Computer-Based Response-Sensitive Design Strategies for Selecting Presentation Form and Sequence of Examples in Learning of Coordinate Concepts

Research has shown that concept learning is a two-phase process: formation of conceptual knowledge and development of procedural knowledge. Two computer-based instructional design strategies were investigated to improve the two-phase process by being response sensitive to error patterns. The first strategy, presentation form of examples, determined the format of examples (i.e., expository or interrogatory) by either adaptive selection (for both conceptual knowledge formation and procedural knowledge development) or fixed selection (for procedural knowledge development only). The second strategy, sequence of concepts, adjusted the selection of examples according to two rules: generalization (for both conceptual knowledge formation and procedural knowledge development) and discrimination (for procedural knowledge development only). Results showed (a) an interaction effect, in which learners receiving the adaptive selection and generalization rule had the highest performance, whereas learners receiving the fixed selection and generalization rule had the lowest performance; (b) the main effect of presentation form was significant for both posttest and retention test for the adaptive selection; and (c) there was no main effect difference for sequence.