The Effect of Learner-Generated Drawing and Imagination in Comprehending a Science Text

• Published in: The Journal of experimental education Vol. 85; no. 1; pp. 142 - 154
• Main Authors: Lin, Lijia, Lee, Chee Ha, Kalyuga, Slava, Wang, Ying, Guan, Shuchen, Wu, Hao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Routledge 01.01.2017; Taylor & Francis Group, LLC; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Between-subjects design; Bonferroni Procedure; China (Shanghai); Cognitive load; Cognitive Processes; College students; Difficulty Level; Educational Strategies; Eye Movements; Foreign Countries; Freehand Drawing; Imagination; Instruction; instructional design/development; Instructional Effectiveness; learning environments; learning processes/strategies; learning theory/model; LEARNING, INSTRUCTION, AND COGNITION; Multivariate Analysis; Predictor Variables; Pretests Posttests; Prior Learning; Reading; Reading Comprehension; Reading Materials; Reading Rate; Repetition; Science Materials; Statistical Analysis; Teaching Methods; Undergraduate Students; Visualization; China (Shanghai)
• ISSN: 0022-0973; 1940-0683
• DOI: 10.1080/00220973.2016.1143796

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of imagination and learner-generated drawing on comprehension, reading time, cognitive load, and eye movements, and whether prior knowledge moderated the effects of these two strategies. Sixty-three undergraduate students participated in a pretest-posttest between-subjects study with the independent variable being the instructional strategies with three levels (learner-generated drawing vs. imagination vs. repeated reading). The results revealed that, compared to repeated reading, learner-generated drawing fostered learners' comprehension when their prior knowledge was relatively low. Moreover, when asked to read the science text after the intervention, learners who were previously engaged with imagination spent significantly more time reading the text, and fixated longer and more frequently than those in the repeated reading condition.