Abstract:
This study investigated the cognitive effects of employing the strategy of pre-training on students learning of complex ideas in science. A preliminary study confirmed that learning graphing skills in physics was a suitably complex and appropriate context for the main study. Students from three classes in each of eight different secondary schools were involved in learning science ideas using multimedia presentations in the topic of motion, which includes graphs, in their own classrooms. The students were all novices for this topic. This study contrasted the use of pre-training as a strategy to reduce the cognitive load and enhance the understanding and learning of complex information with no pre-training. The experimental treatment group received pre-training before being presented with the science ideas (teaching), the other two groups only received the teaching, Treatment group 2 once through and Treatment group 3 twice through. Cognitive load measures (during and after learning) were employed and performance measures included the difference between pre and post test scores, for high and low level learning, and for calculation and graphing ideas. In addition instructional efficiency was calculated. The effect of the pre-training strategy on males and females, different decile schools, and different enthnicities in New Zealand were also investigated. Results suggest that pre-training reduced the cognitive load and improved learning when complex information in science was presented and increased instructional efficiency for all students irrespective of gender, decile, and ethnicity when learning in an ecologically valid setting.
