, S. Nurmi, and K. Veermans, "A comparison of students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits in simulation only and simulation-laboratory contexts, " J. Res. Sci. Teaching, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 71-93, Jan. 2010.
42. G. Olympiou, Z. C. Zacharias, and T. de Jong, "Making the invisible visible: Enhancing students' conceptual understanding by introducing representations of abstract objects in a simulation, " Instruct. Sci., vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 575-596, May 2013.
43. Z. C. Zacharia, "Comparing and combining real and virtual experimentation: An effort to enhance students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits, " J. Comput. Assisted Learning, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 120-132, Apr. 2007.
44. J. Reisslein, G. Ozogul, A. M. Johnson, K. L. Bishop, J. Harvey, and M. Reisslein, "Circuits kit K-12 outreach: Impact of circuit element representation and student gender, " IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. 56, no. 3, pp. 316-321, Aug. 2013.
45. P. Ayres and J. Sweller, R. E. Mayer, Ed., "The split-attention principle, " in The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. New York, NY, USA: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2005, pp. 135-146.
46. T. Bartholome and R. Bromme, "Coherence formation when learning from text and pictures: What kind of support for whom?, " J. Educ. Psychol., vol. 101, no. 2, pp. 282-293, May 2009.
47. S. Kalyuga, P. Chandler, and J. Sweller, "Levels of expertise and instructional design, " Human Factors, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 1-17, Mar. 1998. (Pubitemid 28194518)
48. M. Florax and R. Ploetzner, "What contributes to the split-attention effect? The role of text segmentation, picture labelling, and spatial proximity, " Learning Instruct., vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 216-224, Jun. 2010.
49. P. Ginns, "Integrating information: A meta-analysis of the spatial contiguity and temporal contiguity effects, " Learning Instruct., vol. 16, no. 6, pp. 511-525, Dec. 2006. (Pubitemid 44824820)
50. L. Kester, P. Kirschner, and J. J. G. van Merrienboer, "The management of cognitive load during complex cognitive skill acquisition by means of computer-simulated problem solving, " Brit. J. Educ. Psychol., vol. 75, no. 1, pp. 71-85, Mar. 2005. (Pubitemid 40465818)
51. J. Sweller and P. Chandler, "Why some material is difficult to learn, " Cogn. Instruct., vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 185-233, 1994.
52. S. Tindall-Ford, P. Chandler, and J. Sweller, "When two sensory modes are better than one, " J. Exper. Psychol., Appl., vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 257-287, Dec. 1997. (Pubitemid 127462889)
53. W. Schnotz, "Towards an integrated view of learning from text and visual displays, " Educ. l Psychol. Rev., vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 101-120, Mar. 2002. (Pubitemid 37134420)
54. D. Bodemer, R. Ploetzner, I. Feuerlein, and H. Spada, "The active integration of information during learning with dynamic and interactive visualizations, " Learning Instruct., vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 325-341, Jun. 2004. (Pubitemid 39216292)
55. D. Bodemer and U. Faust, "External andmental referencing ofmultiple representations, " Comput. Human Behav., vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 27-42, Jan. 2006. (Pubitemid 41394956)
56. K. Allen, T. Reed-Rhoads, R. A. Terry, T. J. Murphy, and A. D. Stone, "Coefficient alpha: An engineer's interpretation of test reliability, " J. Eng. Educ., vol. 97, no. 1, pp. 87-94, Jan. 2008. (Pubitemid 351300220)
57. F. R. Quintela, R. C. Redondo, N. R. Melchor, and M. Redondo, "A general approach to Kirchhoff's laws, " IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 273-278, May 2009.
58. R. Moreno, M. Reisslein, and G. Ozogul, "Optimizing worked-example instruction in electrical engineering: The role of fading and feedback during problem-solving practice, " J. Eng. Educ., vol. 98, no. 1, pp. 83-92, Jan. 2009.
59. R. E. Kirk, Experimental Design: Procedures for Behavioral Sciences, 4th ed. Newbury Park, CA, USA: Sage, 2012.
60. F. J. Gravetter and L. B. Wallnau, Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, 9th ed. Stamford, CT, USA: Cengage, 2013.
61. J. Bobis, J. Sweller, and M. Cooper, "Cognitive load effects in a primary- school geometry task, " Learning Instruct., vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1-21, 1993.
62. J. Karbach and J. Kray, "How useful is executive control training? Age differences in near and far transfer of task-switching training, " Dev. Sci., vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 978-990, Nov. 2009.
63. M.W. Lipsey and D. B. Wilson, "The efficacy of psychological educational, and behavioral treatment: Confirmation from meta-analysis, " Amer. Psychol., vol. 48, no. 12, pp. 1181-1209, Dec. 1993.
64. R. A. Bjork, "Memory and metamemory considerations in the training of human beings, " inMetacognition: Knowing About Knowing, J. Metcalfe and A. Shimamura, Eds. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 1994, pp. 185-205.
65. R. A. Bjork, "Assessing our own competence: Heuristics and illusions, " in Attention and Performance XVII. Cognitive Regulation of Performance: Interaction of Theory and Application, D. Gopher and A. Koriat, Eds. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 1999, pp. 435-459.
66. L. E. Richland, R. A. Bjork, J. R. Finley, and M. C. Linn, "Linking cognitive science to education: Generation and interleaving effects, " in Proc. Annu. Conf. Cogn. Sci. Soc., 2005, pp. 1850-1855.
67. K. R. Koedinger and V. Aleven, "Exploring the assistance dilemma in experiments with cognitive tutors, " Educ. Psychol. Rev., vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 239-264, Sep. 2007.
68. G. C. Orsak, S. L. Wood, S. C. Douglas, D. C. Munson, J. R. Treichler, Jr., R. Athale, and M. A. Yoder, Engineering our Digital Future. Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA: Prentice-Hall, 2004.
69. J. L. Meece, Child and Adolescent Development for Educators, 2nd ed. New York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill, 2002.
70. P. Miller, Theories of Developmental Psychology, 4th ed. NewYork, NY, USA: Worth, 2002.
71. L. Palma, R. F. Morisson, P. N. Enjeti, and J.W. Howze, "Use of webbased materials to teach electric circuit theory, " IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 729-734, Nov. 2005. (Pubitemid 41723906)
72. L. Weyten, P. Rombouts, and J. De Maeyer, "Web-Based trainer for electrical circuit analysis, " IEEE Trans Educ., vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 185-189, Feb. 2009.
73. A. Azemi, R. Toto, and T. Litzinger, "Work in progress-Improving problem-solving skills via dynamically worked-out problems, " in Proc. IEEE FIE, 2010, pp. T1D-1-T1D-3.
74. E. Doering and X. Mu, "Circuits learned by example online (CLEO): A video-based resource to support engineering circuit analysis courses, " in Proc. IEEE FIE, 2009, pp. 891-894.
75. A. M. Johnson, J. Reisslein, and M. Reisslein, "Representation sequencing in computer-based engineering education, " Comput. Educ., 2014, to be published.
76. G. Ozogul, A. M. Johnson, R. Moreno, and M. Reisslein, "Technological literacy learning with cumulative and stepwise integration of equations into electrical circuit diagrams, " IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. 55, no. 4, pp. 480-487, Nov. 2012.