Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier
1202
Date
2014
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Psychology
Concentration
Experimental Psychology
Committee Chair
Art Graesser
Committee Member
Andrew Olney
Committee Member
Randy Floyd
Committee Member
Mark Conley
Abstract
Confusion provides opportunities to learn at deeper levels. However, learners must put forth the necessary effort to resolve their confusion to convert this opportunity into actual learning gains. Learning occurs when learners engage in cognitive activities beneficial to learning (e.g., reflection, deliberation, problem solving) during the process of confusion resolution. Unfortunately, learners are not always able to resolve their confusion on their own. The inability to resolve confusion can be due to a lack of knowledge, motivation, or skills. The present dissertation explored methods to aid confusion resolution and ultimately promote learning through a multi-pronged approach. First, a survey revealed that learners prefer more information and feedback when confused and that they preferred different interventions for confusion compared to boredom and frustration. Second, expert human tutors were found to most frequently handle learner confusion by providing direct instruction and responded differently to learner confusion compared to anxiety, frustration, and happiness. Finally, two experiments were conducted to test the effectiveness of pedagogical and motivational confusion regulation interventions. Both types of interventions were investigated within a learning environment that experimentally induced confusion via the presentation of contradictory information by two animated agents (tutor and peer student agents). Results showed across both studies that learner effort during the confusion regulation task impacted confusion resolution and that learning occurred when the intervention provided the opportunity for learners to stop, think, and deliberate about the concept being discussed. Implications for building more effective affect-sensitive learning environments are discussed.
Library Comment
Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.
Recommended Citation
Lehman, Blair Allison, "Interventions to Regulate Confusion during Learning" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1012.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/etd/1012
Comments
Data is provided by the student.