Fostering the analytical competency of pre-service teachers in a computer-supported case-based learning environment: A matter of perspective?

• Published in: Interactive learning environments Vol. 20; no. 6; pp. 513 - 532
• Main Authors: Zottmann, J. M., Goeze, A., Frank, C., Zentner, U., Fischer, F., Schrader, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 01.12.2012; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Adult Education; Audiovisual Aids; Case Method (Teaching Technique); case-based learning; cognitive flexibility; Cognitive Processes; College Instruction; Comparative Analysis; Competence; Computer Assisted Instruction; Control Groups; Educational Environment; Educational Experiments; Educational Technology; English (Second Language); Experimental Groups; Foreign Countries; Germany; Instructional Design; Knowledge Base for Teaching; Language Teachers; Learning Processes; Learning Theories; media in education; multimedia and hypermedia systems; Multimedia Instruction; multiple perspectives; Preservice Teacher Education; Preservice Teachers; Pretests Posttests; Protocol Analysis; Protocol Materials; Questionnaires; Second Language Instruction; Skill Development; skills acquisition; Student Teachers; teacher education; Teaching Skills; Video Technology; Germany
• ISSN: 1049-4820; 1744-5191
• DOI: 10.1080/10494820.2010.539885

Analytical competency in classroom situations can be seen as a crucial aspect of teachers' professional competency. While case-based learning is considered to have great potential for teacher education, particularly with respect to the promotion of teachers' analytical skills, there have been very few attempts to investigate the effects of corresponding instructional support. The present empirical study investigated the effects of instructional support in the form of multiple perspectives (i.e. authentic comments made by teachers and learners) and the presentation format of these perspectives in a computer-supported case-based learning environment which was based on the principles of cognitive flexibility theory. Twenty-nine foreign-language student teachers participated in the study. Experimental groups were presented with multiple perspectives in a video (plus audio track) or audio-track format. A control group did not have access to these multiple perspectives. The instructional support with multiple perspectives positively influenced learning processes and outcomes with respect to a central dimension of analytical competency - learners' ability to apply conceptual knowledge to case information. Learners with access to multiple perspectives as "audio only" outperformed learners in the "audio + video" condition, who did not substantially differ from the control group.